Ed Bray displays his No. 66 race car on and off track to support The American Legion’s Be the One suicide prevention mission.
Four years ago, a veteran and his wife approached Ed Bray at a car and motorcycle show where he was showcasing his No. 66 race car. The veteran shared with Bray that he wanted to make sure his wife was taken care of tomorrow. That’s when “the red flags went off and the hairs on the back on my neck stood up,” said Bray, a member of American Legion Post 135 in Cookeville, Tenn., who asked the veteran service officer and post chaplain alongside him to speak with the veteran.
“Afterward, he shook my hand and thanked me for that because he did not plan to be on this earth the next day,” Bray said. “That was this huge lightning bolt that hit me and made me want to push the (American Legion) Be the One mission even more.”
Now, Bray is spreading the Legion’s Be the One suicide prevention mission in the INEX Legends Racing Series across the state of Tennessee on and off track with his No. 66 Bray Racing car known as the “Be the One Motor with a Mission”. If he isn’t racing with Be the One decals on his car and helmet, he’s with the car at community events, car shows and American Legion posts handing out Be the One/Bray Racing wallet cards, challenge coins and brochures to educate about the suicide prevention mission.
“The car itself is an attraction. You get all these classic, full-size cars and then here’s this little race car so people start asking about the car and then they look at what’s on it (American Legion posts numbers and Be the One),” Bray said, adding that several Tennessee Legion posts help sponsor the car to spread the Be the One mission. “I’ll explain about The American Legion and the Be the One mission. It's basically educating on how everyone can Be the One, just start the conversation of ‘How are you?’ I express the most important thing after that is to listen. If you don't listen, you won't catch the signs.”
Bray hands out Be the One brochures and flyers, and a wallet card with Bray Racing Facebook page and his email on one side and Be the One on the other.
“I give them information on where they can go, learn more and educate themselves on how they can Be the One and help a veteran that’s in their life,” Bray said.
“I know for a fact that there’s four veterans that the car has saved. When you talk to veterans and you can tell the signs from them that they are struggling, all they want is somebody to listen to them. That’s one of the reasons why Be the One is such an important mission for me.”
Bray has taken the Columbia Protocol suicide prevention training twice, both virtual and in-person at his American Legion Post 135. The Legion has partnered with Columbia University in support of Be the One to host the free, 90-minute training classes that provide the tools to safely intervene when a veteran is in crisis. Register for a training session.
Bray put the training to use during a veteran dinner event.
During the dinner, Bray noticed a veteran who was quiet. “I looked over at Rob and I said, ‘Rob, how are you?’ He looked up and you could tell that he was ready just to let it all out. And he did. He then thanked me for asking how he was. From there it just went around to everybody.
“You can use Be the One in any type of scenario or situation or place of where you're at. I mean, it works. And I'm passionate about this. Everybody knows how passionate I am about this mission.”
- Be the One