The department and Post 112 Legion Family will host the June 6 event to bring suicide prevention resources to veterans and community members.
The American Legion Department of Utah and Legion Family of Post 112 in Salt Lake City are hosting a Be the One event on June 6 to bring suicide prevention resources and camaraderie to community members, and to honor the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. Visit Sons of The American Legion Squadron 112’s website for more details.
The event is the brainchild of Brian Campbell, Squadron 112 commander and Legion Riders Chapter 112 director.
“If my life was spared, I need to save at least one more life,” he shared. “And that’s the inspiration behind 6.6.26, Be the One. It’s a day of patriotism, community, hope and solutions. It’s just not suicide awareness. But who is doing something about it? Who’s talking about what can be done? Who is pushing answers and solutions that these people who are in such horrible turmoil and desperation, where can they go? Who can they talk to? Who is doing something about this epidemic?
“I’m here to tell you, I am. And we (Department of Utah Legion Family members) are collectively.”
Suicide is personal to Campbell. He lost both his parents by the time he was 15 years old, his mother from unidentified causes and his father, who made him eligible for membership in Sons, from a heart attack. He then went to live with an abusive family member, he said, a trifecta that triggered suicidal thoughts.
“There were so many times I cried on the way to school that I wanted to pull my pickup truck out in front of a speeding log truck and just be done with it,” he said. He was saved by his community in eastern Oregon that “took me under their wings. Everybody loved me and supported me.”
That community encouraged Campbell’s involvement in football, baseball, show band and jazz band, and helped him “stay away from the dark times and dark thoughts.”
“Suicide is very personal,” Campbell said. “That’s what drives 6.6.26.”
Along with his own personal suicidal journey, Campbell and his partner Terri Searle, a member of Auxiliary Unit 112, have lost several family and friends to suicide. “It’s why Terri and I are so passionate about suicide,” Campbell said. “We have a huge love for people. And we want our community to know about The American Legion. We want them to know about Be the One. And that’s what drives Terri and me.
“People really don’t know what Be the One is. My dream and my vision is to bring awareness to Be the One and to suicide in general, and to bring solutions. When people see that there are solutions for them, that in turn creates hope.”
The Utah Be the One event will include a:
· Motorcycle poker run led by a 1942 Willys MB jeep similar to what Gen. George Patton used during World War II. The ride will be about two hours and have four stops.
· Car show
· Live band
· Food
· Raffle and silent auction
· D-Day remembrance ceremony
· Presentation from Ride to Prevent Suicide organization
· Local suicide prevention resources from organizations such as Promise to Live, Hope for Utah and Ride to Prevent Suicide.
“We are drawing attention to The American Legion and who we are and what we do and Be the One and the seriousness of veteran suicide,” Campbell said. “It is a veteran centric event, but I want the whole community to be involved and know that it’s not just for veterans. For example, I’ll have suicide prevention resources for teenagers. It will be inclusive.”
Donations received during the event will support the Department of Utah’s Be the One program “to give veterans and Legion Family members help, solutions and hope. That’s what we’re doing, we are changing and saving lives like (Past National Commander Daniel) Seehafer said,” Campbell said.
“People who commit suicide are so misunderstood. They are stereotyped, and they are thought of as weak or selfish. People don’t understand the horrific misery and pain that they really feel like their family and world is going to be so much better without them in it. I want everyone to know that Be the One is saving the one.”
- Be the One