INDIANAPOLIS – America’s military veterans deal with extreme pressure, beginning with deployment training, followed by tours of duty in some of the most dangerous and hostile areas of the world.
Add to that, the stresses that come with regular life, and it doesn’t get easier for the servicemen when they return home.
Suicide is high, with upwards of 20 veterans committing suicide each day.
The American Legion, in conjunction with Chip Ganassi Racing and the No. 48 American Legion Honda driven by Tony Kanaan in this year’s Indy 500 and Jimmie Johnson in the street and road course races on the schedule, is focusing its efforts to prevent veteran suicide.
Prior to National Poppy Day, the American Legion and Chip Ganassi Racing are hoping to focus attention on the veteran suicide in hopes of ending this national crisis.
The organization is calling on Americans to honor the fallen this Memorial Day and support the living by joining the race to end veteran suicide. Despite many efforts, suicide continues to increase in the U.S. adult population, and veteran suicide is not a new issue. The American Legion is concerned that the current Department of Veterans Affairs data lags two years behind present conditions and does not include any figures from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Mental health experts have warned that COVID-19 may be causing even more significant increases in the rates of mental distress and self-harm among veterans.
“Saying ‘we remember’ and ‘thank you for your service’ is just not enough,” said Michael P. Barrett, American Legion member, and 17th Sergeant Major of the United States Marine Corps. “The best way we can honor those who gave their lives to this country is to support and protect those who served alongside them. I’m talking about the men and women who saw their friend take their last breath in battle or experience one of the other horrors of war that they now must live with for the rest of their life. I’m here today to ask you – no, I am imploring you – to honor our nation’s veterans by joining us in giving everything we’ve got to end veteran suicide.”
The American Legion released a new commercial featuring racing legend Jimmie Johnson which calls attention to the fact that upwards of 20 veterans die by suicide each day. While awareness is important, The American Legion says its primary focus will be on effecting change on Capitol Hill, providing programs and training across the country to strengthen peer support networks, leveraging its national footprint, and investing in transformative research that will have measurable results. The organization plans to collaborate with others who share in The American Legion’s sense of urgency for creating change.
To kick off the campaign, Veterans United Home Loans presented a check to the American Legion for $2 million. The organization will use the funds to expand programs and opportunities for Legionnaires to obtain peer support training and distribute important mental health and wellness tools and resources through the American Legion infrastructure.
“I want to start by saying how proud and honored I am to represent the American Legion in their entry to racing,” team owner Chip Ganassi said. “A lot of people around Memorial Day, it’s extra special because it’s Memorial Day. It’s veterans and how I was brought up respecting veterans and revering veterans, employing veterans, honoring them in what they’ve done for our country.
“I don’t mean to go off script, but we have this sort of view of what the American Legion is. When I was a young child, I didn’t really know what the American Legion was. Until recently I thought it was a little smoky bar somewhere with some old guys in it just smoking cigars and cigarettes talking about the war or whatever, only to find out and learn that it was the American Legion that authored the GI Bill that created the middle class in the United States. It was the American Legion that started the VA. It was the American Legion that led the charge against agent orange and lobbied for taking care of the Vietnam veterans coming back
“Each Memorial Day the teams have red, white and blue cars. I’m proud to say that our American Legion car is red, white, and blue all the time. I think that says a lot about what this program is about.
“I think we obviously have a driver here that can win the Indianapolis 500. Over the years we’ve represented a lot of big companies. It’s been a great thing to represent multi-national corporations that have hundreds of thousands of people. I’m not sure I’ve ever represented 12 million in anything. That’s an honor.”
The American Legion has 12 million members representing 12,000 posts. Now that it has a racing program to help further its cause, Kanaan will drive the No. 48 American Legion Honda to the green flag in Sunday’s 105th Indianapolis 500.
Kanaan starts fifth as he attempts to win the Indianapolis 500 for the second time in his career.
“It’s an honor to be part of this team,” Kanaan said. “I got the call from Chip last year. I couldn’t believe it. They actually wouldn’t tell me who my sponsor was going to be for the 500, it was a surprise. It’s awesome.
“I think, like Chip, I became more aware of many things that the American Legion does. To me all I can say to all the veterans, I can’t count last week how many coins, extra coins I got. I think I got some extra fans, which I didn’t think was possible at this place.
“All I can say, we’re ready to fight this. We’re ready to help the American Legion. Chip told me to go win the race on Sunday, and I think it’s a good thing to have, a good thing to start a program like this.
“I just want to send a message to everybody out there that’s watching that’s part of the American Legion. Every time I’m in that car, I’m proud to represent them. It has our nation’s colors. I’ll be fighting. Trust me, I’ll be fighting with everything I can to give Chip and the 48 team and the American Legion a win.
“My partner couldn’t be here. Believe me, he wanted to be here. He probably wanted to be driving my car this month as well. But he recorded a very powerful message about the veteran suicide.”
Johnson appeared via recorded message and urged his support of helping to find a way to end veteran suicide.
“When our veterans came home from serving our country, the American Legion helped them with the GI Bill to get a head start,” Johnson said in the video. “When they came home from Vietnam, we helped those affected by agent orange to get care and compensation.
“Now a new generation is dealing with their own challenges. Every day 22 veterans who put their lives on the line for our country came home and took their own. As it has for over a hundred years, the American Legion advocates for our veterans so when they leave service, there’s a place to go when they need to get help.”