Tennessee Commander Todd McKinley is asking his state’s Legionnaires to conduct Be the One Day events in conjuction with the Legion Family on the Hill Day March 12.
The Christmas Eve suicide of his best friend and fellow U.S. Army paratrooper led Tennessee Legionnaire Todd McKinley to write and publish a book dedicated to his friend’s memory: “Those Left Behind: Veteran Suicide and My Late Best Friend Brad Bush.”
It’s also made McKinley, now Tennessee’s department commander, passionate about The American Legion’s Be the One veteran suicide prevention program. First, he used proceeds from the sale of his book to establish a Be the One Commission that involves American Legion, Sons of The American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary members from across the state.
And now, McKinley is urging Legionnaires statewide to commemorate Be the One Day in March, with the hopes that those who participate reach out to their communities in some way to share the Be the One mission.
“It was one of those things where it was, ‘I can use my friend’s story and our friendship to launch this’ and make (Be the One) a bigger thing in this state,” McKinley said. “That’s where Be the One Day came from.”
McKinley is asking Legionnaires to conduct Be the One Tennessee Day events on the weekend before or after the first-ever Legion Family Day on the Hill, which will take place on March 12 in Nashville. He’s suggested events such as providing suicide awareness classes in schools, government departments and agencies, and public and private institutions.
“I’ve asked every post to do a Be the One event, and tie in the USA 250 Challenge as well,” he said. “Myself, I’m going to go down to my local elementary school and just walk a few miles for Be the One and the USA 250 Challenge. And anyone who wants to show up, by all means. And I want other posts to kind of do that as well.”
McKinley said it’s important for Legion posts to share what Be the One is in their community to make the most impact. “The state legislature can make it a Be the One Day, but what is that if you don’t go out and tell people what it’s about?” he said. “Somebody’s going to see it on the calendar, or maybe it’s reported on the news, but it’s ‘What is Be the One?’ Nobody knows what that is unless you go out and sell it to your community. That’s where posts become involved.
“I view posts as what I call an embassy. Embassies are America’s handshake to a foreign country. That’s what a post is: a handshake to your local community. Don’t just say ‘Be the One.’ What is that? Talk to people. Open that dialogue up.”
Tennessee’s first-ever Legion Day on the Hill came about because McKinley wanted a day where The American Legion Family visited the state capital on their own, rather than being a part of a larger day that included other veterans service organizations (VSOs).
“Most of these state reps aren’t veterans. They don’t deal with VSOs unless they go to a Legion hall or a VFW hall for an event,” McKinley said. “I didn’t want this to be a ‘Veterans Day on The Hill’ because you’re competing with other (VSOs). I want a specific day for us to go down there and have our voices heard. And by tying in the Be The One Commission, I wanted them to focus on legislation that deals with Be the One, if you will, while the bigger Legislative Committee will focus on everything else. And that’s how you tie them all together.”
McKinley’s tenure as department commander comes to an end in June, but his Be the One promotion will not stop then. He would like to serve as a special projects coordinator for the department to travel the state to promote Be the One, work with state lawmakers and more.
“I can kind of do special projects across the state and be more effective,” he said. “This will free me up to next year to put in place the things we started this year.”
- Be the One