From Service to Strength: Why Veterans Lead the Way in Workplace Wellbeing

Honoring Veterans Beyond Veterans Day — A Call to Lead in Mental Health

This week marks the 250th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps, and it feels fitting to share something personal. I’m married to a Marine. My husband Randy served during the Gulf War era, and I met him shortly after he returned home. Early in my career, I worked at the Boston VA Medical Center, where I first began to understand the complex mix of grit, purpose, and pain that often comes with military service.

Veterans bring extraordinary assets to our communities and workplaces — mission focus, teamwork, and an unshakeable striving for excellence. These strengths protect wellbeing and make them natural leaders in mental health promotion and suicide prevention. Many veterans I’ve met over the years have been the first to raise their hands to lead mental health efforts at work — because they’ve lived through hard things and know that no one gets left behind.

At the same time, research shows that more than one in ten veterans live with a diagnosable substance use disorder (SUD). Post-9/11 Veterans consistently display higher rates of all substance use compared to pre-9/11 Veterans – often related to coping with trauma exposure and traumatic brain injury.

Many have lost brothers and sisters-in-arms to suicide or overdose. Their grief is real, and so is their wisdom about recovery and resilience.

These data remind us that service doesn’t end at discharge — it evolves. When veterans transition into civilian workplaces, the culture of mission, camaraderie, and integrity they bring can powerfully strengthen organizational wellbeing.

The Mission Continues

Veterans understand the power of peer support, structured training, and clear leadership under pressure. These qualities make them ideal champions for mental health in the workplace. Whether leading mental health moments on stress management, joining peer ally networks, or guiding postvention planning after a loss.

This Veterans Day may be behind us, but our call to action continues.

Call to Action

Enlist the veterans in your workplace to lead the charge for mental health and suicide prevention. Leadership and peer support skills from service life are vital assets in workplace wellbeing.

Their service shaped them for this mission — and our workplaces are stronger when they lead it.

(Sources: Department of Veterans Affairs, RAND, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and VA Health Systems Research)