Press release · November 6, 2026
This Veterans Day, Evan Shelline asks Michigan to make one call: a Buddy Check
Navy SEAL veteran Evan Shelline (Evan Mark Shelline), founder and president of VETTED, is asking metro Detroit to do one thing this Veterans Day: call a veteran you know and ask how he or she is doing. Five minutes.
The ask
The men and women who served in Korea and Vietnam are now among our nation’s oldest Veterans. Many live alone or in senior living communities, and many have never talked about their service, not even with their own families. Evan spends much of his week with them through The Veteran Muster, the veterans-only gathering he founded, and the call is where the conversation starts.
“Our Korean War and Vietnam Veterans are growing older, and every year there are fewer of them to call,” Evan says. “After the flags and the speeches, make one call. It may be the best conversation that veteran has all year.”
How to make a Buddy Check
- Pick one veteran. A parent, an uncle, a neighbor, somebody from church or from the VFW or American Legion post. Someone you have not spoken to in a while is a good choice.
- Call, don’t text. Hearing a voice is the point.
- Ask how they’re doing, then wait. Let the silence sit. You do not need to fix anything.
- Ask one question about their service if they seem open to it: where they were stationed, who they served with. Let them decide how far to go.
- End with a plan. A visit, a meal, another call next week.
If the veteran you call is in crisis, dial 988 and press 1 for the Veterans Crisis Line, free and open every day, or text 838255.
In Evan’s words
“I’m talking to him about things that he hasn’t talked to his family about. That peer-to-peer support is vital.”
Evan Shelline on Veterans Radio, October 2026.
“If you know that your husband, wife, brother, sister, son, daughter is in a place where you’re worried about them, it’s time to make a call and get somebody involved.”
Evan Shelline in his Studio 281 interview, 2025. Our thanks to Inbound 281.
Hear more from Evan on his podcast, The Veteran Muster with Evan Shelline, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and YouTube.
About Evan Shelline
Evan Shelline served about a decade in the U.S. Navy, including about six years with the SEAL Teams. He is the founder and president of VETTED, founded The Veteran Muster: All Present and Accounted For, chairs the Veteran Advisory Committee at Lily Hospice in Troy and is Senior Vice Commander of Sgt. Stanley F. Romanowski VFW Post 6896. His next public talk is to the Rochester Rotary Club on November 17, 2026.
The announcement
Press release, November 6, 2026: This Veterans Day, Navy SEAL Veteran Evan Shelline Asks Michigan to Make One Call: A Buddy Check (EIN Presswire).
Media contact: Evan Shelline, evan@vettedvc.com, 248-794-9292.
VETTED is a service-disabled veteran-owned small business in Troy, Michigan. VETTED provides in-home care for veterans in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. The Veteran Muster is an independent veteran fellowship initiative organized by VETTED Veteran Care. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.