Indiana Legion Members Attend In-Person Suicide Prevention Training

“Mental health is every day. It’s not a matter of how old you are or where you’re at in life. Mental health affects all of us,” Tony Cross told more than 50 area residents gathered in Greenfield, Ind., on Nov. 5.

Cross, the American Legion’s former national Be the One program manager and now first vice commander at American Legion Post 182, helped organize the evening session. Wendy Lakso, The Columbia Lighthouse Project’s director of partnerships and veteran and military initiatives, delivered the in-person suicide prevention training.

The Columbia Lighthouse Project partners with The American Legion to offer virtual suicide prevention sessions each month. Lakso said the in-person format provides an added component that virtual screens cannot replicate.

“Both trainings are going to equip you with the skills that you need and the tools that you need to be able to start the conversation,” Lakso said. “I think we have wonderful virtual training, but when virtual training’s done, it’s done. The camera goes off and everybody leaves.”

Participants in the training learn to use the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale to determine at-risk individuals. The curriculum also teaches attendees to identify risk factors, outline types of suicidal ideation, recognize four behaviors indicating imminent risk, and communicate effectively with someone who may be in crisis.

“This is the most valid suicide prevention tool we have today,” Lakso said of the scale, noting it is a global tool, nearly in 100 different countries.

Before beginning the instructional material, Lakso shared figures from the VA showing that 6,488 veterans took their own lives in 2024. She emphasized that reducing those numbers requires normalizing help-seeking behavior.

“We want to make it harder to attempt suicide. We want to normalize certain things like help-seeking,” Lakso said. “Stigma is still around. We hear it all the time. But you know what? It is getting better. Stigma’s decreasing, but we have to make sure, even with that decreasing, why help-seeking isn’t increasing.”

The audience in Greenfield included Legion Family members from Post 119 in Greenfield and Post 182 in nearby New Palestine. Those two posts are currently working through a merger.

Local leaders stated that the Be the One initiative remains a core priority for the combined membership. American Legion Post 182 Commander Kirbie Young emphasized the personal nature of the mission.

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“The Be the One mission is very important. It’s the mission of the Legion, but it should be the mission of all veterans: to try to be there for each other and help each other out. We all struggle. I’m not immune to it,” Young said. Commander Kirbie Young

American Legion Post 119 Commander Bob Perew noted that the merging posts share a unified objective to serve fellow veterans and community members dealing with mental illness.

“We’re not just talking about veterans. We’re talking about everybody,” Perew said.

Lakso challenged the members of both posts to compile a list of resources available in the community available to those struggling. That way, community members who complete the training can direct individuals toward tangible local support.

Addressing the broader scope of prevention, Lakso stressed that tackling veteran suicide requires a grassroots foundation. She pointed to a public health model engaging entire communities from the bottom up.

“It really stems from a community effort,” Lakso said.