Michael Trotter Jr. says he was homeless, despondent and “barely hanging on by a thread” when he came home after fighting in the Iraq war.

“As veterans, we think we can solve everything—the truth is we cannot,” he says in a new campaign from the Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs launched to coincide with Suicide Prevention Month.

The work, from agency GSD&M and writer-director Andre Muir, is part of the ongoing national effort called “Don’t Wait. Reach Out,” that encourages veterans to seek help for depression, PTSD and other mental health issues.

The two new ads feature veterans sharing their challenges—and in some cases, dire circumstances—and leaning on their loved ones to jumpstart the healing process.

“One of the bravest things he ever did wasn’t when he first enlisted,” a family member says in a spot called “The Bravest Thing.” “It was when he found his first support group.”

Trotter, one-half of the Grammy-nominated duo The War & Treaty, provides some star power to the campaign. The Army veteran appears in “Five More Minutes” with his wife and musical partner Tanya Trotter, who says in the ad, “Michael has actually taught me what it looks like to accept help.” The performers’ song, “Five More Minutes,” inspired by Trotter’s struggles, serves as the PSA’s soundtrack.

According to a recent study, 6,392 veterans lost their lives to suicide in 2021, an increase from the previous year, per the National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. The data “emphasizes the urgent need for continued efforts in suicide prevention,” per the campaign.