Look closer, try harder to prevent suicides in military

Look closer, try harder to prevent suicides in military
Posted: Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013
From an editorial in the Fayetteville Observer Jan. 17

Suicides in the American military reached a record 349 last year. That’s the only statistic you’ll be needing for the moment. There were increases across the armed services, which all but rules out chance and leaves us in need of answers.

These were our people, in some cases our community’s people. Did something happen to make military life or life in general more stressful or bleak for them?

Is there something that’s being consistently overlooked by those who work night and day to contain this problem?

You might not know it to watch a unit march in formation, but troops don’t come off an assembly line. Their circumstances, needs and tolerances are as varied as our own. Might it be possible, given all those differences and potential outcomes, that 349 is not such an unreasonable number? Not “acceptable.” Never that. But could this be a decent showing for those whose job is prevention against steep odds?

There are likely answers to all three questions.
Read more here

Who is responsible for military suicides now?

Who is responsible for military suicides now?
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
January 5, 2012



If no one is held accountable for military suicides what do you think will happen?

A year ago today this was the headline

Marine Corps suicides plunge
2010 drop is first in four years; but reported attempts continue to climb
Written by
Gretel C. Kovach
9:46 a.m., Jan. 5, 2011

The number of suicides among active-duty Marines dropped last year for the first time since 2006, plunging 29 percent below 2009's record high, according to preliminary figures released by the Marine Corps.

In 2010, 37 Marines committed suicide, compared to 52 in 2009. The latest numbers include nine suspected suicides yet to be confirmed by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner.

The number of attempted suicides, however, continued to climb, with 173 attempts in 2010 compared to 164 the previous year. That is the highest number since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq began.

Rigorous new reporting requirements for attempted suicides may be partly responsible for the higher numbers of documented attempts in recent years, said Lt. Cmdr. Andrew L. Martin, a clinical psychologist who took over in September as manager of the Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Program.

This was released before the December figures came out for 2012

Big news the earth is not round and too many suicides
Of that total, the Army accounted for 168, surpassing its high last year of 165
53 sailors took their own lives, one more than last year.
The Air Force and Marine Corps are only a few deaths from record numbers. Fifty-six airmen had committed suicide as of Nov. 11, short of the 60 in 2010.
There have been 46 suicides among Marines, whose worst year was 2009 with 52.

Yet this was the headline yesterday for the Army.

Majority of Army casualties in 2012 likely suicides
CBS NEWS
January 4, 2013

The number of active-duty Army service members who died by their own hands in 2012 potentially has surpassed the number killed in action, according to data from the Pentagon. And as the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan declined in 2012 from the previous year, the number of suspected suicides has risen.

Preliminary information released by the Army in December showed that, as of November, there have been 177 suspected active-duty suicides: 113 have been confirmed as suicides, while 64 remained under investigation. Among not-on-active-duty service members (Army National Guard and Army Reserve) there have been 126 suspected suicides: 97 have been confirmed as suicides and 29 were under investigation.

In contrast, the Department of Defense said 295 Americans were killed in Afghanistan in 2012, out of a total 394 ISAF forces killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

U.S. Army officials have been worried about the suicide rate despite the military's efforts to increase outreach and programs aimed at recognizing troubled service members.
read more here

I tried to leave a comment on CBS about how much they were missing in the report but it didn't go through. Imagine that! Anyway, my comment was about the fact that when they point out the "non-deployed" troops they never seem to mention the fact that when you take a kid out of high school, put them through training, that in itself is traumatic for some of them. They are not prepared for it but they can't just say, "I quit" and go back home as if they quit a job pumping gas. They train to use their weapons, facing the fact they are training to kill someone at the same time they are discovering bullets are the least of the things they need to be afraid of. The IED attacks killing many and wounding more is an initiation they didn't expect. Still that is not the only problem they face with training. They are trained to also be "resilient" so they can become mentally tough enough and prevent PTSD. That tells them they are weak minded and as for sharing their fears it is hell no! I've been saying this since 2008 and now there is proof I was right. Read this part.

Almost three-quarters of troops who commit suicide do not inform others they are thinking about harming themselves, according to the latest Department of Defense Suicide Event Report. In light of that, the military trains troops to be vigilant for signs of suicidal tendencies among comrades. North County Times

Yet congress has held no one accountable for any of this. The DOD admitted they did not spend all the money they received for PTSD and suicide prevention, then add in all the funding for research that was done and redone over the last 40 years topping off with the fact the suicide prevention hotline states they have rescued 30,000 and the cherry on top of that is we still have all these deaths all this time later.

Wonder what the headline will be next year?

17 Year old prank called suicide prevention hotline

Suicide hot line prank call highlights mental health services available to area families
By Kathryn Brenzel
The Express-Times
December 30, 2012

A call confessing suicidal thoughts sent swarms of law enforcement descending on a house where they expected to possibly find a slain teenage girl and her father, who’d confessed to shooting her.

What they found was a 17-year-old Mansfield Township boy who’d invented the plot as a prank, police say.

