No Veteran Should Have to Face the Fight Alone

Veterans are our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family members. Long after their military service ends, they continue serving in new ways, strengthening the communities they call home.

Yet veteran suicide remains a serious public health challenge. In 2023, 6,398 veterans died by suicide, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Suicide is also the second-leading cause of death among veterans under age 45.

But there is reason for hope.

That message was front and center at the Grand Ole Opry's third annual Face the Fight Night at the Opry on Sept. 9. Country music has always had a gift for bringing people together — gathering a room of strangers into a community, if only for a night. Presented by Humana, Face the Fight Night used that power to do something more: to turn a concert into a conversation about veteran mental health and suicide prevention.

Country music recording artist, Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Scotty Hasting took the stage as one of the evening's headlining performers. Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, head of corporate impact at USAA, also spoke that night, reflecting on the responsibility we share to support veterans long after their service ends.

Scotty shared how music became a healing force in his own recovery. His story put a human face on the challenges many veterans experience and highlighted the power of connection, community and support.

"Music has become an escape. I was lucky enough to find music as a form of therapy from the PTSD, depression and anxiety that I deal with. I hope that I can use my story and my music to help other people find something the way that I was able to," Scotty said.

Jenna highlighted USAA's role co-founding and championing Face the Fight, a coalition dedicated to reducing veteran suicide.

"Our responsibility to them doesn't end when the mission does. It means continuing to show up — in the hard moments, through transition and long after they return home," Jenna said. "So let's carry that spirit beyond tonight. Keep reaching out, keep showing up for one another and keep building communities where veterans and families can find support."

Together, their messages reinforced an important truth: Recovery is possible, help works and no veteran should have to face life's challenges alone.

Their stories point to something the data confirms. Research shows that identifying risk earlier, connecting veterans to care and making it easier to ask for help can save lives. In fact, a study published in JAMA Network Open found that veterans who initiated evidence-based therapy for PTSD were 23% less likely to die by suicide.

With its Honor Through Action movement, USAA is helping address the broader factors that contribute to veteran well-being, including access to meaningful careers, financial security and stronger support systems. That commitment also helps power Face the Fight, which was founded in 2023 by USAA; Reach Resilience, an Endeavors Foundation; and the Humana Foundation.

Today, Face the Fight unites more than 300 organizations around a shared mission to dramatically reduce veteran suicide by 2032. The coalition has invested more than $41 million in prevention efforts, supported more than 1 million suicide-risk screenings, and trained more than 88,000 clinicians, peers and community members in evidence-informed suicide-prevention interventions.

The good news is that helping can start with something simple.

Check in with a veteran in your life. Send a text. Make a call. Share a cup of coffee and take time to listen.

Small moments of connection can make a meaningful difference. Together, we can reduce stigma, encourage conversations about mental health and help ensure veterans feel supported long before they reach a point of crisis.

Because the fight was never meant to be faced alone.