Military Veteran Project Believes Building Awareness Starts Early

This visit by Melissa Jarboe, Founder of the Military Veteran Project was about more than stepping into a classroom. 

It was about opening a conversation that doesn’t happen often enough. When I sat down with these students, we talked about military service, what it means to serve, and what happens after. We talked about transition, identity, and the realities many veterans and their families face once the uniform comes off.

What stood out immediately was how many of these students were already connected to that story.

Several had parents, siblings, or close family members who served. Some had seen the impact firsthand, both the pride and the challenges. Others were hearing these perspectives for the first time and wanted to understand more.

And they asked real questions.

Not surface-level questions but thoughtful, direct ones about mental health, about support, about why some veterans struggle and what can actually be done to help.

That kind of curiosity matters.

Because awareness doesn’t start in a crisis, it starts in moments like this.

It starts when young people begin to understand the weight of service, the importance of community, and the role they can play in looking out for others. It starts when we give them the language and confidence to recognize when something isn’t right and the understanding that it’s okay to step in or speak up.

This is how stronger communities are built.

Over the years, the Military Veteran Project has worked to create these kinds of connections not just with veterans, but with the communities around them. Because support doesn’t live in one place. It lives in relationships, in awareness, and in people who are willing to show up for each other.

Moments like this are part of that foundation.

They represent early prevention. They represent education. They represent a shift toward communities that are more informed, more aware, and more prepared. As we continue focusing our efforts here in Kansas, engaging schools and youth will remain a key part of the mission. Because when the next generation understands, the entire community becomes stronger.

And that’s how we move forward together.

Because behind every number is a name.