Bill Emmel is the CEO and Founder of Warriors Suicide Prevention Foundtion (WSP Foundation) founded in 2016 originally as 22 Warriors Foundation focused on taking action to combat suicide among veterans and first responders. WSP Foundation consists of 22 Warriors Foundation, American War Mothers - Nevada, Brain Health Warriors, and Vegas Veterans Hockey Foundation (VVHF). WSP Foundation partners with organizations such as Ponies North to help veterans and first responders to find connection and community which many times is lost once their service is complete.

Bill is a retired US Army soldier and 100% service connected disabled Veteran who served nearly 23 years in the Army. He served in the Infantry, Military Police and Special Operations. He has served several overseas combat tours from Operations Desert Shield/ Desert Storm to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Bill uses his personal experience with his multiple suicide attempts and the many suicides of his friends, family, soldiers and Lleaders to reach out to those in crisis to help them find that connection and community to get them back to living a better and happier life.

Leslie (Les) Kayanan joined the US Army after he failed his first try at college life after graduating from the High School in the Philippines where he and Jeff Pappas were classmates! After mastering KP and night guard during Basic Training, Les took on the challenge of West Point and was commissioned in the Infantry.

His tours of duty included the 193rd Infantry Brigade in Panama, C Co, 6/31st Infantry as an OPFOR Commander at the NTC, an OC in CMTC in Germany, and then a Bradley Battalion S-3 and Brigade S3 in the 3rd Inf Div (Rock of the Marne!) in Germany!

Even though he served a 20 year career in uniform, Les didn’t deploy to a war zone until he was a Department of the Army Civilian serving as a Social Scientist in two tours in Iraq, 2008-2011, with the 10th Mtn Div, 34th Inf Div. 1st CAV Div, and then HQ, Multi-National Forces-Iraq in Baghdad.