There’s a renewed push on Capitol Hill to create an annual day of action that would encourage Americans to help veterans suffering from the invisible wounds of war.

What You Need To Know

  • Frank Larkin, is lobbying Congress to create an annual day of action that would urge Americans to reach out to veterans in their communities

  • Larkin is a former Navy SEAL, the 40th US Senate Sergeant at Arms and father of a Navy SEAL son who died by suicide
  • The bill would establish a National Warrior Call Day, encouraging Americans to phone veterans and active service members every year on the day after Veterans Day

  •  Larkin has the backing of freshman Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a retired Navy Seal cosponsoring the House resolution who also served with his late son

“A lot of those that had not served our nation in uniform very often say, ‘How can I help?’” Frank Larkin, a Retired Navy SEAL told Spectrum News. “And this is how they can help. They can make a call.”

Larkin believes we are all just one phone call away from saving a life. That is the guiding principle behind his current mission with the Troops First Foundation, a nonprofit veterans support group.

“We hope that we influence a cultural shift within our society, where we’re asking not only veterans and those who have served in uniform —both in the military and as first responders — but their families and others that have any connection with them to reach out, make a call, take a call and have an honest conversation with somebody that served,” Larkin said.

His mission was born following the death of his son, Ryan in 2017. Ryan enlisted in the Navy in 2006, was trained as a Special Operations Combat Medic and a Naval Special Warfare Sniper and served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Honduras.

“He was a decorated Navy SEAL who took his life over six years ago and ultimately found out that he suffered from an undiagnosed level of microscopic brain injury uniquely related to blast exposure.”

As with Ryan, sometimes it’s the wounds we can’t see that take the biggest toll. Wounds, Frank says, that can go undiagnosed and yet mirror many mental health conditions.

“We’ve characterized these types of injuries, which is a signature injury of the 20 years of conflict, as invisible wounds,” Larkin said. “The person looks normal on the outside, but on the inside, they’re hurting.”

That’s why he’s urging Congress to pass legislation establishing a National Warrior Call Day. It would encourage Americans to phone veterans and active service members every year on the day after Veterans Day.

“And if they sense that something’s not right, to be able to connect them to services or options that hopefully will help take them out of this dark place that they’re in,” Larkin added. 

Larkin, who previously served as the 40th Senate Sergeant-at-Arms for the U.S. Senate, has advocated for this cause for years in Washington. The Senate passed the legislation during the last congressional session. It has been reintroduced in both the House and Senate this year.

When asked if he is concerned about this legislation being stalled, Larkin replied: “It’s hard to predict what actually makes it through.”

This time around, Larkin has the backing of freshman Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a retired Navy SEAL who is co-sponsoring the House resolution. Van Orden also served with Larkin’s late son.

“I respond to demand signals,” Van Orden said. “There’s a very strong demand signal for veterans’ mental health ... this bill directly addresses veterans’ mental health issues. And I hear it from everybody.”

Larkin hopes that a fresh face on the inside will give this push for more veteran support the momentum it needs to cross the finish line finally.

“I think the congressman and what he’s done is hopefully a start to kind of change the way our nation thinks about its veterans,” he said.