LBW, CVF ceremony remembers veterans who have fallen to suicide

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LBW Community College hosted an “Operation We Remember” ceremony in conjunction with the Covington Veterans Foundation and the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs on the Andalusia campus Monday afternoon. (PHOTOS BY ZACK MAIO)

LBW students plant three American flags near the Barbara L. McClain Walking Trail on campus. The 141 flags, which represent Alabama veterans who were victims of suicide in 2023, will fly until Tuesday, Nov. 12.

LBW Community College, the Covington Veterans Foundation, and the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs teamed up and paid tribute to Alabama veterans during a special ceremony Monday afternoon.

The ceremony was entitled “Operation We Remember” and involved LBW students planting 141 American flags in remembrance of those veterans who were victims of suicide in 2023. The flags, provided by Andalusia resident Brenda Gouge, will fly for one week until Tuesday, Nov. 12. First Methodist Church Pastor Dr. Ken Jackson said the invocation.

LBWCC President Dr. Brock Kelley began the ceremony with opening remarks.

“As a community, we have a responsibility to support those who have served our country and to address the challenges they face. Together, we can raise awareness and be sure every veteran feels valued and important. Thank you for your commitment to this important cause,” Kelley said.

Covington County Circuit Judge Ben Bowden addressed those in attendance on behalf of the Covington Veterans Foundation.

“These 141 flags symbolize in a very real way the sacrifice of these service men and women,” Bowden said. “The death of a service member is painful to us all, but death by his or her own hand is simply the worst. If you have ever lost someone close to you by suicide, you will never forget the moment you received the news. It strikes with the simultaneous emotions of grief, unanswered questions, and guilt.”

Bowden added that suicide is a 100-percent preventable disease and recited a portion of the Gettysburg Address.

“When we receive the news, we immediately search our hearts to ponder what we could have done to make a difference in the life of that person. According to official data, over 30,000 veterans died by suicide between September 2001 and September 2019. That is four times the number of those who died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Approximately 17 veterans die by suicide per day with the rate in Alabama higher than the national average and significantly higher than the national civilian average. We in the Covington Veterans Foundation are dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of veterans in the armed forces. Today, we honor the lives of these 141 individuals not with parades, banners, or bands but with a simple thank you, an acknowledgement that we failed you, and a promise to do better,” Bowden said.

Brian Foshee is a retired veteran who currently serves the community as the Andalusia service officer for Covington County Veterans Affairs.

“Suicide affects everyone, and I’d like to give you my personal story. After I retired from the Marine Corps in 2015, I had two Marine sergeant Navy buddies who committed suicide in 2017,” Foshee said. “One was a motivational speaker who traveled the nation and killed himself by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The one who hits home the most is a personal friend of mine. He killed himself on active duty in Korea and hung himself. In the mid 1990s, our family and his family lived side by side in the trailer park at Parris Island, where he and I were drill sergeants in the same battalion.”

Foshee added that the majority of veterans commit suicide for two reasons: not having someone they can speak to or choosing to ask for help.

“After I returned from my first deployment to Iraq, there were some things going on in both my personal and professional life. I had to seek help and did the same thing during my second deployment tour in 2004. From 2009 to 2015, I was in mental health counseling on active duty because I asked for help and received it. Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I need help and cannot do it alone.’ That is the first step in preventing these tragedies,” he said.

Sissy Louise Moore is the veterans well-being program manager for the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs.

“It is difficult to believe as beautiful as this day is that a profound crisis looms large across our nation: the heartbreaking reality of veteran suicide,” Moore said. “These veterans who died of suicide are our daughters, sons, parents, spouses, siblings, friends, and beloved battle buddies. Each of these lives leaves behind loved ones who feel their absence every day. What would remind you more of a veteran than a flag? This field of flags is a grim reminder of how veteran suicide affects individual lives with each one a legacy cut short.”

The ADVA created Operation We Remember in a partnership with Alabama colleges and high schools statewide to feature a flag display in memory of those veterans who committed suicide.

“We ask participating schools to place a flag display in a green space on campus. Each flag represents a veteran who lost his or her battle the year before. The school is responsible for purchasing the flags used in the display. These flags honor their sacrifice and service to our country. They also serve as a reminder of the mental health challenges faced by veterans,” Moore said.

For more information visit the Operation We Remember tab at va.alabama.gov.