Still Serving Veterans’ Post

Veteran Buddy Check Week is October 21–25, 2024. Please support Veterans, their families, caregivers, and survivors. 🇺🇸 Whether it’s a call, text, or coffee break, reaching out can make all the difference! Veteran Buddy Check is a call to action for all Veterans to reaffirm their bonds and the connections that unite them across the nation. For more info and resources please visit: https://lnkd.in/gHwitUKR #Veteran #VeteranSupport #VeteransDay #BuddyCheckWeek

Save this post and come back to it often for these resources! We all say we want to help, but don’t know how. We’ll, here it is #buddycheck #suicideawareness #veteranmentalhealth #militarymentalhealth

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. shared a post yesterday about Veteran suicide. The post focused on how a huge portion of the world looks at veteran and military suicides in relation to post traumatic stress after returning from a deployment. While that may play a large part in the overall number, other things also greatly contribute to this. Things such as MST, loss of purpose, desire to serve again, and more. I want to piggyback off their post, and the topic that I want to talk about today is the loss of community. For all of the veterans out there, think back to your career and how many times you said "I can't wait to be a civilian again." There is probably quite a few memories of that. At the same time, you were also surrounded by one of the greatest communities you probably knew. A community that we often took for granted when we look back on it now. One of the number one things I hear on a daily basis is people struggling to find something that is missing from their life, but they just can't figure out what it is post service. I typically respond with, you're looking for community. The majority of the time there is a pause of realization that it is that community that they were searching for. The loss of that tight knit community or tribe as some would say plays a huge aspect on the loneliness that we fall into post service. This sense of community is why we are seeing hundreds of new veteran nonprofits pop up every week. Someone saw a gap somewhere and felt the need to create an organization that filled that gap and provided a community within it. Despite me seeing posts about the younger generation of veterans not wanting in person meetups, I see and hear the exact opposite. I see a bigger need and desire for in person meet ups now than I ever have seen. As humans we need a support network of people that we can find motivation, support, growth, and healing from. Once we recognize this, we just have to find it. Because without community, it's too easy to go down a slippery slope. Here is the link to the PHW post that I mentioned at the start of this. It also features a short edit from a longer form video that I filmed for them last summer. https://lnkd.in/giTDS7kk Always choose forward. #veteranshelpingveterans #community #mentalhealth

At Veterans Inc., we are here for you. No one should face their struggles alone. If you're feeling overwhelmed or in need of support, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Whether you're a Veteran, a friend, or a loved one, remember there’s strength in asking for help. You are not alone. We’re #SupportingOurVeterans through every challenge. Reach out, talk to someone, and let’s stand together. #SuicidePreventionMonth If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Changes are coming

🌟 Honoring Our Heroes: Shedding Light on Veteran Suicide 🌟 Every day, we celebrate the bravery and sacrifice of our veterans. But behind their courage lies a silent struggle that needs our attention now more than ever. Did you know that every day, approximately 22 veterans die by suicide in the United States alone? These heroes, who once stood strong for our country, are now fighting battles within themselves. It's a heartbreaking reality that demands our action and compassion. This isn't just a statistic; it's a call to action. We can't afford to look away or remain silent. Together, we must raise awareness, offer support, and advocate for better mental health resources for our veterans. Let's start a conversation that matters. Please share this post to spread awareness, honor those we've lost, and support those still fighting. Together, we can make a difference. 🇺🇸💙 #VeteranSuicideAwareness #HonoringOurHeroes #SupportOurVeterans #EndTheStigma #MentalHealthMatters #7eagle

