The mission of Operation: Heal Our Heroes is to help stop the widespread su***de epidemic that has plagued our nation’s veterans; if our efforts can help save the life of just one more of our nation’s Heroes, then we have accomplished our goal. Concept of the Operation: Many Americans are unaware of the fact that every single day nearly 20 military veterans are lost to su***de. There are two fund
amental reasons for this tragic issue. The first is because the transition back to “normal life” can often be a difficult journey, particularly without a strong support system to lean on. The second is because our government is unfortunately under resourced to effectively provide the attention and care required for the thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have endured and continue to bear the psychological burdens associated with our country’s time at war. Operation HOH was launched to adroitly tackle both of these issues simultaneously. Throughout the past year, we have held various functions that have served as a forum to help educate hundreds of Americans, both civilian and military alike, on why we continue to lose so many of our nation’s Heroes despite being back on our home soil. Through this knowledge comes empowerment, as we’ve enabled numerous Americans to be better equipped to recognize the signals of a struggling friend or family member. Additionally, our events have generated thousands of dollars that have gone toward facilitating easier access to private mental healthcare to ensure that our Veterans can expeditiously get the help and support they need and deserve. Operation HOH has partnered with both Give an Hour, (http://www.giveanhour.org) and The HeadStrong Project (http://getheadstrong.org), both organizations that have had an immense impact in the mental health space, to help promulgate this effort. Our quest to improve mental health among our Veterans is a fight that all of us as Americans must shoulder together. Thousands of servicemen and women have put everything on the line to ensure our safety; now it is our turn to do everything we can to ensure theirs as well.