The teen, later charged with creating false public alarm, allegedly called a Warren County suicide prevention hot line and said he’d shot his daughter and was thinking of turning the gun on himself. Several agencies responded, ultimately wasting resources and incurring overtime costs, said Mansfield Township police Lt. Michael Reilly.

The threshold of anonymity on suicide hot lines is crossed when the caller threatens harm to others or themselves. At that point, law enforcement is contacted, Reilly said.

“It puts everyone at risk because we don’t know what we’re responding to,” he said of the prank. “Everybody’s short on resources. Any major event, we all help each other out.”

The alleged joke highlighted the severity of making false reports, but it also showed how a county network can react to crises involving children and their families.

Communication between crisis intervention, law enforcement and other mental health agencies is key to quickly and accurately responding to situations, said Warren County Prosecutor Richard Burke.
read more here

Big news, the earth is not round and too many military suicides

Big news, the earth is not round and too many military suicides
by Kathie Costos
Wounded Times Blog
December 29, 2012

When people thought the world was flat and ships would fall off, it didn't change the fact that the earth was far from flat. Just because people didn't want to believe the truth it did not make what they thought any more true. Now we know the earth is not round. "OBLATE SPHEROID is not as easy to remember as "round," but it is the truth."

Just as ridiculous is what has been floating on the web about military suicides outnumbering combat deaths.

Soldier suicides outnumber combat deaths
In 2012, suicide rates worsened and 212 troops died in combat in Afghanistan
Salon.com
BY NATASHA LENNARD
DEC 28, 2012


The number of soldier suicides this year has outnumbered combat deaths. Combat-related deaths in Afghanistan were down to 212 this year, compared to over 400 in 2011, but the number of soldiers taking their own lives continues to rise. According to stats cited by CBS from the Department of the Army, 303 active-duty, Reserve and National Guard soldiers committed suicide.

Here's some more facts. First this report is missing Marines, Air Force and Navy. This was the latest from the Army suicides at 303. There was another report from the Army with this piece of news.

For 2012, there have been 126 potential not on active-duty suicides (84 Army National Guard and 42 Army Reserve): 97 have been confirmed as suicides and 29 remain under investigation.

Bad enough for you yet? Add this in.

Of that total, the Army accounted for 168, surpassing its high last year of 165

53 sailors took their own lives, one more than last year.

The Air Force and Marine Corps are only a few deaths from record numbers. Fifty-six airmen had committed suicide as of Nov. 11, short of the 60 in 2010.

There have been 46 suicides among Marines, whose worst year was 2009 with 52.

Now let's talk about 18 veterans committing suicide each day. Getting the message yet? While you digest all that, remember, December numbers won't be released until next month. Then there are hundreds more of survivors after they attempted suicides and the over 30,000 saves the Suicide Prevention program claims they saved.

I'll keep posting reports like this and keep hoping that one day some reporter realizes that just because they hear something today, doesn't mean it wasn't happening yesterday.

Sadness in success of Veterans suicide prevention hotline

First read this.

Suicide Hotline Fights To Keep Vets And Troops Alive
by QUIL LAWRENCE
December 28, 2012
At a suicide prevention center in upstate New York, America's troops and veterans are calling in for help.

And that help is needed more than ever. This past year witnessed a terrible death toll from suicide. For the first time in a decade of war, more active-duty troops have taken their own lives this year than have died fighting in Afghanistan.

According to The Military Suicide Report, a blog that follows news on military suicides, 321 active-duty troops killed themselves this year. The U.S. death toll in Afghanistan this year currently stands at 309.

The suicide hotline is just one way to help them. read more here

Now read this.

Mullane says the Veterans Crisis Line has done 30,000 successful interventions across the country since 2007. But they can't save everyone. Sometimes veterans call only to say goodbye or to let the authorities know where to find their bodies, so their family won't have to.

Those are the parts we need to pay attention to. For all the "charities" out there claiming to be taking care of these veterans, all the "mental health professionals" claiming they are helping them, all the money the congress has spent and the DOD spent along with the VA on "programs" that claim to be working, the suicide prevention hotline still had to save 30,000 veterans and they are still committing suicide along with active duty servicemen and women. That has to be the saddest part of all.

Have reporters lost their ability to ask questions? Why isn't anyone being held accountable for any of this?

Yesterday I received an email from a Mom telling me about her son. God must have been watching over him. He's an Iraq veteran and left a suicide note. I cannot go into details but by the time we talked on the phone everything worked the way it was supposed to and he is getting the help he has needed all along. It could have ended much differently and today his Mom could have been planing a funeral instead of how to travel to see her son in the hospital.

I don't know about you but I've been complaining about all of this so long that even a story trying to focus on positive things being done, I read between the lines in total disbelief.

Sen. John Kerry's effort to prevent military suicides hailed by Lucey family

I wish I could have hope about this, but after all this time of reading suicide prevention bills and seeing such appalling results this one misses too much to have hope again.

