Unfortunately, there is a very strong chance that we know someone in our military community who has passed away from suicide. Why is that?
Remarks from the Hon. Jack Bergman, House of Representatives, made it clear on the congressional record. “Each year, nearly 8,000 Veterans die by suicide in the United States—including over 500 active, reserve and guard deaths. Since 2001, more Veterans have died by suicide than have been killed in action since 1950.”
The Red Star Foundation is actively addressing the growing crisis of suicide among military members, veterans, and first responders, and how they are working to change the narrative through peer-to-peer support, more national awareness, and crisis response initiatives.
It establishes programs, resources and services to include education, training, suicide awareness and prevention, bereavement and grief support, and peer-to-peer networking. They provide support to Red Star Families, and Congress is set to put forth the Bill that will recognize the Red Star Service Banner.
“For each suicide, at least 6 surviving family members and loved ones are directly impacted, leaving over 1 million people in the United States to cope with the pain and loss of a loved one.”
Military.com sat down with the Red Star Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer, Jerry Schaffer, who highlights the organization’s impact and the collective role communities play in preventing tragedy and saving lives. The conversation also explores Red Star’s long-term vision and how individuals and communities can join in building a future where no one has to struggle alone.
Military.com: (Kim O’Brien): What sets the Red Star Foundation apart from other organizations in this space, and how do your peer-to-peer support and initiatives translate into real, measurable impact?
Jerry Schaffer (Chief Executive Officer): What truly sets us apart is that we recognize suicide as a community injury, not a single-person crisis. Most organizations understandably focus on the individual who is struggling. We do that as well, but we also intentionally serve the families and loved ones left behind.
Red Star Families are often isolated by grief, stigma, and silence, and without support, they face a significantly higher risk themselves.
By supporting both the individual and the family system, we address the full impact of suicide and work to stop the cycle from continuing.
Our peer-to-peer model is not a supplemental program. It is the foundation of how we operate. Veterans, service members, first responders, and their families repeatedly tell us that what they need first is not a clinical setting or a checklist, but a human connection with someone who understands their world. Our trained peers provide that connection quickly and locally, creating trust and continuity at moments when people are most likely to disengage from traditional systems of care.
We also intentionally combine recognition with activation. Through initiatives like the Red Star Banner and Pin, Red Star Cities, and Red Star Family observances, we make suicide loss visible and legitimate in the public space. That visibility reduces stigma and gives families permission to step forward. Just as important, it creates a clear pathway into support, ensuring recognition is not symbolic but directly tied to action and access to help.
Our programs are designed to scale with accountability. We will train peers with defined roles, clear expectations, and ongoing oversight so the network grows as a system, not as an informal support group. Initiatives such as Roll Call and Code Red are structured to provide rapid outreach, consistent follow-up, and responsible escalation when someone is at risk, while remaining grounded in peer support rather than replacing professional care.
Because of this structure, our impact is measurable. We will track how quickly people are connected to a peer, how consistently follow-ups occur, how many individuals remain engaged over time, and how often we successfully connect participants to licensed mental health or crisis resources through warm handoffs.
We also measure changes in isolation, connection, and coping through simple pre and post-engagement check-ins, allowing us to evaluate outcomes that are closely tied to suicide risk and resilience.
At its core, Red Star Foundation does not attempt to replace clinical care. We close the gap between awareness and action.
We ensure that when someone raises their hand, they are met quickly by someone who understands, stays connected, and helps guide them to the right support. That combination of lived experience, speed, structure, and accountability is what allows our peer-to-peer model and initiatives to translate into real, meaningful, and measurable impact.
Military.com: What progress gives you hope, and where do you see major gaps still existing? What does success look like for Red Star five years from now?
Schaffer: What gives me hope right now is not that we have solved this problem, but that the environment around it is finally changing. There is a growing willingness to acknowledge that suicide among military members, veterans, first responders, and their families is not a personal failure, but often a consequence of service-related trauma and cumulative stress.
I see progress in the way leaders, municipalities, partner organizations, and families themselves are beginning to speak openly about suicide loss and mental health without shame.
The fact that people are reaching out, sharing their stories, and asking what can be done differently tells me the door is open in a way it has not been before.
I am also encouraged by how strongly people respond to recognition and visibility. When families are acknowledged and told their loss matters, something shifts. Stigma begins to break down, and isolation begins to loosen. Even before implementing our peer-to-peer and support initiatives, we are seeing that simply naming the issue, honoring families, and creating public awareness bring people forward who have been suffering in silence for years. That tells me the need is real and the appetite for connection is there.
At the same time, the gaps are significant, and they are exactly why Red Star Foundation exists. There is still no consistent, coordinated response for families after a suicide loss. In many communities, families are left entirely on their own during the most vulnerable period of grief.
