{"id":22563,"date":"2021-12-12T15:51:08","date_gmt":"2021-12-12T15:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/12\/12\/buddy-check-gatherings-aimed-at-helping-veterans\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:22:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:22:55","slug":"buddy-check-gatherings-aimed-at-helping-veterans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2021\/12\/12\/buddy-check-gatherings-aimed-at-helping-veterans\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Buddy Check\u2019 gatherings aimed at helping veterans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">BEATRICE, Neb. \u2014 Veterans have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/10\/09\/new-veteran-suicide-numbers-raise-concerns-among-experts-hoping-for-positive-news\/\" target=\"_blank\">higher suicide rate<\/a> than those who have not served in the military, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/veterans\/2021\/09\/08\/veteran-suicides-decreased-7-percent-in-2019-to-lowest-level-in-12-years\/\" target=\"_blank\">government reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat is why we do the Buddy Check meetings every month on the 22nd of the month,\u201d said Davin Stege, a veteran and volunteer with the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jolien and Brad Thompson had attended a statewide VFW conference and heard about the program and how it had been working in other communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt was something that was near and dear to Jolien,\u201d said Scott Bates, Gage County Veterans Service Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/beatricedailysun.com\/news\/local\/beatrice-buddy-check-builds-veteran-community\/article_5acd42dd-84fe-5d6d-a30b-ba6a43af1888.html#tracking-source=home-top-story\">Beatrice Daily Sun<\/a> reports the group started meeting at the Vet\u2019s Club in November of 2020. It is sponsored by the American Legion Post #27, Legion Auxiliary Post #27, Legion Riders #27, Sons of the Legion #27, Marine Corps League Homestead Leathernecks, VFW #1077, and VFW Auxiliary #1077.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSome months we have a speaker and some months we just hang out. It\u2019s a social gathering of veterans dedicated to reducing and eliminating veteran suicide,\u201d Stege said. \u201cWe continue our service by gathering with fellow veterans. We call and reach out to those who served at our side. We stood together then and we stand together now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe did some fundraising and are able to provide a free meal to everyone that attends,\u201d said Stege.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/06\/21\/four-times-as-many-troops-and-vets-have-died-by-suicide-as-in-combat-study-finds\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5735726.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Four times as many troops and vets have died by suicide as in combat, study finds<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">There are so many risks for suicide that it&#039;s hard to point to the one responsible for the rise in suicides, the report found.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Question, Persuade and Refer Gatekeeper training was provided at a monthly meeting in March that taught veterans the signs of a person considering suicide and how to help. Seventeen people attended and the training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe started seeing an increase in attendance in August or since the pull-out of Afghanistan. It\u2019s taken a toll on a lot of veterans,\u201d Stege said. \u201cA lot of us really started questioning some things. It gets to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leon Hagan and Don Junker started coming to Beatrice Buddy Check early on. For them, it was a place to meet with old friends, swap stories and partake in a veteran community. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/newsletters\/breaking-news-alert\/2021\/08\/30\/its-official-the-us-has-no-boots-on-the-ground-in-afghanistan\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. withdrawal from Afghanista<\/a>n gave them more reason to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two fought in Vietnam: Hagan flew 175 missions as a helicopter gunner, and Junker served as an artilleryman. Hagan said he didn\u2019t want returning veterans, or ones reeling from the circumstances of the withdrawal, to be as isolated as he felt when coming home from Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey can be made to feel like there\u2019s no place to go,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want these guys to have to face life alone. This gives people a place to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bates said the group has veterans from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Persian Gulf and every branch of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/08\/31\/more-vets-reaching-out-for-crisis-line-help-amid-afghanistan-collapse\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/6807146.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">More vets reaching out for crisis line help amid Afghanistan collapse<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">VA staffers said they&#039;re encouraged by the increased outreach, and not fearful that it means a sudden increase in mental health challenges.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is always someone they can relate to at the meetings,\u201d he said. \u201cThey share their stories and their feelings. We try to support the veterans that are having problems finding a job or maybe with their family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re sharing resources and last month we were able to invite the spouses of the veterans to the Buddy Check meeting. They are likely to be the first to recognize that there\u2019s a problem,\u201d Bates said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stege said there are always people at the meeting who share their phone numbers and are willing to take phone calls at 3:00 a.m. to help a fellow veteran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019d like to expand to more meetings per month just to offer more support,\u201d Stege said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have a large veteran community, but unless they reach out to us, we\u2019re not aware that they are in the community,\u201d Bates said. \u201cWe have about 2,500 veterans recorded in our system in the area, but I know we\u2019re not reaching them all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stege said seeking help can, at times, be hard for veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnfortunately, the majority of the veterans are stubborn and proud,\u201d Stege said. \u201cThey rarely reach out for help and especially during this time of year, there is more isolation. Sometimes they don\u2019t even talk about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hagan and Junker said it was hard to get help after Vietnam. They struggled with isolation on two fronts: one self-inflicted \u2014 thinking the armor of youth could hold out against the pain \u2014 and one born from a lack of access to clubs and support groups. They said the Buddy Check program helps them and allows them to help others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAnd I\u2019m not ashamed to tell anyone that I go and see a psychiatrist,\u201d Junker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hagan said seeking help, getting support, is often times seen as a weakness, but it\u2019s far from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf anything, it\u2019s a strength,\u201d Hagan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Stege said suicide was a serious reason to get involved with Buddy Check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI don\u2019t know too many people that don\u2019t know at least one person who has completed suicide or has been there themselves,\u201d said Stege.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sarah Smith, Filley, has been involved with the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBuddy Check gives veterans an opportunity to connect with other veterans with no strings attached and no expectations,\u201d Smith said. \u201cOur veteran community and network has been a critical part of my life I can only hope to do my part to share it with others. While we may have served in different wars, eras or have very diverse backgrounds, we share the common ground of service and only those who have served can truly understand. You don\u2019t realize how much you miss and need that connection until you go without, and then have it back in your life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Buddy Check program is open to all veterans. There is no membership requirement at the Vet\u2019s Club to attend the meetings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The group has veterans from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Persian Gulf and every branch of service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":45564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":21,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,24,89,16,26,21],"tags":[],"coauthors":[5060,5061],"class_list":["post-22563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters","category-veterans"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"QVVJVMWJ6ZE6VMSWZSMF57EBZE","arc_canonical_url":"\/veterans\/2021\/12\/12\/buddy-check-gatherings-aimed-at-helping-veterans\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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