For many years, with few exceptions, the topic of suicide was rarely discussed openly. In the face of an alarming increase in suicides across the nation, Congress in 2008 declared September to be National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Several years ago, in the face of increasing suicides among veterans, The American Legion launched its Be the One program. It focuses on eliminating the stigma surrounding veteran suicides by openly discussing the topic, raising public awareness on recognizing the signs of suicidal ideation, helping prevent suicide through training, and providing effective tools and resources to reduce suicides among veterans.
The issue of openly discussing suicide is topical because suicide respects no boundaries – not age, sex, skin color, marital status, education or profession. It is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, with estimates of one death occurring every 11 minutes. On Sept. 9, 2025, Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo and the Wilmington City Council proclaimed September as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month.
John Hacker, a longstanding member of The American Legion and past commander of John E. Jacobs Post 68 in Leland, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the Legion. Over the last several years, Hacker has served as Post 68 Team Lead for the local Be the One program. He and his team have worked diligently to establish an effective suicide awareness and prevention program in Brunswick County. In 2025, Hacker became the chair of the Legion’s North Carolina department to lead state-level Be the One efforts.
In its proclamation, the City of Wilmington and Saffo recognized the outstanding work in suicide awareness and prevention being accomplished by The American Legion. The proclamation recognizes Post 68’s regional leadership role in raising suicide awareness, discussing suicide prevention methods, and providing a wallet-size resource card for use by first responders, law enforcement organizations and other local service providers.
To learn more about how veterans can join The American Legion or what the Legion brings to our veterans and the community, visit https://ncpost68.org/. Post 68 meets at 6 p.m. every third Thursday in the Blossoms Restaurant Banquet Room (1800 Tommie Jacobs Dr., Leland, N.C). For those who want to participate, members gather at 4:30 pm in Blossoms for dinner and a social hour preceding the meeting.