There is also a wide gap between awareness and action. People may know resources exist, but they often do not know where to turn in the moment, who they can trust, or how to navigate complex systems like the VA or civilian mental health care. Most critically, there is a lack of structured, accountable peer-to-peer support that is ready to engage quickly and remain connected over time.
Five years from now, success for Red Star Foundation means that the gap has been meaningfully closed. It means we have built and implemented a national peer-to-peer support network that is trusted, trained, and active in communities across the country. It means our planned initiatives like Roll Call and Code Red are fully operational, providing rapid connection, consistent follow-up, and responsible escalation when someone is at risk, while working alongside, not in place of, clinical care.
Success also means Red Star Cities are widespread, with municipalities formally recognizing Red Star Families and committing to awareness, post-vention, and ongoing support. It means families impacted by suicide are no longer invisible, and they know exactly where to turn when they need help.
Most importantly, success looks like fewer people reaching a point of crisis alone. It looks like earlier connections, stronger community ties, and families being supported instead of isolated. If Red Star Foundation can help make connections the norm rather than the exception, and ensure no one is left navigating this alone, then we will have achieved something that truly changes lives.
Ultimately, success for us means that we have helped reduce the suicide rate nationally.
Military.com: Can you share a story or example that illustrates the real-life impact Red Star Foundation has had on someone in crisis or on a surviving family?
Schaffer: One story that stays with me involves a young Airman who attended one of our presentations. During that presentation, she watched one of our Red Star Voices videos about a mom who lost her active-duty son to suicide.
Afterward, she came up to us and shared how thankful she was that we were there and how much of an impact that video had on her. She shared with us that she had attempted suicide 2 months prior and was seriously thinking of trying again. She told us that she had never thought about how it would impact her family and her mother. And that the Red Star Voices video opened her eyes, and that she would never do that to them again.
What matters to me about that moment is not that we had a formal program in place or a perfected system. It is that connection that happened when it mattered most. Awareness turned into hope, and hope interrupted a decision that could not be undone. That Airman is still here because she felt understood and reminded that her life had value.
That is the real impact of what we do. Sometimes it is not a statistic or a chart. Sometimes it is a single person choosing to stay alive because someone finally spoke the truth they needed to hear. That is why Red Star Foundation exists, and that is the standard we hold ourselves to as we build what comes next.
Military.com: For readers who feel called to help but aren’t sure where to start, what are the most meaningful ways they can get involved?
Schaffer: For those reading this who feel called to help but are not sure where to start, the most important thing to know is that you do not need a title, credentials, or a perfect plan to make a difference. Meaningful impact begins with showing up and being willing to stand with people who are hurting. One of the simplest and most powerful things you can do is start by listening.
Check in on the veterans, service members, first responders, and families in your life. Ask how they are really doing, stay present, and be willing to have uncomfortable conversations. Human connection saves lives more often than people realize.
Another meaningful way to get involved is by helping break the silence around suicide and mental health. Share stories, talk openly about loss, and help normalize seeking help. Stigma thrives in quiet spaces, and every honest conversation weakens it. Support organizations like Red Star Foundation by sharing our mission, attending events, or helping bring awareness to Red Star Families in your community helps ensure that those affected by suicide are seen rather than overlooked.
For those who want to do more, volunteering your time and talents can be incredibly impactful. Not everyone serves in the same way. Some people are natural listeners, others are organizers, advocates, fundraisers, or connectors. As Red Star Foundation continues to build and expand its programs, there will be opportunities for people to contribute in ways that fit their skills and availability, whether locally or nationally.
Finally, if you are in a position to give financially, even modest support helps build the infrastructure needed to reach people before they reach a breaking point. Donations help us create awareness, support families, develop programs, and lay the groundwork for peer-to-peer support that can operate at scale. Every contribution represents another step toward connection instead of isolation.
The most important thing is this. You do not have to do everything. You just have to do something. Suicide is not solved by one organization or one program. It is addressed when individuals decide they are willing to stand in the gap for someone else. If more people choose connection, compassion, and action, lives will be saved, and families will be strengthened.
Military.com: Is there anything else you would like people to know about the Red Star Foundation?
Schaffer: We are only 1.5 years old and have already been recognized in the U.S. Congress. There is a Bill about to be submitted in the next 2 weeks to officially recognize the Red Star Service Banner alongside the Gold and Blue Star Banners.
We have recently hired Matt Mahoney, who was previously the Executive Vice President of Tunnels to Towers. He serves in the same role at Red Star. Matt helped take them from doing $9M a year to almost $700M annually in donations.
Per the Department of War:
Service members and veterans who are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide, and those who know a Service member or veteran in crisis, can call the Veterans/Military Crisis Line for confidential support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Call 988 and Press 1, text 838225, or chat online at MilitaryCrisisLine.net.
