FORT SILL, Okla. -- With the demands of today's Army, many Soldiers find themselves facing myriad personal issues as a result of psychological distress.
These issues plague their physical, mental and emotional states, and many do not find the time to properly evaluate their own comprehensive fitness and get the help they need to recover.
On Jan. 15, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Soldiers focused on their own resiliency and comprehensive fitness. The battalion conducted a suicide and resiliency stand-up day, in which the entire unit attended a two-part training event at the Fort Sill Conference Center and unit classrooms.
The timing of the training certainly was not a coincidence.
"Four-day weekends give any Soldier, especially single Soldiers, time to reflect on things going on in their lives," said Capt. Chris Barber, who helped orchestrate the training event. "A single Soldier lives by himself, and thoughts start going through his head. A message like this before a long weekend is important; it's good to have someone to keep you in check."
The morning portion consisted of suicide awareness training at the conference center. The unit invited Dr. Thom Balmer, a full-time faculty member at Cameron University who has taught professional counseling and psychology courses, and who has extensive experience working with families and military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Balmer, a Vietnam veteran who served with the 82nd Airborne Division, spoke openly about his experiences during a tumultuous period in America's history. It took years for him to be able to calmly speak about some of the situations he encountered in the Army. But, he was proof that it is possible for psychologically wounded Soldiers to heal and recover.
He advised his audience to seek help if they have difficulty sleeping or making it through their daily tasks, and he stressed the importance of finding a resiliency buddy with whom to discuss thoughts and share feelings.
The afternoon training session took place at the unit headquarters, where each battery and company held resiliency training in classrooms. The smaller group setting facilitated more discussion of resiliency techniques and ways to improve comprehensive fitness.
"I think the training was very applicable to our lives," said Spc. Joshua Cook. "Doctor Balmer has been in a place where we are now with family. He taught us as someone who has first-hand experience of the life of a Soldier."
The training was different from typical quarterly suicide and resiliency training sessions that most Soldiers experience. The setting and timeline of the training allowed Soldiers to really focus on the topics of discussion. The block of instruction delivered by Balmer provided Soldiers with not only advice and techniques to overcome mental and psychological trauma, but with a living example of how warriors can heal after experiencing such anguish.
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