This Veterans Day, Keep the Promise: Connect With a Veteran and Fix the System

Every November, Americans pause to honor those who wore the uniform. Parades roll, flags wave, and the words “thank you for your service” echo across the country. But gratitude without follow-through rings hollow. The best way to honor our veterans is not with hashtags or speeches – it’s by making sure they are seen, heard, and cared for long after the parade ends.

That starts with connection. Each year, far too many veterans die not from enemy fire but from isolation, despair, and the lingering effects of brain injuries that went undiagnosed or untreated. As chairman of Warrior Call, I’ve seen the power of something as simple as a phone call pull someone back from the brink. This Veterans Day and on National Warrior Call Day (Nov. 16), every American has a role: Make a call. Take a call. Save a life.

Isolation Kills – Connection Saves

Research from the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that up to two-thirds of veterans who die by suicide had no contact with the VA in the year prior. They were disconnected from care, community, and hope. Studies have found the actual veteran suicide rate may be more than twice the official count when accounting for misclassified overdoses and accidents rooted in trauma. Behind every number is a family, a teammate, a patriot left to fight alone.

These are not isolated tragedies; they are symptoms of systemic failure. Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and the invisible wounds that mask them are the signature battle wounds of the post-9/11 era, affecting nearly half a million service members. Symptoms such as irritability, impulsivity, memory loss, and sleeplessness can mimic or magnify mental-health struggles. The connection between TBI and suicidal ideation is strong – and too often ignored.

Fixing the System That’s Supposed To Help

The good news: We know what to do. Two straightforward steps would save lives and restore faith in the system our veterans rely on.

Pass the Precision Brain Health Research Act. This bipartisan bill would direct the VA, in coordination with the National Academies, to conduct a 10-year study of repetitive low-level blast injuries – the invisible wounds sustained in training and combat that standard scans can’t see. It would force the Department of Defense and VA to share data, track veterans’ health long after discharge, and quickly spread successful treatments across the system. Understanding these injuries is not academic curiosity; it’s a national obligation.
Finish the Electronic Health Record modernization at the VA. Right now, veterans still bounce between outdated databases that don’t talk to each other. They’re forced to repeat the same painful history at every visit – a wall instead of a bridge. A modern, unified records system will ensure continuity of care, reduce suicide risk, and signal to every veteran that the nation is finally listening. This reform began years ago and must be completed with urgency and accountability.

Data, Dignity, and Duty

Modern record-keeping and brain-health research are not bureaucratic upgrades; they are moral imperatives. We cannot prevent what we refuse to measure. Quality data will let doctors spot patterns early, researchers define injury thresholds, and commanders protect troops before damage becomes irreversible.

Patriotism in Practice

Our country has always answered the call when freedom was at stake. Now it’s time to answer another call – literally. On National Warrior Call Day, pick up the phone. Ask a veteran how they’re really doing. Listen more than you talk. That simple act of connection can break the silence that isolation feeds on.

But connection must meet competence. When a veteran finally raises a hand for help, the system must be ready – modern, unified, compassionate. That’s what these reforms deliver, and it’s what our heroes deserve. They need to know they are not done and there is hope.

A Father’s Plea

I know the stakes personally. My son, Navy SEAL Ryan Larkin, died by suicide in 2017. After his death, doctors found microscopic brain scarring from years of blast wave exposure – damage invisible to ordinary scans but devastating to mood and cognition. His story is heartbreakingly common among those who served in our longest wars. We can’t bring Ryan back, but we can honor him and so many countless others by ensuring no warrior fights alone again.

Veterans Day is more than remembrance; it’s a renewal of duty. We owe our freedom to those who bore its cost. Let’s pay that debt with action: Call a veteran, pass the Precision Brain Health Research Act, finish the VA records overhaul, and keep faith with those who kept us free.

Patriotism isn’t just pride – it’s a promise. And promises kept save lives.