Rep. Jamie Allard: The Alaska that I am proud to represent

By REP. JAMIE ALLARD

March 2, 2026 – Seventeen and a half. That’s how many veterans died by suicide each day in 2023, according to the Veterans Administration’s most recent National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report.

That is nearly one every hour in America and is a number that should stop every one of us in our tracks.

It’s easy in Juneau, especially during session, to get wrapped up in committees, amendments, votes,and floor speeches. Caucus priorities and hallway chatter rule the Capitol. Conversations revolve around strategy, policy, and nonstop politics. But step outside that bubble and you are reminded what truly matters.

This weekend, I had that reminder at The Fallen Outdoors-Team Alaska banquet.

The room was filled with people with a profound purpose: Veterans, active duty service members, Gold Star families, business owners, volunteers. Regular Alaskans who showed up because they care. They are Alaskans committed to taking care of their own.

The Fallen Outdoors organization was founded by soldiers during deployment in Afghanistan in 2009. They understood something that many, possibly most policymakers are only beginning to grasp.  Healing doesn’t always happen in a clinic. Sometimes it happens on a riverbank or before sunrise in a duck blind. Sometimes healing the wounds of a warrior happens around a campfire where no one has to explain what they’ve seen, because everyone already understands.

Here in Alaska, The Fallen Outdoors-Team Alaska takes that mission seriously. Every dollar donated stays local and helps cover transportation to remote areas, provides gear for veterans who may not have the means, and funds group hunts, fishing trips, hiking adventures, and outreach to rural communities that too often feel forgotten.

But the organization is about more than outdoor recreation. The Fallen Outdoors is about rebuilding connection.

When service members transition out of the military, they lose more than a job or a routine. They lose structure, mission clarity, and the tightly knit community that defined their lives. For some, that loss becomes isolation. And the isolation can become something much darker.

Organizations like The Fallen Outdoors are pushing back against that darkness by restoring camaraderie and rebuilding tribe. They are creating space for veterans to breathe again in a state whose vast landscapes remind us how small our problems can feel when we’re standing on a mountain ridge or casting into open water.

And what struck me most that evening wasn’t just the mission, but it was the turnout. Alaskans showed up, opened their wallets and their hearts. They gave generously because they understand something fundamental about this state, we take care of our veterans.

Alaska has one of the highest per capita veteran populations in the country. Our neighbors, in Eagle River and in far flung villages have worn the uniform. Our family members have deployed. Our friends carry memories they rarely speak about. Supporting veterans here is personal. As a veteran, it’s deeply personal to me.

Stepping away from Juneau’s echo chamber and into a room filled with veterans and supporters was grounding and a reminder that beyond the political debates, there are Alaskans quietly doing the work that truly makes our communities safer and stronger.

The Fallen Outdoors Team Alaska is living that responsibility one adventure at a time.

And judging by the energy in that room, they are not alone. Alaska is there for our veterans. And that’s the Alaska I’m proud to represent.

Rep. Jamie Allard is the House representative for Eagle River District 23, and is a US Army veteran.