David McCleery

David McCleery is a 50-year-old, disabled veteran from Kankakee IL. He is married to the love of his life, Rebecca. He is the father of four children and grandfather to six wonderful grandkids. David served in the NAVY Seabees as an EO1 (equipment operator fist class petty officer) for 14 years before being honorably discharged. He comes from a Veteran and first responder family. David is the Executive Director of Buddy Check 22 Veteran Suicide Awareness. He is also a Board Member, Lead Trainer, Squad leader and Crisis Responder for Project Headspace and Timing, Board Member with Project Sun and the Chair of the Kankakee Veteran Suicide Prevention Coalition, and the Sr. Vice Commander for Bradley American Legion Post 766. David is a Nationally licensed EMT and graduated from Liberty University with his bachelor’s degree in psychology with a specialty in Military Resilience and a Peer Support Specialist and mentor. David is a trainer for Mental Health First Aid, NAMI Connections, AFSP Talk saves lives: Supporting our Veterans, counseling on access to lethal means(CALM). When he is not helping other veterans and first responders with their mental health, he enjoys spending time with his service dog Diesel that he trained with AVSDA. He also enjoys fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities. Fishing, hunting, and outdoor activities are more than just hobbies for him, they make up the foundation of who he is. He takes veterans and first responders out to introduce them to the outdoors to help them find their peace with their mental health. He uses his passion for the outdoors as part of his mission of helping his brothers and sisters-in-arms from succumbing to the wounds of PTSD and becoming a victim of the 22 suicides a day. Most of all he wants to help any veteran and first responders in need and wants veterans and first responders to know that while he understands how hard it can be to reach out, that he is here without judgement. Reach out. Check in. Save a life.

Buddy Check 22 Mission
Our service members face unique burdens of stress and sacrifice every day. Transitioning into civilian life can be difficult for many returning service members. The loss of military structure can cause returning soldiers and sailors to feel lost or alone. Some struggle and attempt to replace the loss of camaraderie or the rush of combat with negative habits. Others find the hypervigilance required to stay alive in a combat zone now works against them. Unfortunately, far too many become victims of these hidden wounds. On average 22 veterans commit suicide each day. We at Buddy Check 22 feel that even 1 veteran suicide is too many. Our main goals are to spread awareness about veteran suicide and raise funds for veterans who suffer in the aftermath of their military service.