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In San Antonio, the military community is woven into the fabric of our city. Veterans are our neighbors, coworkers, friends and family members. They lead our neighborhood businesses, coach our kids’ sports, volunteer in our charities and continue serving our communities long after their military service ends.
That connection is part of what makes San Antonio “Military City, USA.” And during Suicide Prevention Month, it is also a reminder of the role each of us can play in supporting the veterans around us.
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. While the total number of deaths declined slightly from the previous year, the overall veteran suicide rate increased. Suicide was the second-leading cause of death among veterans under age 45.
Those numbers reinforce the urgency of the issue. But there is another message that is just as important: there is reason for hope.
We know 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. We also know that suicide prevention cannot fall solely on veterans themselves or the clinicians who care for them. Families, friends, employers and communities all have a role to play.
The military’s promise to leave no one behind shouldn’t end when service members take off the uniform. With Honor Through Action, USAA is taking a holistic approach to the full spectrum of challenges related to meaningful careers, financial security and overall well-being.
That commitment strengthens and accelerates Face the Fight, founded in 2023 by USAA, Reach Resilience, an Endeavors Foundation, and the Humana Foundation on the belief that addressing veteran suicide requires the kind of collective, community-wide response San Antonio knows well. Today, the initiative unites more than 300 organizations across sectors around a shared mission to dramatically reduce veteran suicide by 2032 — with modeling projecting more than 10,900 lives saved by that year.
“Here in San Antonio, supporting the military community is part of who we are,” said Chris Ford, who leads Face the Fight for USAA. “The veterans we’re talking about are our colleagues, friends and neighbors. We have an opportunity to create a community where veterans know they are valued and supported, and where reaching out for help is recognized as a sign of strength.”
Much of the leadership guiding that national work has deep roots here in San Antonio. USAA brings private sector leadership; Reach Resilience brings nonprofit and community expertise; and UT Health San Antonio brings the scientific expertise to identify and scale evidence-informed approaches.
“We have proven programs and practices, grounded in strong science, that can reduce suicide risk and build on the strengths of our military and veteran communities,” said David Rozek, a senior scientific advisor for Face the Fight and an associate professor at UT Health San Antonio. “The challenge is getting those programs to more veterans and their families earlier through the organizations and communities they already know and trust.”
That collaborative model is already reaching communities well beyond San Antonio. Face the Fight has invested more than $41 million in suicide-prevention efforts, reaching more than 1.4 million service members, veterans, families, caregivers and survivors. More than 1 million suicide-risk screenings have been supported, while more than 88,000 clinicians, peers and community members have been trained in evidence-informed suicide-prevention interventions.
“Preventing veteran suicide requires strong support systems that surround veterans in their everyday lives,” said Sonya Medina Williams, president and CEO of Reach Resilience. “When nonprofits, businesses, health care leaders and communities work together, we build stronger networks of support and make it easier for veterans and their families to find help when they need it.”
For San Antonians, being part of that support system can start small.
Check in with a veteran in your life. Send a text, make a call or have a conversation over coffee.
Learn how to recognize when someone may be struggling and what resources are available. Face the Fight also offers training and workshops that equip individuals and organizations with practical tools to better support veterans.
This December, run or support a runner in the San Antonio Marathon. Face the Fight is an official benefiting partner of the race, taking place Dec. 4-6. As runners register and begin training, they can turn those miles into support by creating fundraising pages, forming teams or donating to veteran suicide-prevention efforts.
Whether you run, donate, learn the warning signs or simply make time to check in, every action can help strengthen the community surrounding our veterans. Together, we can normalize conversations around mental health, reduce stigma and foster a culture where veterans feel empowered to seek support before reaching a point of crisis.
That is an opportunity San Antonio is uniquely positioned to embrace. Because in Military City, USA, we know that no one should have to face a fight alone.