Sen. John Kerry's effort to prevent military suicides hailed by Lucey family of Belchertown
By Fred Contrada
The Republican
December 12, 2012

NORTHAMPTON – It most likely would not have helped Army Capt. Roselle M. Hoffmaster or Marine veteran Jeffrey Lucey, but an effort by U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry and 33 other members of Congress to stem suicide in the military is being hailed as a step in the right direction.

Kerry and U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., co-authored a letter to the leadership of the Senate and House Armed Services Committee this week requesting an amendment to the National Defense Authorization bill allowing military commanders and mental health professionals to counsel members of the military about their personal firearms.

According to the letter, the bill, which specifically authorizes the acquisition and possession of private firearms by soldiers, has created confusion about whether commanders and counselors can have private conversations with service members who have guns and seem to be a threat to themselves or others.

The letter cites a dramatic increase in the suicide rate in the military, which rose by 18 percent from 2010 to 2011. According to the missive, a member of the military committed suicide nearly every day in 2012, a fatality rate that surpassed the number of troops lost in battle. Nearly three quarters of the military suicides between 2008 and 2010 were committed with a personal weapon, Kerry wrote.
read more here

The means is not as important as the reason they commit suicide. Jeff Lucey hung himself. Others have used guns, but guns wouldn't be a problem if they didn't have a reason to use them. When will they ever address the failures that have produced such heartbreak?

Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act

Sgt. Coleman Bean Suicide Prevention Act

Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Act of 2011

Senator Baucus sponsored another military suicide prevention bill

Senate Approves Amendment Forcing New Unified DoD Suicide Prevention Program
House Vote Pending
Posted on December 6, 2012
by The Military Suicide Report

Senate Passes Murray Measure to Reform Defense Suicide Prevention Programs
by Adam Ashton
The News Tribune, Dec. 5, 2012

The Senate this week passed an amendment that would reshape the Defense Department’s behavioral health and suicide prevention programs, compelling each service to adopt common practices.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., submitted the provision to the $631 billion defense authorization bill. Her amendment mirrors a bill she submitted in June.

“This is a major step forward in Congress really focusing on the issue of mental health of our service members, and it has not been done before,” Murray, the chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, said today.

Her proposal seeks to standardize the Defense Department’s varied suicide prevention programs. Each branch of the armed forces takes its own approach, according to a 2011 RAND Corp. study.

The Army, Navy and Marines lack formal policies to restrict troubled service members from obtaining lethal means, and none of the armed services offer guidelines describing the benefits of reaching out for help, according to the RAND study.

Murray’s amendment also takes steps to streamline the sharing of records between the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs; it encourages both the Pentagon and the VA to hire combat veterans as peer counselors for service members in behavioral health programs; and it expands access to behavioral health programs for the families of service members.

“It really is prevention,” she said. “It helps us by reaching out to the family members who are on the front lines, and the peer-to-peer counseling, which we know is a really important part, but is not part of the services today,” she said.

Lt. General Donald M. Campbell Jr. leaving Fort Hood

Fort Hood’s top general relinquishes command
ABC News
Posted: Nov 28, 2012
By: Chris Cheng

FORT HOOD – Fort Hood and III Corps bid farewell to their commanding general, Wednesday, during a relinquishing of command ceremony on post.

Lt. General Donald M. Campbell Jr. handed over the position to Brigadier General James Richardson.

In his 19 months as leader of III Corps and Fort Hood, Campbell has championed suicide prevention and guided Fort Hood to the 2011 Army Community of Excellence Bronze Award and the 2012 Silver Award.

Richardson is currently serving as III Corps deputy commander and will assume responsibility of III Corps and Fort Hood until Campbell's replacement arrives.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama nominated Fort Drum Commanding General, Major General Mark Milley, to lead Fort Hood.
read more here

It's a Wonderful Life being used for Fort Belvoir Suicide Prevention?

And they thought this was a good idea? Are they out of their minds?

Classic film provides unique suicide awareness trainin
By: By Brittany Carlson
Special to the Belvoir Eagle
Published: November 08, 2012

Fort Belvoir Soldiers and civilians learned about being resilient last week, with a little help from James Stewart.

Fort Belvoir’s Headquarters Battalion hosted a viewing of the classic holiday film "It’s a Wonderful Life" for Soldiers and garrison employees Friday at Wood Theater, as the battalion’s monthly Suicide Awareness and Resiliency training event for November.

"Resiliency, for those who don’t know, is basically the ability to bounce back from some kind of a difficult situation," said Lt. Col. Brian Zarchin, Headquarters Bn. commander, as he introduced the film. "The whole movie’s about bouncing back from what seems like an impossible problem, and that’s what resiliency is all about. George Bailey – the main character in the movie – has to bounce back from a pretty difficult, or what he sees as an impossible, situation, and he’s got a lot more going for him than he realizes."

In the movie, George Bailey (James Stewart) gives up his dreams to help others, but circumstances cause him to lose hope and consider suicide. Then his "guardian angel" appears and gives him a gift: a glimpse of what the world would be like had he never been born, revealing all of the lives George has touched and giving him a new lease on life.

