Legion Forward

According to VA and the National Suicide Data Report, roughly 20 Veterans and Service Members give in to the war within and commit suicide each day. That is nearly 7,300 per year. The pandemic around Veteran Suicide is real and The American Legion, being America's largest Veterans Service Organization, must step up and tackle this issue directly. From the inception of The American Legion in 1919, each generation of Legion Leadership has worked aggressively to ensure the next generation of Veterans has it easier and better. The World War One Generation created the G.I. Bill, which gave the World War Two Veterans the hand up they needed, while also creating the American middle-class. The World War Two generation focused on Agent Orange and fighting for their Korean and Vietnam Veteran brothers and sisters.

Now, the Korean and Vietnam Veteran generation — the current Legion Leadership generation — should aggressively fight to help end the plague of Veteran Suicide. Every battle The American Legion has waded into, from policy on Capitol Hill to regulatory reform at the VA, we have won. The American Legion is the most powerful force within the Veteran community and we must put an end to Veterans making a permanent decision to temporary problems.

• Buddy Checks

National Commander Bill Oxford (2019-2021) began the Buddy Check Program, which asks each member of the Legion Family to check in on one another, along with other Veterans. This simple act is a great way to communicate to others that they have many people that care about them. Many people considering suicide have expressed that they opted not to go through with their plan because of the kindness of a stranger or loved one. Be the reason someone decides to live! If we all agreed and dedicated ourselves to calling one Veteran per day, suicide rates among the Veteran population would plummet.

• Complimentary & Alternative Therapies

Simply stated, one size does not fit all: There is not one therapy that helps every Veteran. The Department of Veterans Affairs has taken the Complimentary & Alternative Therapies approach, doing their best to offer multiple styles of therapy, including service dogs, group therapy, Veteran-centric retreats, family counseling, caregiver retreats, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and many others. Continued exploration of these alternative therapies is vital to ensuring that we can get all Veterans the help they need.

• Eliminate the Stigma of Asking for Help

Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Rather, it proves that you are strong enough to be personally aware of your struggles. Seeking help should be applauded, as we all need help from time to time. The American Legion should aggressively aim to normalize mental health by talking about it and encouraging others to do the same. There are so many resources for mental health, including modern solutions such as talk and text-based therapy, which can mold to anyone's busy schedule. Normalizing the discussion around seeking help is a powerful way to remove the negative stigma.

• Hire a Mental Health Medical Professional at National

The American Legion is the world's foremost Veteran subject matter expert, but we are not yet the expert on Veteran Mental Health. The American Legion National Headquarters should recruit and employ a nationally-renowned mental health clinical professional who can help The Legion create a strategy and roadmap to reduce and end Veteran Suicide. Yes, this option will certainly require a financial investment, but it is appropriate to invest in this urgent priority. The American Legion Mental Health Professional position would create a realistic and effective strategy backed by clinical and scientific outcomes. This person would also lead the Department and Post-level engagement on The American Legion's Mental Health Action Plan. A potential funding source for this could be the new VA Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, which has an annual cap of $750,000.

• Establish a Suicide Prevention Coordinator at Each American Legion Post

Every Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) has a professional staffer who serves as the area's Suicide Prevention Coordinator, tasked with engaging their community on the topic of ending Veteran Suicide. Each American Legion Post should establish a Suicide Prevention Coordinator responsible for engaging the VAMC Suicide Prevention Coordinator, and ensuring that their Post has the necessary resources made available by VA. If each Legion Post across the United States is actively aware of all resources available in their community, they are one step closer to helping a Veteran in crisis. This person would also be connected with The American Legion National Mental Health Medical Professional focused on ending Veteran Suicide.

• Enroll Veterans in VA

It is widely reported that Veterans are less likely to take their own lives if they are enrolled in VA services. According to the last U.S. Census, there are over 22 million Veterans, with just over 9 million enrolled in VA. The American Legion should create a national strategy targeting Veterans not enrolled in VA, with the intention to connect with them, sign them up in VA, and ensure that the Veteran knows they have a family within America's largest and most powerful Veterans Service Organization.

• VA Grant Program to End Veterans Suicide

In late 2020, the United States Congress passed legislation directing the VA to create a grant program to offer funds for community organizations working to end Veteran Suicide. The American Legion National Headquarters, along with all Departments, should utilize the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program to fund their community programs to end Veteran Suicide. This grant program, once operational, will offer a maximum of $750,000 annually to community programs. The American Legion has the existing infrastructure and community to end Veteran Suicide and, through this program, will now have the necessary life-saving funding.

The American Legion is still recognized by most as the foremost experts on Veterans issues. In fact, other than federal agencies, no organization testifies before the United States Congress more than The American Legion, essentially certifying us as the premier experts on all things Veteran related.

Though we are the most respected Veteran Service Organization, we are rarely seen in the mainstream media, movies, or other mediums of publicity. If we desire the world and the nation to view us as the experts we are, we must actively work to ensure we can share awareness of The American Legion. With over 22 million U.S. Veterans, there is always a Veteran's angle or story that must be shared.

• Media Engagement/Presence

The American Legion is the foremost expert on Veterans issues. Often, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and other mainstream media sources discuss issues affecting Veterans, Service Members and related federal agencies without seeking a real, modern and knowledgeable Veteran expert. Recalibrating how The American Legion engages and pitches mainstream media from a national perspective will ensure the Legion is building brand awareness, while also being identified as the foremost subject matter expert and trusted source. Not only will this place The American Legion in every American home, but it will also show younger post-9/11 Veterans that we are current, relevant and trusted.

