Mark Rice and Don Lemmon visit apartment complex of Vietnam veteran after friend reached out in concern of not reaching him.
CBS News Los Angeles recently called American Legion Post 383 in Sacramento, Calif., in need of help. They were trying to reconnect two childhood friends, who live 300 miles apart, when one of them went silent – a Vietnam veteran. District 6 Commander Mark Rice answered the call.
Rice shared with the news station about The American Legion’s Buddy Check program to check in on veterans and their wellbeing, and that he and another Legionnaire would be happy to visit the veteran to ensure he is OK.
Before making the visit, Rice spoke via Zoom with Richard Smith, who made the initial contact with the news station in search of his veteran friend, Larry Samelson.
“I applaud the news station, and I applaud (Smith) above anybody else. He started the ball rolling because he was really upset (about not being able to reach Samelson),” Rice said. “I told (Smith) that I would go over and make sure that (Samelson) is OK, and he was appreciative of that. … to have a group of people that you can call and say, ‘I haven’t heard from my friend for a while, can you please check up on them?’ You bet we will do it. You stand by your phone, and we’ll make sure that you get reconnected.”
Rice and Legionnaire Don Lemmon went to the apartment complex in Sacramento of Samelson. Rice said he was scared not knowing what situation he would be walking into since Samelson had gone radio silent from Smith. But after a few knocks, Samelson opened the door and was safe and OK. After asking Samelson if he had family nearby to check in on him with a reply of no, Rice said, “You have family now. You got two brothers standing right in front of you.”
Rice brought along his iPad so Samelson could speak with Smith via Zoom. “You haven’t seen somebody in a long time, and you know they’re still there, still rooting for you, that gives you hope,” Rice said.
Rice left his phone number with Samelson to call if he needed anything, including someone to talk to. The opportunity to reconnect Smith and Samelson left Rice feeling that he still matters “to what I did or who I am. That I’m a veteran who can make a difference for another veteran, and that your service does not stop when you get your civilian clothes and they show you the front door,” said Rice, a retired Air Force veteran. “Both Don and I felt rewarded by it. We felt we were happy more than anything else that Larry was OK.”
The ability to conduct a Buddy Check on Samelson came on the heels of Rice asking the 13 posts in his district to perform them last December over the holidays. He printed and distributed a membership roster for each post and asked the Legionnaires to perform Buddy Checks. He emphasized that the call or personal visit should be focused on the wellbeing of the veteran. Responses from the Buddy Checks reiterated the importance of them.
Veterans “were crying because somebody called them to say, ‘How are you doing?’ They reacted very emotionally to that and very much appreciated it,” Rice said.
Buddy Checks and the Legion’s Be the One suicide prevention mission go together, Rice said, giving an example of a phone call from a homeless veteran who had a car but was in need of VA healthcare and assistance. Rice had the veteran meet him at Post 383 the following morning, where he gave him $100 for food and connected him with resources at the nearby VA. Rice later saw the veteran at a standdown event.
“He said, ‘I want you to know that you saved my life.’ I said, ‘No, I didn’t save your life, you saved your life because you reached out. You’re an instrument of your own survival,’” Rice said. “Buddy Checks are more than sitting down making phone calls and contacting the people on your list; it’s an extension of Be the One.
“When someone is concerned about a loved one or they haven’t heard from someone in a while, your first reaction should be to give me their name and address, and I’ll get another veteran to go over and knock on their door. That is how we got one.”
- Dispatch