#BeTheOneTN
- Todd McKinley
- Aug 5, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 25, 2025
Commission Motto
“VOLS: “Veterans Offering Lifesaving Services.”
Handout
Feel free to reproduce and share the commission's initial handout far and wide.
Promote Awareness
Creating a day in the Volunteer State that recognizes and honors a person, raises awareness of a particular issue or organization simply requires a resolution, not legislation. This is where we’ll begin our efforts, provided our state officials are willing. Let me state, I believe they will be willing to assist in our efforts, especially given what we’re initially looking to promote awareness for are serious issues faced by Tennesseans of all walks of life. Also, 2026 is an election year!
Between August 16th and the American Legion’s 107th birthday (March 15th, 2026), we should commit ourselves to specifically identify (at least) five (5) days that promote awareness for the following.
1.) Be The One Tennessee Day: This day could include suicide awareness classes in schools, government departments and agencies as well as willing public and private institutions.
2.) Anti-Bullying Day: An estimated 6.500 children and young adults aged 10-24 commit suicide on an annual basis. Many who commit suicide do so because of bullying in our schools, which shouldn’t be tolerated, and our efforts can go a long way in eliminating bullying or instituting reasonable punishments for bullies.
3.) Post Traumatic Stress Day: Many Veterans, First Responders and others commit suicide directly due to Post Traumatic Stress. Identifying the signs and ways to address them is the first step in not only combatting suicide and many of the other problems caused by PTS.
4.) Traumatic Brain Injury Day: Traumatic brain injuries can have many causes and results, especially when it comes to behavioral, cognitive and physical health. Often, a TBI can lead someone to act in a manner they would never otherwise act, to include but not limited to harming others and taking their own life.
5.) Military Sexual Assault Trauma: This section wasn't originally part of my initial idea, but I've decided to add it after several fellow Legionnaires suggested it. I realize this is likely the most sensitive area given this involves crimes being committed against members of the military by other members and is one of the greatest betrayals one can perpetrate against another.
Having these days designated accordingly are the first major steps in our efforts to eliminate suicides related to the individual categories listed above.
Legislation
When it comes to legislation dealing with the concerns listed in the Promote Awareness section, will require effort. To do this, we must foster great relationships with local, state and federal officials alike. Albeit this commission will focus primarily on the state level and in some respects the local level, we’re not going to ignore these concerns across the nation. For now, I’m not going to go into any detail, as there’s some legislation already on the books that merely needs to be enforced or rewritten, while some legislation will need to be written from scratch. This is where positive relationships will play into our favor. Remember, I’m not asking the commission to write legislation, just champion reasonable efforts that corelate to our mission, and anything else the commission decides to focus on, as long it doesn’t stray far from the spirit of the commission.
Hashtags
The following are suggested hashtags that may be used to promote our efforts on social media. The use of social media will go a long way to ensure we can collectively Be The One in our communities, state and nation. These are in alphabetical order, not necessarily in order of importance, as all are truly important.
“VOLS: Veterans Offering Lifelong Service”
Todd A. McKinley
Department Commander
American Legion Department of Tennessee
