Suicide Prevention: Leaders must be aware, communicate

The Army's mandated suicide prevention stand down, which began Feb. 15, ends Sunday. The next step is chain teaching that must be completed by July 15.
Both the stand-down and the chain teaching are mandated events for commanders to offer suicide prevention training to everyone in the Army, due to a recent announcement that Soldier suicides are at a 30-year high.

According to Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, last fiscal year, 138 Soldiers committed suicide, with an additional five cases still pending confirmation. This calendar year, 14 Soldiers committed suicide, with another 28 cases still pending confirmation.

Experts in the Army's psychological and personnel fields said many of the Soldiers who committed suicide last year had sought treatment from mental-healthcare providers but still committed suicide, a little more than 5 percent of the suicide victims had been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, 17 percent had problems with substance abuse, and about 60 percent had relationship problems.

I see the rising tide of suicides as a call for the Army family, which includes Soldiers, our family members and civilian employees, to become more aware of its warning signs. Awareness is a key defensive measure in combating suicide.

Although NCOs are the backbone of the Army, to combat suicide, it takes all members of the Army body, especially its leaders. Leaders are one of the first lines of communication.

The proven test rules of successful NCO leadership are BE, KNOW, DO. It is still how we conduct business today. As leaders, we can use BE, KNOW, DO in combating suicide, as well.

BE - We must be positive role models for the young, newly-minted Soldier and serve as support for our fellow NCOs, the officers with whom we serve, our family members and civilian employees.

We set the example of what "right" looks like. This includes taking advantage of the services available when we need help, when the stress gets to you, so people you're surrounded by also know it's okay for them to do so.

KNOW - We must know our Soldiers, co-workers and families. We must foster relationships with them so we can provide constructive interventions to those who may be coping with a myriad of problems, whether they are legal, marital, occupational, financial or otherwise, and know the agencies and services available to
provide assistance.

Information about the Army's ACE program, which stresses, Ask your buddy, Care for your buddy and Escort your buddy, is available from the Web site, chppm-ww.apgea.army. mil/ dhpw. Another resource is armyg1.army.mil/hr/sui cide/commandertoolkit.asp.

DO - We must do the things that help our Soldiers, our friends and our families understand they are not alone and have options. We have to set the tone that fosters a sense of belonging, minimizes isolation and eradicates hostile work environments.

We have to seek training so we know potential suicide triggers and warning signs and then take immediate action when we suspect someone might be at risk for suicide. The sergeant major of the Army has a suicide prevention video I challenge all NCOs to view.

Remember, awareness is critical in combating suicide and we must take this training seriously to be able to recognize the signs of suicide and prevent more tragedies.

Let's band together in the fight and commit to help our Army family remain Army Strong!