Jim Higuera (Screen shot from Spectrum News 1 video)
Blue Cap Legionnaire James “Jim” T. Higuera is one of many Legionnaires conducting wellness checks on veterans as suicide rates appear to be on the rise throughout the nation.
The Buddy Check program was created in March 2019 and encourages Legion posts to check on veterans regardless of their Legion membership status. Posts assemble Buddy Check teams, which make use of a variety of both in-person and virtual communication—from phone calls to texts—to make sure veterans and their families are doing well.
Regarding the program, Higuera says, “We want to be there before something happens. You know suicide prevention. Twenty-two a day? It’s just terrible.”
The American Legion also provides teams with resources on how to best contact veterans that may be in need of support, how to meet during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as tool kits for organizing new Buddy Check teams.
The American Legion says, “the program was successful in its first year and potentially life-saving in 2020, through the COVID-19 pandemic and as winter months drew near, affecting the mental health and well-being of isolated veterans.”
Veteran Suicide Appears to Be Increasing in 2020
Despite an abundance of resources from both veteran service organizations and the VA, The American Legion notes that veteran suicides may have increased by as much as 20% in 2020, compared to 2019.
Isolation caused by lockdown orders aimed at stifling the ongoing pandemic is likely to blame, as are the related and rising threats of economic disparity and homelessness among veterans.
While the VA has not released official suicide numbers for 2019 or 2020, the 2020 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report suggests that more than 6,300 veterans are still dying from suicide each year, a trend that began in 2005.
The American Legion Advocates for a National Buddy Check Week
In light of the still-alarming rate of veteran suicide in the United States, The American Legion is lobbying congress to create a National Buddy Check Week.
The proposed bill, which aims to encourage outreach to veterans, successfully garnered bipartisan attention in 2020 but has yet to pass into law.
The Legion says that readers can contact their representatives here to support the new bill.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.