Bagley American Legion Auxiliary members meet with National Auxiliary President
May 15—BAGLEY — American Legion Auxiliary Unit 16 President Denise Milton and member Pamela French recently traveled to Sauk Centre, Minn., to meet with National American Legion Auxiliary President Lisa Williamson from Alaska, National Executive Committee Jean Walker and Department of Minnesota President Sharon Cross.
This was Williamson's first stop of several around Minnesota. Over 70 American Legion Auxiliary members from many units were in attendance for a dinner and program hosted by the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 67, Sauk Centre, in District 6, a release said.
Williamson shared that the American Legion National Commander, Sons of the American Legion National Commander and the American Legion Auxiliary President have joined forces for the Be The One campaign to end veteran suicide.
Be The One is designed to destigmatize asking for mental health support, provide peer-to-peer support and resources and educate everyone on how they can "Be the One." The American Legion is activating its national platform to shift from talking about the statistics of veterans who die by suicide each day to be the one who is there in the moment to help, one veteran at a time, the release said.
"We never know when the one who is struggling may be the one standing in front of us," the release added. Instead of asking, "Are you OK?" the Be The One campaign asks questions like, "Are you planning on taking your life?" or "Are you considering suicide?"
According to the release, the amount of time between a veteran deciding to commit suicide and actually following through is 40 minutes. These precious moments truly can mean the difference between life and death.
As part of the Be the One program, the American Legion has joined forces with Columbia University to develop training for those who want to learn more about interacting and responding with veterans who may be in crisis. Visit
to find out more information and to register for an upcoming online class.
If you or a veteran you know is in crisis, resources are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call
988 and press 1,
text
838255
or visit the VA Crisis Line website
In an emergency, call
911.
