Facing the Fight Together: A Promise to End Veteran Suicide
September is National Suicide Prevention Month, a time when our invested communities, providers, and individuals come together around one of the most urgent crises of our generation: Veteran suicide. At Veterans Collaborative, our mission is simple but powerful—increase access to resources and opportunities where Veterans live— stand beside them and ensure no one slips through the cracks.
Every day, an average of 22 Veterans make the tragic decision to end their lives. That is 22 families broken, 22 communities grieving, and 22 lives of service and sacrifice cut short. One life lost is one too many.
Beyond Eligibility: What Real Support Looks Like
One of the most important lessons we’ve learned in this work is the critical difference between eligibility and support. Being told you qualify for a program or benefit doesn’t mean you actually receive help when you need it. True impact comes from actively reaching out, meeting Veterans where they are, and building trust—so services aren’t just listed on paper or hidden in a database, but are real, responsive, and accessible in the moment of need.
Wrap-around principles and adaptive philanthropy are at the heart of what we do. It’s why we are a Collaborative—bringing together resources, partners, and communities so no Veteran or family ever has to navigate their journey alone.
Our philosophy is simple: harness the power of many to serve the power of one—the lone survivor—because the mission must always be to Leave No Veteran Behind. This isn’t just a phrase or a movie headline. It is a value engraved into the very fabric of military culture, who we serve.
The Power of Partnerships
This isn’t about “power partnerships” defined by big names in boardrooms. It’s about the power of partnerships built on the ground—relationships forged in service, sustained through trust, and lived out in community. In the Veteran and military service space, this isn’t just valuable; it’s a critical skill we must cultivate.
Too often, people gravitate toward the headline organizations while grassroots leaders— the ones closest to Veterans and their families— are overlooked. The truth is, this challenge will not be solved in a boardroom—and we know we cannot fight, and win, this battle alone.
Suicide prevention requires an Army of partners, our local special operators, not a handful of national names and organizations. We must make it our business to force multiply—expand reach and impact by building strong partnerships, nurturing relationships, and connecting national strategies to local realities.
We are proud to stand alongside the Face the Fight Coalition, Objective Zero, Cohen Veterans Network, and corporate partners like FightCamp, Mindful Innovations, and FindHelp—as well as the hundreds of local organizations in our RADAR. Each brings unique value to the mission, and together, we:
Expand access to support and resources.
Strengthen cultural competency so services are inclusive and respectful.
Ensure dignity in how Veterans and their families are met at every point of care.
These partnerships demonstrate that when we align efforts and share responsibility, we create a stronger, more resilient community—again, one where we Leave No Veteran Behind.
Veterans Leading the Way
Some of the most powerful partnerships and solutions come directly from Veterans themselves. Through our Fiscal Sponsorship program, we activate, empower, and support Veteran- and military-led social entrepreneurs who are creating innovative solutions: documentaries that raise awareness, AI and VR projects that reimagine wellness, funds that deliver critical support, and direct services that meet urgent needs.
What fuels this work is the same spirit that carried them in uniform: a commitment to serve, lived experience, the warrior ethos, and values-driven leadership. Today, Veterans are carrying that mission into the hearts of their communities across the Nation. At the core of that mission is a simple, unwavering promise: Leave No Veteran Behind.
The outcomes are remarkable, and the innovation is unstoppable.
This is how we are expanding the safety net. We believe that if you serve our community—whether as a Veteran, spouse, provider, nonprofit, or volunteer—you are part of the solution to end Veteran suicide. Our shared role is to shrink the distance between a Veteran and the support they need—where they live.
And the standard we are building? When a Veteran says, “I am a Veteran,” it should immediately and automatically activate support.
Why This Matters
The why is simple—and urgent. Every day, 22 Veterans die by suicide. That number is not just a statistic; it is a call to action. Ending Veteran suicide is a collective mission, one that demands the full weight of our 45,000-plus Veteran-serving organizations, along with policymakers, employers, volunteers, and communities across the Nation.
Our commitment is to be relentless in the pursuit of our mission: to increase local access to vital resources and opportunities for those who’ve served our Nation.
Our Goal: Reach every Veteran, service member, and military-connected family—and ensure eligibility never stands in the way of support.
Our Vision: A world where “I am a Veteran” carries meaning, immediately activating connection, compassion, and care.
Our Path Forward:
Expand verified partnerships to weave a stronger safety net.
Drop unnecessary filters to make access seamless.
Build trust through cultural competency, training, and peer-led connection.
This National Suicide Prevention Month, we cannot stay on the sidelines—this is a call to action. Find your seat on the bus because we cannot do this alone. Here are some paths forward:
If you are a family member or friend: Learn the signs. Be ready to reach out.
If you hire Veterans or directly serve them: Make Veteran cultural competency part of your training.
If you want to do more: Give your time, talent, and treasure to our local organizations in your community.
And if you need help getting started—come talk with us. Veterans Collaborative exists to advise, connect, serve, and grow this movement together. Follow along on our channels or visit veteranscollaborative.org/get-involved to explore how you can take action and #FaceTheFight with us.
#SuicidePreventionMonth #LeaveNoVeteranBehind #EndVeteranSuicide #VeteranNation