Legionnaire's suicide leads post to take role in prevention efforts

On Nov. 2, 2021, the 39-year-old senior vice commander at American Legion Post 36 in Des Plaines, Ill., died by suicide. Post 36 Commander Tom Strossner was aware of the veteran suicides issue prior to that day. But things changed after that.

“That (suicide) was in my house, so to speak,” Strossner said. “It put me close to suicide, rather than just knowing about veteran suicide.”

Strossner said that members of Post 36 knew that their fellow Legionnaire, an Iraq combat veteran, “was in crisis. We tried to help him, not knowing if we were doing it right or not. We would talk to him. One of the other fellas took him to (Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital) one time when he was really in crisis. I would sit in the office and talk to him. I would ask him, ‘Do you feel like you’re going to hurt yourself, and he would say ‘no.’ And I went out of town, and on Nov. 2 he took his own life.”

That experience sent Strossner on a path toward making more members of Post 36 – and the Des Plaines community – aware of veteran suicides and how to recognize someone in crisis. He went to a suicide-prevention program conducted by staff from Hines’ at American Legion Post 335 in nearby River Grove and wanted to share what he learned there with members of his post and community.

“I decided that it would be nice to have it at our post,” Strossner said. “And we decided that we would make it public, because people helping veterans prevent suicide can work the same with the general public.

“We did everything we could (for their fellow Legionnaire). But he was still at that point where he decided to (kill himself). And he did it. It can take anyone from five minutes to less than an hour to decide when they’re in crisis. We try to make people aware of this and try to let them know what they can do to prevent this.”

Strossner said around 30 people attended the session, which was conducted via Zoom by Kristy Bassett, community engagement and partnership coordinator at Hines, and Carmona Caravelli, the hospital's lead suicide prevention coordinator.

“You don’t have to be an educated psychologist to deal with people that are in crisis,” Strossner said, adding that those who attended the program have a better ability of recognizing “a person in crisis. And then try to talk to them and get them the help.”

Strossner said Post 36 is now looking at two other suicide-prevention programs to get involved with: one that deals with teaching spouses and children ways to assist fellow family members in crisis, and another that provides help for those friends and family members left behind by those who die by suicide.

“(The vice commander’s suicide) has caused me to take a closer look at this and become more involved,” Strossner said. “My post was all for (hosting the first event), and they’re all for having these other two programs, because it has affected our whole post.

“I’m going to keep pursuing this and make more people aware. Suicide is real. And for whatever reason people do that, it’s different reasons. And it’s hard to figure out what those reasons are, but if we can try to help. I told everybody if this program can stop one suicide, it would be successful.”