A beaded mission to educate about Be the One

Florida Legionnaire Tina Charney Burgess is making 250 bracelets to share the veteran suicide prevention mission and celebrate the nation’s birthday. 

In March of 2024, Tina Charney Burgess watched the live stream of now Past National Commander Daniel Seehafer testifying before the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs. “His impassioned remarks about our Be the One (veteran suicide prevention) mission hit home with me,” said Charney Burgess, a retired Air Force military intelligence officer who deployed to Baghdad in 2004 and sought help at a VA medical center for post-traumatic stress following service. “I knew there were men and women suffering with much greater PTSD symptoms than my own, and I committed to increasing awareness on veteran suicide prevention within my Legion Family.”

Charney Burgess, a member of American Legion Post 347 in Lady Lake, Fla., increased veteran suicide awareness by helping to organize a biannual veteran outreach open house with the local VA and other veteran service organizations.

“My emphasis was always Be the One,” she said. “I manned an information table where I handed out (Be the One suicide prevention) brochures, rubber bracelets and stickers, along with my take on how important this mission was. In the words of Daniel Seehafer, Legionnaires must care enough to ‘Be the One to save the one.’” 

Then, Charney Burgess began making red, white and blue Be the One beaded bracelets. “I wanted something a little more extraordinary than the simple rubber bracelet I wore every day,” she said. “I wore it for a few days before someone noticed and to my surprise wanted one.”

The making of and giving away of the bracelets sparked an idea when The American Legion launched its USA 250 Challenge in July with mental health as one of the categories. The challenge is in celebration of America’s 250^th birthday next year and participants are encouraged to log 250 miles or hours in one or all three of the categories – fitness, mental health and community service.

“When I learned of the USA 250 Challenge, I knew exactly what I would do – create and gift 250 Be the One bracelets to anyone who requested one,” Charney Burgess said. “A personal request must be made, and the recipient must understand the meaning of The American Legion’s Be the One mission. It is my way of educating our female members of the importance of Be the One to save the one.”

Charney Burgess has gifted 47 bracelets of her 250 goal.

“My USA 250 Challenge is very personal to me and involves the mission of The American Legion’s Be the One initiative to reduce the rate of veteran suicide,” she said. “I know it (the bracelets) may not seem like much, but to me it is a labor of love and my attempt to make a difference in this important issue.”