During the past two years, American Legion Riders Chapter 53 in Hillsdale, Mich., has participated in Suicide Prevention Month projects in other area communities. But this year the chapter wanted to bring the issue of veteran suicide directly to local residents.

So since Sept. 1, its Legion Riders have been placing 22 flags and 22 solar lights each day on Post 53’s property to represent the number of veteran suicides that have occurred nationwide for years. The same number of flags and lights will be placed daily by Post 53 American Legion Family members.

The Chapter’s The Ongoing Cost of War display will stay up through Oct. 1 and is an opportunity to create a discussion about veteran suicide, as well as the Legion’s Be the One program to reduce the number of veteran suicides.

Chapter 53 had assisted with similar light displays in Hudson in 2022 and in Clayton in 2023. “It was after helping in Clayton that I knew that I wanted to bring the light display to our Legion in Hillsdale,” Chapter 53 Director and American Legion Auxiliary Unit 53 member Angela Snyder said. “It was so moving. When you see that yard filled with 660 lights and make that connection – that’s 660 souls that has been lost this month. It resonates throughout the month, but when you see that final count, it just really hits home.”

Chapter 53 has received support from the post’s Legion Family, Michigan nonprofits, a local business and other anonymous donors to supply the lights and flags. Each light represents a person who has died by suicide, while the flag represents that person’s military service.

In addition to placing the flags and lights daily, every Tuesday at dusk throughout the month the chapter invites the community to come watch the lights come on and then discuss veteran suicides and ways to reduce them.

“That’s kind of why we’re out here doing this: to elevate this communication,” Snyder said. “I think it’s important for each of us, as a Legion member – and it doesn’t matter what hat you wear, whether you’re a veteran, you’re a Son, you’re an Auxiliary member, a Rider member – I think it’s all of our responsibility to Be the One. Each one of us are responsible for anyone we come into contact with. That’s kind of our job within the Legion: to be there. To truly be setting the tone.”

But the display also is meant to start a conversation with Post 53. “I feel it’s important for our Riders chapter to be doing this, sponsoring this as our contribution to our post home, because I wanted our living vets to see the lights and know that we see them,” Snyder said. ““I feel it’s especially difficult for the older generation: whatever World War II veterans we may have and our Vietnam War vets. These guys came from that quiet era. They weren’t treated well when they came home, and they don’t talk about what happened … as much as the younger vets.

“Our commander’s a (Global War on Terror) vet, and those guys were trained to decompress, if you will. They were trained to talk about things. But our older guys, I think it’s harder for them to get to open up. That’s why I felt it was important for us to have something like this to open up that conversation for our older veterans, to get them to feel safe talking about things.”

When Suicide Prevention Month comes to an end, Post 53 will host a ceremony on Oct. 1 in front of the display. The ceremony will end with a retirement of unserviceable American flags.

To learn more about The American Legion’s Be the One veteran suicide prevention program, click here.