For Clint Romesha, The Fight Continues

By any measure, Clint Romesha has lived a heroic life. His leadership in the Battle of COP Keating was recognized with a Medal of Honor, the highest award for military valor in action in the United States. And, his story has been profiled in a New York Times best-selling book, TV shows, and movies.

But what’s even more remarkable is Clint’s commitment to continuing to make a difference for others who have served our country.

Romesha recently visited The Westport Group’s Boston headquarters to share his story and raise awareness of the issue of veteran suicide. He has chosen to partner with America’s Warrior Partnership on their veteran suicide prevention initiative, Operation Deep Dive.

“Growing up, my granddad used to always say don’t tell people how good you are, just go out and let your actions speak. America’s Warrior Partnership is taking action, not just talking about it. They’re taking action and empowering communities on the local level – and that’s the best kind of help for veterans,” Romesha said.

Romesha was joined by Jim Lorraine of America’s Warrior Partnership, as both were in town to attend an AWP fundraising event hosted by The Westport Group’s Chris Kristian. Veterans Romesha, Lorraine and Kristian are deeply committed to supporting veterans.

“Over the last year, AWP has changed its mission to focusing on the prevention of veteran suicide. We’re here to raise awareness and gain support for Operation Deep Dive – we need community support. Massachusetts is important because it is one of 12 states that provide us data so that we can do better analysis on the veterans who have died and come back to the state with information that can help prevent veteran suicide,” Lorraine said.

According to Lorraine, initial data has shown that veterans are more likely to commit suicide than non-veterans. AWP has also found that veterans are dying from natural causes prematurely.

“We’re finding that veterans are dying from natural causes at a faster rate than people who’ve never served in the military,” Lorraine said. “And, female veterans have a much higher rate – almost seven times greater – of breast cancer than those who’ve never served. We have to figure out why, how to fix it, and just fix it.”

It’s a complex issue, but one Lorraine thinks is incredibly important to the future of the military. “If we don’t do something better for the people who’ve served in the military, there won’t be anybody to serve in the military,” he said.

Romesha agreed with Lorraine.

“We’ve been an all-volunteer force since the ‘70s. People who join the military, our stories start in exactly the same spot when we sign on that dotted line. Where you go and where it ends is the difference,” he said. “In 1999, I decided to serve like my grandfather, my father and my brothers did, not knowing that I’d end up almost a decade later in Afghanistan. I’m amazed by the men and women who continue to serve knowing the likelihood of deployment is very, very high.”

The commitment of the 18 and 19 year olds and what they achieve in the military is something that truly impresses Romesha. What he would like to see change is the support that veterans receive after their service.

“We’ve got to know that when you sign on that dotted line, you’re not going to know where that path is going to take you, but at the end of it, we the American people are going to make sure we do everything we can to take care of you. Sometimes the government’s falling short and that’s where America’s Warrior Partnership and The Westport Group come in,” Romesha said. “We need to work together and it’s not just about writing the check. You can spend a few minutes listening to a veteran or service member and hear their story. Get to know them personally – anybody can do that. And it makes a big difference.”