The film showing was the battalion’s way to boost morale in the unit, and continue to address the issue of suicide.
read more here

Contrary to what was claimed in this article, Resiliency Training has not worked in all these years and won't especially if they keep pulling stunts like this.

Maj. Gen. Rice: 'We're all in this together'

Maj. Gen. Rice: 'We're all in this together'
November 8, 2012
NECN
Michel Cronin
Recognizing the needs of our servicemen and women, the University of Massachusetts medical school, the Massachusetts National Guard and the Mass. Department of Veterans Services are joining forces to help in suicide prevention among National Guard members.

It’s a new partnership aimed at protecting military personnel when they return home from combat.

“All of us. Our whole community is involved in this. We're all in this together,” says Maj. Gen. Scott Rice.

UMass medical school will be training Massachusetts National Guard members in suicide prevention.

Massachusetts secretary of veterans' services Coleman Nee says it's a big step because military suicides rates are on the rise.

“Well essentially it's because we've deployed people back and forth to combat, multiple combat zone for over 11 years now and that takes a stress that takes a toll.”

Nee says, when soldiers return, they can feel isolated because they don't have people who can relate to their experiences.
for more and video go here

Idaho example of mental health crisis and suicides

Suicide hotline returns to Idaho after 5-year absence
By The Associated Press
November 05, 2012

BOISE -- Five years ago, Idaho became the only state without a certified, statewide suicide prevention hotline.

Residents in crisis still had a number to call, but the voice on the other end was 400 miles away in Portland. That meant it wasn't someone familiar with the isolation that comes with living in a rural region where mental health services are few and far-flung, said Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline Director John Reusser.

Over the next few years, the economy worsened. Soldiers, troubled by the stresses of war, came home. And Idaho's suicide rate -- consistently among the highest in the nation -- climbed.

"We consistently hover between fourth and sixth in the country for rates of completed suicides," said John Reusser, director of the new, soon-to-open Idaho Suicide Prevention Hotline. "I know the national hotline was better than nothing, in terms of a resource for people to call, but I don't think it's as effective as a hotline that's dedicated to the state of Idaho."

The last statewide hotline closed in the spring of 2007 as funding dropped. At the time, Idaho's suicide rate was nearly 15 completed suicides per 100,000 people, compared to the national average of 11 per 100,000 people, according to the Suicide Prevention Action Network of Idaho. By 2009, the number of Idaho suicides had climbed to nearly 20 per 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 12.

"When the last hotline shut down, there really wasn't the sort of broad-based support and momentum to have one here. We're kind of a frontier state, and we have a big ethic of self-reliance here, encouraging people to rely on their community supports," he said. "Idaho is 49th in the nation for mental health funding. And ironically, a hotline is one of those things that allows people to get more help for themselves."
read more here

Military suicide prevention class included time of prayer

As a Chaplain, I'm all for including spiritual healing when helping veterans with PTSD. Why? Because when it is done right, it works. After 30 years, I've been pretty successful, including in my own marriage that has lasted 28 years. It helps them heal and it helps their families. I've been able to talk veterans "off the ledge" because of sharing my faith with Christian veterans but have to adapt what I say to "non-believers" along with people of other faiths. If I am talking to an atheist, I ask if I can pray for them and say a silent prayer for their healing and comfort. My job is to help them and I can't do that if what I say shuts off their ears or makes them want to leave the room. If they cannot trust that I do no have another motive other than helping them, then they will not believe anything I say.

This story greatly saddens me. The young soldiers felt they had to stay there and listen to a Chaplain's Christian prayer at a time when they were supposed to be hearing about staying alive. Whatever else was said would have forgotten because they would have felt as violated as this 17 year career veteran.

Army Chaplain Holds Christian Prayer During Suicide Prevention Class, Soldiers Say
Huffington Post
Posted: 10/02/2012
Andrea Stone

During an Army-wide stand down for suicide prevention sessions, a Christian chaplain in Texas improperly led rookie soldiers in a candlelight prayer, an Army instructor said in a formal complaint last week.

Staff Sgt. Victoria Gettman, a lab technician instructor at Fort Sam Houston, told The Huffington Post that she was among 800 soldiers from the 264th Medical Battalion undergoing resilience training on Sept. 26. Almost all of the soldiers were fresh out of boot camp and in training for their first job in the Army.

After a 45-minute talk on how to cope with stress, the officer in charge turned the stage over to a chaplain for the sometimes controversial "spiritual fitness" part of the session.

Gettman did not catch the chaplain's name, and he has not been otherwise publicly identified. But as an atheist, she wasn't interested in what he had to say so she stood up and moved to the back of the auditorium. 

The 17-year Army veteran knew -- unlike the young soldiers -- that this part of the program was optional. Still, she could hear most of what the clergyman said from just outside the room.

"The chaplain said we have to have something bigger than ourselves. We need, and he stresses need, to have something divine in our life," she recounted, adding that the soldiers were not informed they were allowed to step out.

