BOZEMAN — Military challenge coins serve as an easy conversation starter. Some are records of time spent abroad, while others are a memento of a rank or award.

Now, a new set of challenge coins minted by the state of Montana — and designed by a Montana State University student — are intended to help prevent suicide among veterans.

Dubbed 988+1 Suicide Prevention Coins, these coins will be distributed to veterans across the state in an effort to reduce the suicide rate within this population. This piece is intended to be a conversation starter when a veteran meets with another service member in a time of need.

If a veteran is in distress, a comrade can show them the room, which includes the state’s suicide hotline number: 988. When dialing the number, callers can press 1 to connect with someone who knows the challenges veterans face. .

“We view these challenge coins as a reminder that you are not alone and that there is someone there for you,” said Todd Bucher, who served in the Marines and is director of veterans services from MSU. “There will always be someone who will stand by you no matter what you are going through.”

Montana has for years been among the states with the highest suicide rates among its veteran community, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The reasons for this are multiple, according to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, including environmental factors that increase the risk of depression, high rates of gun ownership, social isolation and a lack of services mental health and crisis services.

The pieces are a collaboration between the MSU veteran community and a graphic design class in the School of Art in the MSU College of Arts and Architecture, led by instructor Bruce Barnhart .

In spring 2023, students in Barnhart’s class met with veterans to discuss ideas for room designs related to issues they face. Barnhart students submitted several coin designs, and 10 of these ideas were minted in limited numbers. This year, DPHHS has selected a design, made by MSU alumnus Jo Brown, that will initially be minted in 100 coins.

Brown’s design features two clasped hands, which she said she included as a symbol of confidence and strength. Above the handshake is the phrase: “I will never leave a veteran.” The reverse of the coin features an American flag along with “988+1 Montana Veteran Lifeline.”

“It’s the symbol of one veteran lifting another out of the mud, metaphorically,” said Brown, who now works in California.

During his research, Brown said he discovered the Soldier mentality that puts the unit or mission before self, which sometimes leads Soldiers to lose the ability to ask for help.

“It was really important to me that the motif of the piece was the moment of help from which the piece is given from one person to another,” Brown said.

The newly minted coins will be distributed at various veterans events across the state. Veterans will each receive two coins – one to keep and one to give to another veteran if needed.

“If it makes a connection with just one person, it’s worth it to me,” Barnhart said.

At MSU, Counseling and Psychological Services offers a variety of suicide prevention programs on campus, including in-person and online education and counseling services, as well as medical services to Student Health Services.

According to CPS, suicide prevention often begins with identifying signs of distress, initiating a conversation, and directing a person to available resources, just as Exhibits 988+1 is designed to do .