• Online Veteran Influencers

Many post-9/11 Veterans have found the post-military camaraderie they seek from online Veteran influencers, as opposed to joining The American Legion. These online Veteran influencers create content and videos highlighting shared military experiences, struggles Veterans encounter while transitioning, and other forms of media that resonate with the younger Veteran generation. Through following these Veteran influencers, many post-9/11 Veterans connect with others just like them, where they build relationships The American Legion used to foster. From a national perspective, collaborating with influential Veteran influencers can be an impactful way to get The American Legion brand in front of the younger generation, which, in turn, will yield higher membership. Meeting prospective members where they are — in the digital arena — is the modern way to recruit.

• Recalibrating National Commander Recruiting

Traditionally, the National Commander visits hundreds of Posts throughout the duration of their year. Engaging your member base is vital, however, if you spend the majority of your time engaging your existing membership, your organization will not grow or expand. Recalibrating how the National Commander utilizes and spends their time, with a focus on engaging post-9/11 Veterans, will lead to success and membership growth.

The American Legion is — and always has been — the premier Veterans Service Organization (VSO) for all U.S. Service Members, Veterans and their families. Membership in the Legion is earned through honorable military service, and manifests either in an annual membership, or through the Paid Up For Life (PUFL) Program. There are ways The American Legion can modernize our membership offerings that will be more attractive to younger Veterans, as well as current members:

• Rolling Membership

Currently, all annual membership within The American Legion is set to the same date, regardless of when you begin your membership. This often concerns new members, particularly when they are being asked to renew their membership only a few months after joining. Modernizing our membership system to allow for Rolling Memberships will allow each member to renew their membership on the yearly anniversary of when they joined The American Legion.

• Multi-Year Memberships

Membership within The American Legion is offered in only two ways: Annual or Life. Many Departments, Posts and Legionnaires have expressed that the Annual option is too inconvenient, forcing them to sign up every year, while the Paid Up For Life program is often financially exclusive, particularly for post-9/11 Veterans. Offering 2, 3 and 5 year membership options would be a fantastic and easier way to retain members, while reducing the burden for Veterans to sign up annually. Offering multi-year memberships would also reduce the amount of membership-chasing many Post and Department Adjutants experience in their day-to-day management.

• Digital Access

Many Legionnaires and Veterans now utilize smartphones and have expressed a desire to access their American Legion membership benefits digitally, making it easier and more convenient. Modernizing our membership system to allow for digital access is an easy way to make membership easier for Legionnaires and Posts, while making our Legion more accessible to the post-9/11 generation, who live online. This would allow for Digital Membership Cards that could live in a digital wallet, similar to credit cards or loyalty cards, allowing Veterans to proudly display their Legion membership card with the swipe of a finger. This would also reduce waste and save money by reducing the number of paper cards that are printed and mailed. Paper cards would still be made available upon request, as opposed to issued automatically.

• Modernizing the PUFL Program

The PUFL program is often compared to other Veterans Service Organization programs, which tend to be hundreds of dollars cheaper. Modernizing while still optimizing for both The American Legion and the Veteran is achievable.

In the last decade, businesses across America have increasingly shown support for Veterans, Service Members and their families. We often see companies establishing partnerships with Veteran Service Organizations by donating a portion of their proceeds, creating co-branding opportunities, or raising awareness of the Veterans they are serving.

The American Legion should make it a habit to engage national corporations in an effort to build long, mutually beneficial relationships. From an American Legion perspective, creating revenue that is not solely reliant on membership will ensure continued organizational health, while allowing the sponsor company to achieve their goals of corporate social responsibility.

• Create a Corporate Partnership Committee

From a national perspective, creating and establishing a Corporate Partnership Committee filled with talented Legionnaires — with real, professional experience — might lead The American Legion to understanding how corporations design their partnerships and charitable giving. Recruiting Legionnaires who have the experience needed to create a framework for future Legion and Corporate Partnerships is a great first step.

• Technology Partnerships

Some corporations may not be able to provide cash donations, but still want to help Veterans. We should work with and engage organizations and corporations to donate their innovative technology to our Legion Posts and Veterans. From Microsoft (whose software is utilized by many Posts to maintain their business operations) to Uber and Lyft (which often donate free rides to for Veterans to get to the VA), the Legion should think outside of the box to help companies assist Veterans in new ways.

More and more often, corporations such as Google, Microsoft and Apple are offering a wide variety of benefits to employees. In recent years, corporations have also begun noticing the benefits to hiring Veterans. The intersection of hiring more Veterans and offering employees more benefits often manifests itself in the creation of Veteran Employee Resource Groups (VERGs), where the goal is to identify Veterans in the workplace, offer some level of camaradarie, and serve as a point of increased resources and morale.

Companies who create VERGs would benefit from collaborating with The American Legion as we can offer their corporate VERG an abundance of resources, particularly outside of the workplace; serve as speakers; and assist their Veteran employees with other Veteran-specific needs. Furthermore, The American Legion should foster the ability to co-brand and create Corporate American Legion Posts (i.e. the internal VERG could itself be an American Legion Post), bringing America's largest Veterans Service Organization into Corporate America.

• VERG to Legion Pilot

Work to establish a pilot program within The American Legion National Headquarters to identify a corporate ally to pilot a Corporate American Legion Post. When creating a VERG, the Veteran employees spend countless hours creating a constitution, mission statement, and defining what resources they will attempt to offer. The American Legion has possessed all of these resources for over 100 years, and it would be ideal to create an American Legion Post within a company for their Veteran employees.