Gettman said the chaplain ordered the lights turned off and battery-operated candles passed around as the soldiers were told to bow their heads. "The entire theater was forced into a mass Christian prayer," she said. "I heard him refer to his 'Heavenly Father' and 'Lord.'"
read more here

Suicide Prevention Fund has a surplus?

Suicide Prevention Fund has a surplus?

Sometimes I am at the point where when I read something like this first thing in the morning, I want to shut down the computer and watch the cartoon network to put me in a better mood.

I know I can't do that because of reports like this.

Military has Suicide Prevention Fund Surplus
Shaun Knittel
Online News Editor
20 September 2012


Congressman Jim McDermott (WA-7) and Congressman Leonard Boswell (IA-3) urged leaders of the U.S. House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee this week, to work with them in getting the Pentagon to use all of its unspent suicide prevention funds to reach more service members as soon as possible, and to go even further with higher funding next year.

In July, the McDermott-Boswell amendment that would increase critical funding for suicide prevention for active duty military by $10 million passed with strong support in the House Defense Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2013.

“The Pentagon hasn’t spent the money that it has for suicide prevention for this year – and that money wasn’t nearly enough money to reach all the soldiers who need help. Now we are hearing about bureaucratic technicalities at the Pentagon that are preventing them from acting. This is unconscionable,” said Congressman McDermott. “The Pentagon is funded to help soldiers and needs to do much more on the epidemic of suicides. As we commemorate National Suicide Prevention Week, we are calling on the Pentagon to move much faster.”

Congressman Boswell added, “We lose a soldier to suicide every day, a record pace that is driving the number of military suicides to all-time highs. As I said on the House floor in July, this is a national epidemic that requires immediate Congressional action to provide the necessary resources to prevent these tragedies from happening. With this year’s defense appropriations legislation at a standstill, and only days remaining in the legislative calendar, we urge leaders to act on freeing up the existing funds for soldier suicide prevention and outreach.”
read more here

This is the comment I left.

Wounded Times · Editor, Publisher and Videographer at Wounded Times Blog

If they really want to do something, the first thing they need to do is stop funding programs that have not worked. I track all of this across the country and can tell you, in 5 years, it has been one failure after another. The troops are not hearing what they need to know to fight PTSD and the families don't know what they can to to help them heal. Outreach is great but if the person doing it is not trained to do it, then it is worse than useless. I'm more upset about what has been done than money left over.

If they really wanted to prevent most of the suicides then they need to repeat what has worked and end what has not.

Resiliency Training is the biggest culprit of all. When you tell a young soldier/Marine/Airman/Sailor, they can train their brains to be mentally tough, that translates into telling them they are mentally weak and PTSD is their fault for not training right. Don't believe me? Ask them. I've held enough Marines in my arms as they cry and apologize for not training right. There are some parts of this program that are good but by the time they do get to hear what they should, they have turned of their ears.

They need to know exactly what PTSD is, understand why they ended up being attacked by it, be able to talk to their peers as soon as they need to, have medical care that includes a hell of a lot more than just medication, have support of leaders and above all, be able to return to family members with as much knowledge as they need to help them heal.

Their minds need help just as much as their bodies but the key is spiritual healing or nothing else will work as well as it should.

The poll up on the sidebar of this blog asks if Congress should be held accountable or not. So far, most feel they should be. It will be up until Veterans Day for that reason alone! Army focus on military suicides or more of the same

PFC Joseph Dwyer Peer to Peer Program

New Program To Help Veterans With PTSD
WWNY news
Story Published: Sep 19, 2012
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is often called an invisible wound of war.

All too often it goes untreated.

"PTSD is a part of our community and a lot soldiers end up getting out of the military and staying in our community," said Tim Ruetten, mental health services coordinator for the Jefferson County Office of Community Services.

Thanks to a new program the Jefferson County Office of Community Services is working to launch this fall, veterans in the north country will be getting a new tool to help in healing.

"Other veterans who have experienced those symptoms themselves and resolved them would be there to help other newly discharged veterans or veterans who are experiencing those symptoms too, you know, get through that process," said Roger Ambrose, director of the Jefferson County Office of Community Services.

It's called the PFC Joseph Dwyer Peer to Peer Program.

It's named for a combat medic who struggled for years with the symptoms of PTSD before dying from a drug overdose in 2008.
read more here

PTSD PROGRAM FOR JEFFERSON COUNTY VETS TO LAUNCH IN NOVEMBER
Posted by Patty Ritchie
Tuesday, September 11th, 2012
RELATED ISSUES: Health, Mental Health, Military, Military Affairs, Troops, Veterans

Senator Ritchie Secures Funds for Program Named to Honor “9-11 Vet”

A peer-support program for returning veterans suffering with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), made possible through a grant secured by State Senator Patty Ritchie, is coming to Jefferson County this November.

The PFC Joseph Dwyer Peer Support Program for Veterans is named for an Army soldier from New York who enlisted following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and who took his own life after returning home from Iraq.

