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November is usually a month that everyone looks forward to as a time to give thanks, meet with family…and eat! With many of our family gatherings canceled or reduced this month due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, our celebrations will look different. However, we can still reflect on our blessings on this special day that was first set aside by George Washington.

When speaking of this country’s blessings during his radio address in 1988, Ronald Reagan mentioned “peace and abundance in this land that God has kissed.”

“We will give thanks for these and one thing more: our freedom. Yes, in America, freedom seems like the air around us: It’s there; it’s sweet, though we rarely give it a thought. Yet as the air fills our lungs, freedom fills our souls.”

No matter what our holiday looks like this year, we are still blessed by our freedoms. Among other things, Thanksgiving is a day we can pause to give gratitude to the men and women who serve or served to defend our way of life. 

Whatever your holiday looks like this year, we hope you can find many things for which to be thankful. And we wish you all a safe, blessed, and happy Thanksgiving!

Just before Veterans Day, the Senate passed legislation aimed at improving mental health care and services for veterans and troops, sending them to the president’s desk for final approval.

The package of bills, the Veterans Comprehensive Prevention, Access to Care and Treatment (COMPACT) Act includes nine parts intended to help prevent veteran suicides.

The latest VA veteran suicide data report from 2019 found that on average, about 17 veterans died by suicide per day in 2017. The data typically is delayed by about two years, making it difficult to determine whether efforts have made a significant difference year over year. More than 6,000 veterans died by suicide each year from 2008 to 2017, according to previous reports.

Since that data lags behind by about two years, advocates and lawmakers worry they won’t have a concrete grasp of how the pandemic has affected suicide rates for veterans—but they agree that the isolation and stress caused by the turmoil spreading alongside the virus likely won’t improve things and that veterans, troops and their families need more help now than ever.

Specifically, the COMPACT Act would:

• Provide free crisis care for any veteran with emergency suicide symptoms;
• Create a pilot program between VA and designated family or friends of veterans to share information on benefits and assistance;
• Require an annual report on VA’s Solid Start program;
• Establish an education program for veteran families and caregivers on mental health concerns;
• Create an interagency task force on outdoor recreation for veterans;
• Establish a policy where veterans who have not had contact with VA in two or more years are encouraged to come in for an exam to continue eligibility for emergency care not linked to their service-connected disabilities; 
• Require annual VA police de-escalation and crisis intervention training;
• Require a study of VA programs providing assistance to women veterans who are homeless;
• Provide a report on locations where women veterans are using VA health care.

For more information on potential warning signs of suicide, click here.

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Battle Buddy Response Team, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing suicides among veterans and their families, has helped 86 veterans in just eight months — from February to September, 2020. The assistance ranged from mental health and advocating, to just sitting and talking. Last week the Team rendered aid to a Navy veteran by securing him a new hot water heater and finding service providers to update his electrical and plumbing needs.

Team Members are ready to deploy 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year across the United States to perform welfare checks when a concerned party reaches out. If you know of a veteran or a veteran family member who may need help, please fill out a Deployment Form on the Battle Buddy Response Team website.

Statistics show that an average of 22 veterans commit suicide every day, a staggering number that demonstrates the need for organizations like Battle Buddy Response Team.

Learn more through their website: https://battlebuddyresponseteam.org or call (855)777-BBRT. The 501(c)(3) charity appreciates donations to cover their services when helping veterans and their families.

Battle Buddy Response Team is working nonstop to ensure the safety of all veterans and their family members. They will not stop until their mission of “Stopping and Preventing All Veteran Suicide” is completed.

Acting on a request from a concerned party about a Navy veteran’s living conditions, Battle Buddy Response Team did what they do best and sprang into action this week.

After making contact with the veteran and visiting his home, they discovered he had no running water, an unusable toilet, inoperable stove, and inadequate electricity.

The Team pitched in immediately and began calling plumbing companies, supply houses, and electricians

Within an hour of leaving the veteran’s home, they had secured the donation of a hot water heater and the services of a plumbing company to install it. The plumbing company also agreed to fix the veteran’s toilet for free, and an electrician is bringing his wiring up to date.

There is no red tape. The organization knows how to get things done and will go above and beyond as soon as they receive a call for help.

This is not the end of the story for that veteran. Battle Buddy Response Team has more surprises planned for him. Follow them on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, to keep up to date on this veteran’s story and the Team’s other accomplishments.

Please consider making a donation so that Battle Buddy Response Team can continue the work they do.

All donations go to supporting veterans and helping to make their lives better.

Remember, if it were not for veterans, this nation wouldn’t be where it is today.

Veterans deserve the best and Battle Buddy Response Team is the best at what they do.

Sgt. Jamye Mort works as a U.S. Army recruiter by day, and spends her off-duty hours volunteering with Battle Buddy Response Team. As a soldier of 12 years, Mort understands what service members go through and feels connected with the organization’s main mission of helping veterans cope… Click here to read the full article.

https://recruiting.army.mil/News/Article/2191267/recruiter-by-day-a-battle-buddy-for-life/