A helping hand to Be the One

Dear American Legion Family Members and Friends,

During my travels around this great nation of ours, I have been awestruck by the outpouring of support for The American Legion Be the One initiative.

American Legion posts have rallied to the campaign to reduce the rate of suicide among veterans and servicemembers. They have held symposiums and other awareness events, conducted hikes and walks, and reached out to their comrades who may be struggling. These are all wonderful ways to support Be the One by raising awareness.

For posts that have not started yet, there are plenty of resources available at The American Legion’s dedicated web page for this campaign. Review and download resources here. Staff will continue to update this page and create additional materials. If there is something you don’t see available, email your idea to the Media & Communications staff.

Another available resource is from our partners at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

VA has a PTSD Coach app that allows users to cope with symptoms and help others do the same. The free app provides relaxation exercise, soothing sounds, and the ability to upload pictures, track progress and more.

American Legion member John Kirby is among those who are successfully using the app, which is available in both English and Spanish.

“PTSD Coach helps me reflect on my trauma by journaling and having the ability to release my story and work through the healing process for myself,” he explained in this story. “It’s helped me a lot just by reading some of the tips and completing daily tasks built into the app. The ability to add pictures and songs has been really helpful for me,” he said.

The app offers:

·       Reliable information on PTSD and treatments that work.

·       Tools for screening and tracking your symptoms.

·       Easy-to-use tools to help you handle stress.

·       Direct links to support and help.

It doesn’t matter how we get veterans in crisis the assistance they need. It just matters that we recognize the issue, act accordingly and provide the resources they need, whether they come from us, VA or another agency.

Thank you for what you do every day to fulfill our obligation to our veterans, servicemembers, their families and the communities in which they live.

Vincent J. “Jim” Troiola

National Commander

The American Legion