Dwyer, an Army medic with the 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, was famously featured in a widely seen photo carrying a 4-year-old Iraqi boy to safety during a raging battle in the early months of the war. While in Iraq, his unit was engaged in nearly daily gun battles for three weeks.

“9-11 reminds us all of the sacrifices that our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines make every day to protect our freedom,” said Senator Ritchie. “That’s why it’s especially important that we make sure that, when they come home, they receive the care they need to cope with the transition.”

The peer support program gives veterans a chance to interact with others who may be experiencing the same emotions and challenges caused by stress from combat and wartime service.

“Soldiers with PTSD are casualties of war, and this program gives suffering veterans someone to lean on, who may have been through the same hardships,” Senator Ritchie said.

Recent studies have shown that between 6 percent and 12.5 percent of returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from PTSD, and 62 percent have received some level of mental health care after coming home.

Persons suffering from PTSD are six times more likely to commit suicide.

Senator Ritchie, whose district includes the largest US military post east of the Mississippi River; Senator Lee Zeldin, a combat veteran and captain in the US Army Reserves, and Senator Roy McDonald, a Vietnam War veteran, jointly secured funding in this year’s state budget for the program.

Programs in four counties—Jefferson, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Suffolk—are each eligible to receive up to $200,000 in state budget funds.

Locally, the program will be administered by the Jefferson County Community Services, which is seeking proposals from providers who wish to operate the program.

Interested agencies can obtain more information or an application by emailing Roger Ambrose, director of Jefferson County Community Services at rogera@co.jefferson.ny.us. Applications must be submitted by October 15th, as the program is expected to be in operation by November 15th.

Here is his story

Spc. Joseph Patrick Dwyer dies after PTSD struggle

Army focus on military suicides or more of the same

Army Focuses on Reducing Suicides
TIME Battleland
By MARK THOMPSON
September 7, 2012

We’ve just begun the Army’s Suicide Prevention Month – next week marks National Suicide Prevention Week – and the service is cranking up its suicide-prevention efforts:

The Army will expand its observance with events occurring during the entire month of September, focusing efforts on total Army family well-being, resilience, stigma reduction, and positive results achieved by getting involved and reaching out for help. …the service says.

Last month, the Army announced that there were 38 suspected suicides in its ranks, an all-time record, and roughly 50% higher than recent months’ toll.

Next Monday, September 10, Army Secretary John McHugh will join with the nation’s leading suicide fighters to release the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. Nothing suicide-related is slated for the next day – 9/11 – but the Army will hold a health fair in the Pentagon courtyard dedicated to reducing suicides September 12 and 13.

Then there’s the Pentagon’s suicide prevention webpage. If that’s not sufficient, the Army has set up its own.
read more here


This is from October 2008

Army creates suicide prevention board
Story Highlights
Army will examine mental health of recruiters
Recruiters under pressure from job and victims of post-combat deployment
Texas sees four suicides in three years
From Mike Mount
CNN Pentagon Producer


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Army is establishing a suicide prevention board to examine the mental health of its recruiters around the country after the fourth suicide in three years by Houston, Texas-based recruiters, according to Army officials.

The board will look at how to handle the high-stress climate facing recruiters who may be both under pressure from their job and victims of post-combat deployment stress, according to Douglas Smith, a spokesman from the U.S. Army Recruiting command.

"The United States Army Recruiting Command is deeply concerned by the instances of suicide within the Houston Recruiting Battalion," said a statement released by the Recruiting Command. "The board's objective will be to prevent future suicides, increase suicide awareness, analyze trends and highlight additional tools and resources to combat suicide within the Recruiting Command."
read more here

and in the same month there was this

October 30, 2008

Suicide in the military is an "emerging mental health crisis."
Army suicide: Preventable deaths
Florida Times-Union - Jacksonville,FL,USA
Army suicide: Preventable deaths

By The Times-Union
Suicide in the military is an "emerging mental health crisis."
The numbers bear that out, as reported by The Associated Press.

Thousands deployed: Over 1.6 million troops have been deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Persian Gulf since Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 550,000 of these troops have been deployed more than once.

Mental issues: About 300,000 who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan have anxiety or post-traumatic stress, reported a Rand study released in April.

The Army surgeon general reports a 46 percent increase last year in cases of post-traumatic stress disorder.
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If they are not prepared to do things differently now, expect the same deplorable results.

President Obama looks at Fort Bliss suicide prevention program

Presidential Visit: Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III introduces President Obama Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III introduces President Obama and called him "a great leader" before he walked in to loud screams.

President Obama at Fort Bliss

Soldiers react to President Obama's speech
By Genevieve Curtis

FORT BLISS, Texas — President Barack Obama's trip to Fort Bliss was brief, but he had a big message for troops.

Soldiers told KFOX14 what they really thought about the speech.

Soldiers said the atmosphere on post was electrifying, but beyond all the excitement that comes with a presidential visit, soldiers said they really took the message from the commander in chief to heart.

Soldiers and military families said they were happy to hear Obama promise he's making the mental health of soldiers and veterans a priority.
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It is not the first time Obama has visited an installation to check out a military suicide prevention program. He did it in 2008 while he was still a Senator. He went to the Montana National Guards to see what they were doing.