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    CONTACT: Dava Guerin, 443-493-0406 or Ron Zaleski, (305) 399-5354 U.S. MARINE WALKS ACROSS AMERICA TO PREVENT VETERAN SUICIDE Ron Zaleski will walk from Key West Florida on September 11 to San Diego, California to help save veteran’s lives VENICE, FL SEPT. 10—For U.S. Marine veteran, Ron Zaleski, 73, his mission is clear—to make sure no veteran dies by suicide on his watch. And by taking part in his suicide prevention and intervention programs. With an estimated twenty U.S. veterans that die by suicide every day, according to Zaleski that is a national tragedy that can be prevented. His goal is to create a movement that can affect change on a national level. That is why on September 11 at 3:00 p.m. at the end of Highway One in Key West Florida, Zaleski will walk across the country for nine months—twelve miles each day—eventually concluding his 2,700 mile journey in San Diego, California. Along the way he will be joined by community leaders, veterans, and the general public. They will help him spread the word about the steps every American can take to make a difference in helping veterans that are at a crisis point and at risk for suicide. This is not Zaleski’s first walk across America. In 2010 he walked barefoot with a similar mission. That experience led him to form a non-profit organization—The Long Walk Home—that has helped more than 2,000 veterans with Post Traumatic Stress, learn the coping skills needed to live more fulfilled lives and hopefully, not consider taking their own. “After working with veterans for the past eighteen years as the founder and executive director, I know our program causes a transformative shift in the trajectory of their lives. I have seen first-hand by supporting these veterans and their families we have been able to turn their anger into mindfulness, heal damaged relationships for themselves and their loved ones, and create a new mission,” Zaleski said. “In addition, my hope is by creating a movement rather than just my own passion and advocacy; together we can help eradicate veteran suicide.” “The skill sets being offered by Ron Zaleski’s program are critically important in being able to adopt optimal success and health not only after leaving the service but in life in general,” said Gary Delgado a Marine veteran who participated in Zaleski’s program. “Guys just like Gary have literally changed their lives by simply being willing to deal with the after-effects of military life whether they were in combat or not. That is why I walk,” Zaleski added. Zaleski said that anyone who wants to walk with him, view his schedule, honor a veteran, help spread the word or donate can visit The Long Walk Home web site—https://lnkd.in/d75tRQi9 or call (305) 399-5354. Coverage is invited throughout the nine-month walk. Interviews with Zaleski are available.                                                                    ###

🛑 The Hard Truth: Veterans in America Are Struggling 🛑 • 50,000+ veterans are homeless on any given night. • 17 veterans lose their battle with mental health each day. • 40% of post-9/11 veterans report difficulty adjusting to civilian life. These aren’t just numbers. These are real heroes—mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters—who answered the call to serve but are now facing battles they never expected. At Vet's Place, we stand on the front lines for those who once stood for us. We provide critical health services, mental health support, and food assistance, ensuring no veteran fights alone. 🇺🇸 It's time to give back. Together, we can help our veterans reclaim their lives and thrive. Here's how YOU can get involved: ✅ Donate to support our mission. ✅ Volunteer your time to make a difference. ✅ Share this message to spread awareness. Our veterans gave everything. Let’s show them we have their backs. Join us in the fight to support our vets. Start Today: https://buff.ly/3NuorE9 #VetsPlace #SupportOurHeroes #VeteransHelp #WeGotYour6

My best friend committed suicide a few years back. And if you’re a veteran, active or separated… Then you’ve probably been through this. But his suicide was pretty surreal. I really didn’t see it coming. He was always someone I looked up to. Good at his job, strong, smart, motivated… So when he died I was pissed. How selfish! How weak! It was against everything we trained for, everything we stood for in the military. And it’s pretty common with vets - on average, 22 vets commit suicide each day. But then I read Victor Frankl’s book “Man’s Search for Meaning” Where he talks about suffering, and how, without meaning, leads to despair and death. Or in the words of Nietsche “He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.” And that’s the key to manhood, isn’t it? Find a strong enough why, a strong enough purpose. And we can do anything! Face death, or even life itself We can face anything and be successful. And I think that is what is missing in many of these modern hero's lives - purpose. A purpose strong enough to carry them into the future. A purpose to keep us working out, eating healthy, fighting. A purpose to keep us building wealth. A purpose to keep us growing. That’s what men crave. Because without purpose we stop growing. And when we stop growing we start dying. So I think the question is not how do we stop suicide, but how do we give men purpose in life. Let me know your thoughts. #veterans #suicideawareness #military #purpose

Initially I thought maybe I shouldn’t post the following article as it does stir a lot of pain for Veterans, but as I reflected on the power for good that could come from making this known, I have decided that sharing and resharing could be a good thing! The story hits those who care about and appreciate our military deeply… and it should! We can use this story to promote suicide prevention and promote support and love for our Veterans! We all have the power to take an event that was meant to harm and hurt others and make sure good comes out of it. That is the choice I make daily. The shattering pain of my son’s death in Afghanistan has not undone me or made my life worse or matter less… in fact, I have chosen to make my life more… more meaningful and more fulfilling and more purposeful in honor of Danny’s sacrifice. With every bad thing that happens, we always have the choice to find and make good happen. In these days of division in our country, we have the choice to make something good come from this event. We can come together and offer: -compassion for the Veteran that was hurt -appreciation for Till Valhalla for their passion to End Veteran Suicide -and most importantly, forgiveness for the flight attendant and airline that didn’t understand what they were doing! Let’s come together and bring about good instead of focusing on bad. #EndVeteranSuicide #SupportVeterans #Hope