This video serves to present friends and families with a story that will inspire them to listen to – and where appropriate, ask for – more of the same from their loved one. It’s also something they’ll be encouraged to share with the veteran, so many of whom have been made almost permanently incapable of open intimacy. To them, I needed to be the sincerest example possible, which meant I couldn’t rush my speech or over-rehearse. The result is earnest, but you won’t hurt my feelings if you don’t want to run the full five minutes – I’ve certainly heard my voice enough.

This is just one in what would be a continuous series of thought-provoking keepsakes. Everyone should have the means to tend to their mental health, but these issues are especially pervasive among veterans and more resources need to be – they are massively disproportionate percentage of suicides and our nation’s homeless population, and the systems in place are designed to fail those in greatest need. To that end, many service members have difficulty being completely honest with their experiences and state of mental health in front of government employees, so it’s important to note I would envision Reveille to be a non-government organization.