Louisville Legion organizes veteran suicide awareness walk

May 9—A group of area veterans is organizing a walk to bring more attention to the issue of veteran suicide.

Louisville American Legion Post 914 will be leading the walk and raising funds Saturday to help prevent future veteran suicides and shed light on what has long been viewed by many as a taboo subject.

The idea for the awareness walk came from Post 914 member and avid walker Roy Smith who made the suggestion following a discussion about the issue of veteran suicide with fellow post members.

"They all agreed, and my post decided, 'Well, we'll sponsor this walk,'" Smith said in an interview Wednesday. "We may inconvenience some folks for a while, but we'll be out of their way quick. If we save one person from suicide because we were out there walking, we were effective."

Smith served in the U.S. Navy from 1977-1998, spending much of this time at sea, and he's been an American Legion member for about 32 years. He is currently the adjutant for the Illinois American Legion's 24th district, which includes Post 914.

"We always strive to do things for our community here in Louisville and a few things at the state level and nation level, but we've never done a walk like this," Smith said. "We've heard of other posts doing that. We've had some here in Illinois that have done walks, but this one here is a little different because we went out and looked at getting Highway 45 North, the U.S. highway, closed to let us do this. And walking this far is going to be a challenge for most of us."

American Legion members throughout the country are beginning to do more to address veteran suicide, and the American Legion Be the One Program has helped shed light on the issue. The program aims to spread awareness about veteran suicide and helps suicidal veterans get the help they need before it's too late.

"Be the One is a program that the American Legion national organization came up with, and when you look at the number of veterans and active duty people who are committing suicide, we need to raise awareness to that in our communities," Smith said.

Safety is a top concern for Post 914 heading into the event, but members have been working closely with local first responders, including the Clay County Sheriff's Office and the Flora Police Department, which will be providing an escort for walkers Saturday. Additionally, emergency medical technicians will be available during the walk to assist anyone in need of medical attention.

"IDOT has graciously agreed to bring a couple of signs down for us to help us out, to notify people that there are pedestrians on the highway," Smith said.

Despite his initial safety concerns, Smith said he recently spoke with the Clay County Sheriff's Office and is confident that enough precautions are being put in place to protect walkers. Smith also said that there will be vehicles nearby that can pick up anyone who needs a break or is unable to finish the walk.

"The sheriff has a good plan, and I think we're going to be great. I think everything is going to work out fine," he said.

Participants can begin registering for the walk and donate to the American Legion Be the One Program starting at 6:30 a.m. Saturday at the Clay County World War II Veterans Memorial, located directly across the street form the Flora Veterans of Foreign Wars headquarters.

"Donation and sponsorship is free will," Smith said.

At 8 a.m., walkers will begin the approximately eight mile journey by making their way towards Route 45. The walk will conclude at the Clay County Veterans Monument which is located by the Clay County Courthouse in Louisville.

"I think we'll have fun," Smith said. "It's open to anyone."

One major advocate for veteran suicide awareness is American Legion National Commander Daniel Seehafer who, in addition to past American Legion National Commander Martin Conatser, will be traveling to the area to take part in the walk Saturday.

"We have several people who are wanting to be a part of this walk outside of Louisville's post," Smith said. "I think we're going to have a fairly good turnout."

Smith said that there will also be some younger residents taking part in the walk Saturday, including two sixth graders from North Clay Unit 25 Schools.

"Young people are getting involved and asking why this problem is so prevalent," he said. "It does make you feel good."

In addition to helping organize the upcoming walk, Smith took a suicide prevention training class through the American Legion and Columbia University.

"Don't be afraid to ask somebody about suicide or ask if they need some help, and then, if they do and you don't feel qualified to ask that question, 988 press 1 will help those people," Smith said regarding a suicide prevention hotline.

Smith explained that while it's often difficult to determine why someone would commit suicide, stress from deployment, family separation and "just not feeling like you fit in anymore" is something that many veterans experience.

"It's a multitude of things that can cause somebody to commit suicide," he said. "I think that often too many times as Americans we get too alone because we rely on our telephones, our computers, that sort of thing, and we forget that the human touch can mean more than anything else to an individual."

Smith believes it is the duty of American Legion members to not just shed light on the issue of veteran suicide but also to reach out to fellow veterans who might be in need of support, particularly from someone who has a better understanding of the stress they are dealing with than non-veteran citizens.

"We have to watch out for our fellow veterans and watch out for those active duty people," Smith said.

Until recently, veterans and active military members rarely discussed suicide, but Smith is hopeful that opening up a dialogue about the issue will remove the stigma attached to it and make veterans feel more comfortable about asking for help.

"Veterans particularly are reluctant to talk about suicide with other people because you might be considered as weak, so veterans don't talk about this," he said. "They just keep it to themselves and hide it for any number of reasons."

Nick Taylor can be reached at nick.taylor@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300132.