Face the Fight-Funded Training From Overwatch Project / FORGE Saves Lives

Casey Woods, Founder and Executive Director at Overwatch Project / FORGE, remembers a conversation that made it clear to her how the Face the Fight-funded training that her team provides saves lives that might otherwise be lost to suicide: A service member she had trained texted her and said, “No joke, I think I saved between one and three lives today because I went to your training two weeks ago.” When Casey asked him what happened, the service member told her that a member of his unit was experiencing problems at home. Casey’s Overwatch Project equips training participants with skills to make proactive plans to prevent firearms suicide, and the service member decided to ask his buddy if he could hold onto his firearms. His buddy initially said no, but in the end, the service member persisted and eventually convinced his buddy to store the firearm differently until the situation at home improved.

Later that same night, his buddy’s family member had a mental health crisis and was threatening to harm themselves and others—but they couldn’t find the firearm because the buddy had changed the storage measures because of his conversation with the service member that the Overwatch Project had trained two weeks prior. The Overwatch Project has built the equivalent of the “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” campaign for veterans and service members, only instead of talking about alcohol and vehicles, it is focused on guns and suicide. Through the Overwatch Project, FORGE trained more than 25,000 veterans, service members and family members last year, through educational partnerships with military entities, nonprofits, major corporations and other partners. This initiative equips veterans, service members and those who care about them with new suicide prevention tools through comprehensive training, outreach and engagement programs crafted in an authentic veteran voice.