Sign in Subscribe
Soldiers

Empowering Veterans to Save Lives: The Overwatch+Project Makes a Difference

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Overwatch+Project, led by Casey Woods, is making significant strides in preventing military and veteran suicides by training thousands of servicemembers and veterans in peer-intervention techniques. The program focuses on equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills to create a conversation about firearms and suicide, with a specific emphasis on asking the question, "Do you have a firearm?" This simple yet powerful approach has already shown results, with a soldier at Fort Hood credited with saving a fellow soldier's life after completing Woods' training. The training is centered around creating decision points between impulse and action, giving individuals time to think before acting on suicidal thoughts.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Overwatch+Project has trained over 50,000 servicemembers and veterans in peer-intervention techniques, with partnerships with the National Guard, reserve, and active duty, as well as employers and veteran service organizations.
  • The program's training empowers individuals to take action, create time and distance, and promote pre-planning, with strategies such as temporarily removing firearms from the house, holding onto firing pins or ammo, and disassembling firearms.
  • The program focuses on the capability, or the "how," rather than the "why," behind suicide, and aims to change the conversation about firearms and suicide.
  • Casey Woods, founder and executive director of the Overwatch+Project, has been recognized for her work, including winning third place in the VA's Mission Daybreak Innovation Challenge in 2023 and receiving a grant from USAA's Face the Fight.
  • The program emphasizes the importance of asking the question, "Do you have a firearm?" and using the phrase "#justfnask" as a call to action.
  • Woods notes that firearms are deadlier than all other methods combined, with a 90% fatality rate, and that the biggest mistake in preventing suicides is not asking about firearms.

Statistics:

  • Over 50,000 servicemembers and veterans have been trained through the Overwatch+Project.
  • Since 2014, America's Warrior Partnership (AWP) has served 80,000 veterans and their caregivers.
  • AWP has identified 526 veterans at risk of suicide since 2023.
  • Nearly 15,000 cases have come through the AWP network for national resources to be pushed down to the local level since 2018.
  • The AWP maintains relationships with veterans for life, providing resources and support when needed.

Sources:

  • American Legion:
  • America's Warrior Partnership (AWP):
  • VA's Mission Daybreak Innovation Challenge:
  • USAA's Face the Fight:

Read more