Tina Burgess is a veteran first and foremost. After serving 22 years in the U.S. Air Force as an intelligence officer, she and her husband — who is also a veteran — were looking for a place to volunteer.

That’s how they found Veterans Memorial American Legion Post 347 in Lady Lake, Fla. Eventually both joined as Legionnaires, along with becoming Riders.

Joining Post 347, Burgess was hesitant to also join the Auxiliary unit, wanting to be seen as a veteran, not just as a spouse. 

“You feel invisible as a female veteran. That’s the best way I can describe it,” Burgess said.

After two years with her Legion post, the Auxiliary unit president approached Burgess about an open unit historian position. That began her involvement with the ALA.

“When I joined the Auxiliary — even though I was hesitant — I found that their embrace of me as a veteran was significant,” she said. “My opinion mattered when it came to veteran matters they were supporting.”

She enjoys the hands-on volunteering Unit 347 does. One program she is heavily involved in is Be the One, a veteran suicide prevention program.

Be the One stood out to Burgess for multiple reasons — one of which was American Legion Past National Commander Daniel Seehafer.

In March 2024, Burgess watched the livestream of Seehafer testifying before a joint meeting of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans’ Affairs about Be the One, which hit home with her. 

Another reason was her own journey as a veteran who experienced PTSD symptoms. In 2004, she was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq. She said she “came back thinking I was 100% whole and I wasn’t, but it took years to discover that.”

“[PTSD] impacts people differently and it manifests over time, and I wasn’t in the know even about my own symptoms,” Burgess said. “If it wasn’t for my husband, I wouldn’t have sought help. So to me, it’s personal.”

When she participated in Be the One activities, she would always wear a rubber Be the One bracelet as she helped veterans find mental health resources. 

One night, an idea struck her. She wanted to “class [the bracelet] up a little bit” for herself. So, she made a beaded red, white, and blue bracelet that had the words “Be the One” on it.

Burgess wore her new bracelet, not expecting much of a reaction. After a week or two, a fellow Auxiliary member noticed it and asked for one. 

From that first ALA member, Burgess made bracelets for her whole unit. Eventually, she would make some for unit members attending conferences to hand out. 

Her only requirement for someone to get a bracelet is they need to ask for one, and they must learn about Be the One.

When Burgess learned of The American Legion’s USA 250 Challenge, she decided to challenge herself to make 250 bracelets under the community service category to spread the message of Be the One.

Burgess described the bracelets as her niche.

“It’s become my way — as insignificant as it seems — just a simple bracelet that wraps around a wrist that’s a little bit more glamorous than a rubber bracelet,” she said.

So far, she’s gifted 213 of 250 bracelets. Some bracelets have been gifted as far as Alaska.

With her demand of bracelets increasing, Burgess and her husband are designing a bracelet for men so that male veterans and other Legion Family members are also included.