Medina natives start Red Star Foundation to honor service of veterans, first responders who die by suicide
Jerry Shaffer, Rich McAdoo among leaders of new organization
Photo by JR Stein: Medina natives Rich McAdoo, left, and Jerry Shaffer are shown at a press conference on Jan. 31 in Clearwater, Fla. to highlight the Red Star Foundation. The organization has created a Red Star banner and a pin to recognize the service of a veteran or first responder who died of suicide.
A new organization, the Red Star Foundation, is honoring the service of veterans and first responders who die by suicide, and trying to offer support for the loved ones left behind.
Medina native Jerry Shaffer is co-founder and president of the Red Star Foundation and another Medina native, Rich McAdoo, is on the organization’s board as secretary. McAdoo, a Lockport resident, is a Ridgeway volunteer firefighter.
An average of 17.5 veterans die each day by suicide. Shaffer said the number is likely higher, 30 to 50, because many suicides are unreported or unconfirmed.
“Suicide is the biggest issue we have in the veterans community,” he said.
The VA reports there were 6,407 suicides by veterans in 2022 with 6,136 by men and 271 by women.
Photo by Kevin Crowsyn: Jerry Shaffer, a 1989 Medina graduate, speaks during a press conference on Jan. 31 in Clearwater, Fla.
Since 2001, about 150,000 veterans have died by suicide, Shaffer said. That is far more than have died in combat.
Suicide has a stigma, he said, and the loved ones of those who die by suicide often don’t get the support they should.
“We want to recognize their loss,” Shaffer said. “They should feel pride for their son’s and daughter’s service.”
The Red Star Foundation has a banner and a pin with a red star as the focus to be given to loved ones in a design similar to the banners for Gold Star and Blue Star families. Blue Star families have a loved one on active duty. A Gold Star family had a loved one killed in active duty.
The Red Star banners honor the service of veterans or first responders, and Shaffer said he believes the banner can reduce the stigma of suicide. He wants to help build a network of support among the families who have endured such a loss.
Many veterans suffer from depression and many have a post-traumatic stress disorder. When they leave active duty, their chances of suicide increase 50 percent, Shaffer said, because many feel a loss of a sense of identity and purpose, and a loss of their military community when they are no longer on active duty.
Shaffer, a 1989 Medina grad, is a former Marine. He enlisted right out of high school. He pushed the start the Red Star Foundation, which is an official 501c3 organization. It launched in July and right now is focused on a chapter in Tampa and Clearwater, Florida.
Shaffer would like to see chapters around the country, including in Medina where there already is an active group led by Ike Watts highlighting veterans’ suicide, and trying to provide a network of support for families.
“We’re at ground zero of the fight,” Shaffer said about veterans’ and first responders’ suicides. “We believe the Red Star Foundation is game-changing.”
The Red Star Foundation seeks to offer:
- Grief and bereavement support, and peer-to-peer networking
- Public awareness campaigns about the impact of suicides among veterans, military personnel and first responders
- Advocacy for better for better mental health care and suicide prevention programs
- Survivor advocacy training to empower families to become voices for change.
- Educational workshops to provide insight into mental health challenges and how to support others.
For more information on the Red Star Foundation, click here.
