TAMPA, Fla. — Memorial Day honors those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

For one national nonprofit, it’s also about remembering the military heroes who lost their lives to suicide.

Stop Soldier Suicide its efforts to Tampa last year. There’s now an executive leadership team that had its second annual event, the Tampa Bay Brave fundraiser.

The organization works to prevent suicide among U.S. veterans and service members.

That’s because Florida has the nation’s second-highest number of veteran suicides, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Just days before Memorial Day at the Team House Tampa, every person who filled the room helped support Stop Soldier Suicide’s mission.

“I think that awareness is one of the biggest things that we can do. And sharing our stories and being vulnerable and open to just sharing those difficult experiences with others so that others may know that they’re not alone.” Stop Soldier Suicide staff member Jared Zamora said.

That’s why Zamora stepped up to the mic to share his message. Zamora served in the United States Army, and his brother, Josh, was a Marine.

Jared Zamora said his brother, Josh, died by suicide at the age of 30. (Photo Courtesy: Jared Zamora)

“He was three years older than me. He passed away when he was 30. He died by suicide. But he was my role model and my best friend. You know, just like as I think so many others, they grow up without a dad in the house, I was the middle child and so I always looked up to him as that first kind of male figure in my life,” Zamora added.

After his brother’s death, he connected with the nonprofit and now works on the operations side of the clinical team.

Zamora has also met others like Craig Ridenhour, chairperson of Tampa’s executive team.

Ridenhour’s brother also served in the Marines, inspiring Ridenhour’s motivation to give back.

“If you’re serving in the military, you’re at a much higher rate of risk of losing your life to suicide. For instance, 58% in general over a regular civilian. If you’re a woman who serves in the military, you’re at a 90% plus higher risk of losing your life to suicide,” Ridenhour said.

There are several programs ready to serve military members in their own personal battles.

Stop Soldier Suicide expanded its efforts in Tampa. The Tampa team held its second fundraising event right before Memorial Day. (Spectrum News/Justina Rhines)

One is the ROGER Wellness Service, which focuses on confidential and personalized virtual mental health counseling, crisis intervention and safety planning.

With permission from families, the Black Box Project can also collect phones or tablets.

“With the Black Box Project, they’re going in and they’re looking at the data. They’re saying, ‘Where on this timeline are there commonalities between all of these people who lost their lives to suicide?’ ‘Where can we identify in this lifecycle before they make that decision that we can start to reach out and impact them?’ I think that is critical,” Ridenhour explained.

Their fundraising events highlight their mission, just in time for Memorial Day.

“I think Memorial Day, it’s typically reserved for veterans and service members who have died in the line of combat, right? And I think that through my work here at Stop Soldier Suicide, I’ve been very fortunate to expand my understanding of that, to not just be those who have died in combat, but those who have passed away that have served our country,” Zamora said.

Honoring his brother’s memory is also meant to help others.

“I hope he (Josh) would be proud. I think that it’s an honorable mission, and just like how I’ve always looked up to my brother, he was my best friend and he supported me through so many difficult times in my life. It’s an honor to be able to do the same on the other side of his life,” said Zamora.

Suicide is a topic that can be dark, but one they say needs to come to light. That light can help guide others toward hope and healing.

The Tampa team is already planning next year’s fundraising event.

The goal is to expand their efforts across the state of Florida.