Spc. Chris Dana's story told to Obama by step brother

Congress has failed because they only held hearings listening to what the failure has been and not listening to anything that has worked or even bothering to hold anyone accountable for the failures. They heard heartbreaking stories from families after they had to arrange a funeral but didn't bother to listen to families when they discovered what helped them live. Would have been nice to be able to provide families with that information before it was too late.

So now, President Obama traveled to Fort Bliss to see what they are doing since they have the lowest suicide rate. Would be nice to see the data on that, how many deployments they have had, how many attempted suicides, how many deaths are still under investigation along with how many veterans of Fort Bliss committed suicide after they were discharged and how many attempted it. There are so many questions that need to be answered but I doubt we'll ever have all the answers.

Obama to sign executive order before visit to Fort Bliss
By Ruben Veloz
El Paso Times

EL PASO, Texas — Experts say the president will use today's visit to Fort Bliss to remind the public that he kept his promise to end the war in Iraq.

It was two years ago to the day that President Barack Obama announced his drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq at Fort Bliss.

According to our media partners at the El Paso times, Obama is expected to sign an executive order to boost mental health services for troops and veterans.

The president will be meeting with military leaders, troops and their families.

He's expected to discuss the suicide rate of soldiers, an issue Fort Bliss Commanding Gen. Dana Pittard tells KFOX14 Fort Bliss has done well to prevent.

"We have the lowest number of suicides of any major insulation in the Army, so we're really doing some neat things here, and he and his team are coming to find out about that," said Pittard.

So far this year, two Fort Bliss soldiers have committed suicide, but Gen. Pittard adds that's a small number compared to other posts of the same size where they have three to four times as many. Gen. Pittard says nearly a quarter of his troops go through a suicide intervention class called ASSIST.
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Army approves suicide-intervention training for leaders
December 3, 2009
By Army Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Dec. 3, 2009) -- Suicide-intervention training is now available for Army leaders and other key personnel who are on the front lines of suicide prevention across the service.

The Army has approved two-day and five-day workshops on Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, known as ASIST. The workshops are produced by Living Works Education, Inc., at locations across the country.

The five-day ASIST workshop is a "train the trainers" course that will certify key Army personnel, who upon completion will be qualified to conduct the two-day ASIST course throughout the Army.

"We would never deploy Soldiers without first training them to accomplish their anticipated mission -- why should suicide prevention be any different'" asked Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, director of the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force.

"When you go to the emergency room with a physical injury, you're right to expect the nurses and doctors are well-trained and can get you the care you need," McGuire said. "The same should be true if you're thinking of harming yourself and you choose to go to your leadership or other Army professionals seeking help."
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Suicide Prevention

Fort Bliss unit to deploy to Afghanistan this winter
By Daniel Borunda and Chris Roberts
El Paso Times
Posted: 08/25/2012


Four thousand soldiers from Fort Bliss will be deployed to Afghanistan this winter, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Friday.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, is one of three units in the announcement.

The others are the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, with about 2,800 soldiers based at Fort Campbell, Ky., and the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, with about 2,870 soldiers based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

Military authorities said the deployment will be as part of a troop rotation in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Last month, more than 900 soldiers returned to Fort Bliss after a 10-month tour of duty in Afghan istan that was among the deadliest deployments for Fort Bliss due to the loss of at least 18 soldiers.
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This is the General that posted about suicide being a "selfish" act and then retracted it. He was tired of going to funerals after a soldier committed suicide.

Major General Dana Pittard blames soldiers for suicides?

Sean Duvall may be getting the help he asked for all along

Hearing scheduled for suicidal veteran charged with federal weapons violations
By Laurence Hammack | The Roanoke Times

Sean Duvall may be getting the help he asked for all along.

Last summer, when the Navy veteran was depressed and on the verge of suicide, he called a toll-free help line — only to be charged later with possessing a homemade gun he was carrying at the time.

After his attorney made an impassioned argument that the charges violate the trust Duvall placed in the confidential help line for veterans, prosecutors appear to be reconsidering the case.

A motion filed today in U.S. District Court in Roanoke asks that the case against Duvall be continued for six months. His trial had been set for March 19.
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Another veteran arrested after calling for help

Minn. head says Guard singled out over suicides

Minn. head says Guard singled out over suicides

Dec 19, 2011 6:00pm

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota National Guard has attracted "unsubstantiated notoriety" for the number of military suicides, the state adjutant general told a joint legislative hearing Monday while urging funding for suicide prevention programs.

Maj. Gen. Rick Nash told lawmakers that suicide is increasing among the entire population, not just the military, Minnesota Public Radio News reported. He noted that since 2007, 24 members of the Minnesota National guard have died by suicide, though two-thirds of them had never deployed.

"That's an important detail because it's a common assumption that suicides are the result of post-traumatic stress disorder. This is not true," Nash said.

The two dozen suicides are more than any other state, but Nash said only two of the deaths occurred among active duty soldiers.

