American Legion bats lead off at Opening Day ceremonies

BELLEVILLE — The American Legion Post 105 family took part in baseball opening day ceremonies in the township by providing a color guard, leading the Pledge of Allegiance and taking a moment to ask people to keep an eye on the mental health of any veterans they might know.

Following the introduction of the roughly 30 teams that ranged from squads of 5-year olds to the high school travel teams, Commander Joe Cobianchi led the hundreds in attendance in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

After the crowd sat down, Cobianchi took a few seconds to speak about veterans suicide and last year’s “’22 A day” initiative, and how this country is making progress in helping vets seeking help.

The “’22 A Day” program by the American Legion brought to light veterans’ suicide and the on-average 22 vets a day who end their life.

The program has since been rebranded to “Be The One” and is focused on eliminating the stigma related to mental health treatment, and in turn, lowering the number of veterans who die by suicide.

The American Legion has elevated “Be the One” to be its top priority, empowering veterans, service members, their family members and civilians to act appropriately when a veteran may be at risk, according to a press release from the Legion.

“Tell them about our ‘Be the One’ campaign and our efforts to de-stigmatize the courageous decision to seek mental wellness,” National Commander Vincent J. “Jim” Troiola said earlier this month. “Too many veterans take their lives while feeling isolated and alone. Some have no close relatives to whom they can reach out. It is a mistake for them to believe they have no family. Whether they know it or not, they have an American Legion family.”

The Post 105 family includes the American Legion’s veterans, the Sons of the American Legion and the Amer- ican Legion Auxiliary. All participated in the event. After the ceremony, members of the post family tracked down the 14 and Under team, which Post 105 and SAL Squadron 105 sponsors, so they could take a picture with the color guard.

This is the third year that the Post and Squadron have sponsored the Belleville Jr. Bucs.

Their pinstripe uniforms, emblazoned with the Belleville “B,” also have the Legion seal on one arm and the SAL seal on the other.