The Warrior 180° Foundation was established in an effort to reach out to and come alongside veterans, members of the military, first responders and their families to provide comfort and support with the struggles they might be facing. The foundation was the vision of U.S. Army Reserve Battalion Chaplain Jeff Hastings who was a master trainer for the Army in suicide intervention and recognized the difficulties soldiers experienced after returning home.
On Tuesday morning, July 9, the Warrior 180 Foundation provided nearly 100 members of the Owensboro Police Department with a catered lunch from Mission BBQ in Evansville, Ind. — an organization whose mission ‘proudly serving those who serve’ also supports servicemen and women and first responders.
“Warrior 180 is here in town and we just wanted to love on our first responders,” said Warrior 180 co-founder Criss Hastings. “They’ve been going through a lot in our police department this year — anything we can do to come alongside them.”
According to Criss, who studies statistics of veteran and first responder suicide, the number of first responder suicides in 2017 was nearly 30,000 higher than the number of murders in the United States that same year. Criss said the statistics also show that first responders are more likely to die from suicide than in the line of duty.
“Much like our military, they [first reponders] carry themselves in a very proud way and don’t ask for help when they need it — they don’t want to show weakness,” Criss said. “With police officers, firefighters and EMTs, we come to them and make ourselves known so we can be there to lift and encourage them.”
Warrior 180 and Mission BBQ spent a good portion of the day Tuesday at the Owensboro Police Department, serving both shifts of officers and listening to any concerns they might have.
“We greatly appreciate any support,” said OPD Public Information Officer Andrew Boggess. “They are a great organization that supports, not just first responders, but also our military men and women.”
For more information about Warrior 180, please visit their website.