"On the two days per month that the part-time force assembles, I can say with certainty, a soldier or airman at risk of suicide is actively engaged by his or her battle buddy or wingman. Our team is trained and ready to link that service member with the resources he or she needs," Nash said.

So far in 2011, 34 National Guard soldiers have taken advantage of a program to intervene with soldiers who may be at risk of suicide, Nash said. He was briefly overcome when he spoke of one soldier who came forward "after spending the previous evening with a shotgun on his lap."

Nash said suicide is a statewide problem, and he urged lawmakers to fund suicide prevention efforts. But he also said the Minnesota Legislature should be looking at ways to eliminate some of the contributing factors. He noted high unemployment among veterans, and noted that 18 percent of the women in the Minnesota National Guard are unemployed.
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Minn. lawmakers to address military suicides
Dec 18, 2011

Written by
Jay Olstad

MINNEAPOLIS - The war in Iraq may have officially ended, but for so many veterans coming home, the battle within is just beginning.

"It just makes sick to my stomach and anxious," said Greg Roberts, an Iraq War veteran.

Talking about his time in Iraq is difficult for Roberts. The 34-year old, who also served in Bosnia, was in Iraq for more than a year with the National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 136th Infantry.

He and his fellow soldiers were responsible for driving through uncharted roadways, clearing any roadside bombs for other military units.

"(We're) driving, hoping you're not going to have something come through your door and take your legs off," he said.

The constant danger took its toll. He admits to drinking too much and suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when he arrived home, something many combat veterans go through.

"And all of sudden I'm realizing I'm a very angry person. And I don't know why. I'm completely different, everyone else is the same, but I'm completely different," he said.

With the help of his wife and family, he's been able to move forward. But not everyone in his unit was so lucky.
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Master Sergeant Kevin Carter shares his story of surviving suicide

Written on SEPTEMBER 14, 2011 AT 8:00 AM by JTOZER
Suicide Survival

Master Sergeant Kevin Carter shares his story of surviving suicide. A couple of years ago, he was dealing with personal issues. Over time, the issues built up and he didn’t seek help. On September 14th, 2005, MSgt Carter cut himself to attempt to end his life. He talks about how he overcame his situation and asks other service members to speak out and get help. “There is no shame or dishonor in asking for help,” he said.

Watch his story here:

Parents seek answers for son's concussion, suicide

Posting this and wondering if some of the military suicides should be tied to traumatic brain injury or if they are even looking at this?

Parents seek answers for son's concussion, suicide
By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer
NOKESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Austin Trenum's bed remains half-made, the way a typical teenager would leave it. On a shelf is his scarred black helmet, the one he was wearing when he tackled the quarterback near the sidelines during Brentsville High's game against Handley some 11 months ago. Austin's mouthpiece remains tucked neatly in the face mask, ready to be taken out for the next play.
For Austin, there was no next play.
Downstairs in the Trenum home, in the living room to the left of the television, is a memorial in photographs to the 17-year-old college-bound senior who wore No. 43 in football, No. 14 in lacrosse, all sorts of crazy hats when he felt like it, a "fro-hawk" of curly hair, and a pair of women's sunglasses on a lark one day while riding back from the beach.
Austin's final play left him with a concussion. Two days later, with the rest of the family downstairs in the house, he went up to his room and hanged himself.
To the grieving parents, there is no doubt that one caused the other. Shortly after his death, Gil and Michelle Trenum made the difficult decision to donate Austin's brain for research. Seated around their dining table, they told their son's story, hoping his death can leave a legacy for others of lessons learned — that concussions still aren't taken as seriously as they should be; that athletes, parents, coaches, trainers and even emergency room workers are often ill-informed as to how to treat them; that more of a culture change is needed in a sport in which blows to the head are considered badges of honor.
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VA crisis hotline takes record number of calls, no one asks why?

Will anyone else ever ask why so many reach the point they have to call in the first place? With all the programs and money invested in helping them when they come home, the numbers go up instead of down. What is going on here? More calls to the suicide prevention hotline and more deaths. Any reporters bothering to check into why this is all happening?

VA crisis hotline takes record number of calls
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 25, 2011 12:01:23 EDT
The Veterans Affairs Department’s Veterans Crisis Line received 14,000 calls in April, the highest monthly volume ever recorded for the four-year-old suicide prevention program.

“Every day last month, more than 400 calls were received,” said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairwoman who disclosed the call volume during a Wednesday hearing. “While it is heartening to know that these calls for help are being answered, it is a sad sign of desperation and difficulties our veterans face that there are so many in need of a lifeline.”

The hotline, established in 2007, is a suicide prevention and crisis counseling program available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The number is 800-273-8255.

Antonette Zeiss, VA’s chief mental health officer, said that since the 2007 launch, the call center has received more than 400,000 calls, referred 55,000 veterans to local suicide prevention coordinators for same-day or next-day help and initiated 15,000 “rescues” of callers near suicide.
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VA crisis hotline takes record number of calls