This Veterans Day, life looks very different for the approximately 18 million veterans in the United States, as the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the social isolation experienced by many in the veteran population. But here in Western Kentucky, Brian Gibson is working to combat that through his nonprofit, Project Diehard. As a result of his service to the community, the organization Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) recently named Gibson as a spokesperson for their new national campaign, #StillServing.
#StillServing aims to bring to light the continued service of American heroes after they take off their uniforms. In fact, according to the Corporation for National & Community Service’s 2018 Volunteering in America Report, veterans give 25 percent more time, are 17 percent more likely to make a monetary donation, and are 30 percent more likely to participate in local organizations. Earlier this year, the VFW asked veterans to submit their stories of #StillServing. After receiving hundreds of messages and photos, the VFW selected several, including Gibson, to serve as spokespeople for the campaign.
According to Gibson, a U.S. Army veteran himself, isolation is a common experience for veterans returning to civilian life. Because only about seven percent of the total U.S. population have served in the armed forces, few understand veterans’ experiences and needs, which not only leads some veterans to become withdrawn from social settings but also experience mental health problems that may lead to suicide. In fact, 22 veterans die every day by suicide, prompting the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to identify social isolation as an epidemic among the veteran community.
Now, combined with another public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, veteran suicide rates continue to rise. Even here in Paducah, the effects are being felt.
“This summer, we lost a local veteran to suicide,” Gibson said. “The last thing he posted on his social media was that he felt alone. All of the meetings and support groups he attended were canceled due to the pandemic. Stay-at-home orders have made it difficult for veterans to connect with other veterans. Additionally, organizations that provide resources to these veterans, such as Project Diehard, are finding it difficult to provide relief, as our funding has dramatically decreased.”
Project Diehard was born out of Gibson’s own struggle with loneliness and PTSD. He had contemplated taking his own life, and it wasn’t until a friend reached out and invited him to join Free Spirit Biker Church that he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. After finding God and a community he could lean on, Gibson made it his life’s mission to help other veterans struggling to find peace and a purpose.
“Serving others continues to heal me,” he said. “Since 1972, the military has been an all-volunteer force. Volunteering and stepping up is in veterans’ nature. We continue to do that even after we return home because it gives us a purpose.”
Since Gibson last spoke with VUE in 2018, Project Diehard has received a 20-acre donation of land in Illinois that the organization will use to establish a forward operating base, Fort Hope. Fort Hope is designed to provide 100 veterans with shelter for up to a year, assist them with obtaining services through the VA, teach trade skills, and foster camaraderie. The organization’s goal is to create a Fort Hope in all 50 states and they are currently in the process of obtaining funding to establish a 100-acre Fort Hope in Western Kentucky.
