PORTER, Texas – While families across Houston gather for barbecues and ceremonies this Memorial Day, one local veteran is spending the day remembering — and rebuilding.
Jason Andrews, a Coast Guard and Army veteran, knows how close the fight can get when the battle is inside your own mind.
“I was literally falling into a deep depression, to the point where suicidal thoughts started going in my head,” Andrews said.
After a devastating combat injury left him with a reconstructed right foot and months of recovery, doctors told Jason he would likely never walk or run again.
“At that point, I believed them,” he said. “And when you believe that, you start to spiral.”
Jason almost became one of the nearly 18 veterans who die by suicide every day, according to the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report — a number advocates say is higher than combat deaths and represents one of the most urgent crises facing the veteran community.
Building Brotherhood Through Poker
Jason says what saved him wasn’t just doctors or formal therapy — it was connection. Friends who called. Veterans who showed up. And the realization that healing often begins with a conversation.
That’s when he came up with a simple but powerful idea: poker nights.
“These poker nights, we laugh, we talk, we watch sports,” Jason said. “But we all know — if I need help, I can call you. And I’ve gotten those late-night calls. One guy literally had a gun to his head, called me at one in the morning, and said, ‘Can you come over?’ And I told him, ‘I got you, man. I’m on my way.’”
Jason hosts the events once or twice a month at his house, inviting veterans from all branches — and creating a space where no one has to feel like they’re battling alone.
Veterans Helping Veterans
Air Force veteran Michael Gravowski, one of Jason’s closest friends, says the power of these gatherings comes from trust.
“We don’t judge,” Gravowski said. “We just want to help, tell them we love them, and be there. But veterans have to take that first step — reach out.”
Gravowski knows firsthand how deep the scars can go. He remembers watching a friend’s fighter jet crash into the ocean and the painful realization that recovery was impossible. Today, he and Jason share a mission: making sure the people they served with — and those they haven’t even met yet — know they’re not alone.
Honoring the Fallen, Protecting the Living
For Jason, Memorial Day isn’t just about the past — it’s about the people still here, carrying the weight of survival.
“You think about the guys we lost almost every day, not just on Memorial Day,” Jason said. “And for the ones still here, we have to make sure they don’t go through it alone.”
He says that whether it’s a hotline, a neighbor, or a poker buddy, the message is the same: reach out.
If You Need Help
The Veterans Crisis Line offers free, confidential support 24/7.
📞 Dial 988, then press 1
💬 Chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net
📱 Or text 838255
