Camp Bondsteel community walks for suicide awareness

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - More than 200 deployed German, Polish and U.S. service members assigned to Multinational Battle Group-East, took time to walk together in the memory of suicide victims and raise awareness of outreach opportunities, during a Sept. 12 event organized by the MNBG-E unit ministry team at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

The participants wore shirts bearing the words, "Never Walk Alone, Suicide Awareness Walk 2015 Kosovo." Below that were the characters R3S - for resilience, risk reduction and suicide prevention. Some participants also wore the names of friends and loved ones who have committed suicide.

"We tend to go over-board on suicide prevention training, sitting in classrooms watching PowerPoint presentations," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Sarah Ward, the chaplain's assistant for the North Carolina Army National Guard's 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team and a resident of Charlotte, North Carolina, who coordinated the event. "This walk gives people the opportunity to get out in a different environment, just to take a minute to appreciate it, and it gives them time to think on their own, not to be 'talked to,' but time for reflection."

To emphasize the gravity of the suicide issue in the military during the walk, each minute a white sash was handed to one service member, to represent the reported frequency of unsuccessful suicide attempts. A red sash was handed to one service member every 12 minutes to represent the reported frequency of actual suicides.

"The challenges of changing our culture are still the same, but we are talking more about suicide and how to prevent it," Ward said. "We want to have more events like this, so we can get to know our Soldiers, make good friends and good leaders."

Signs of encouragement were posted along the walking route for the service members to reflect on. One of the signs quoted Carl Bard, reading, "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."

The event came to conclusion with the somber tones of a bagpipe rendition of "Amazing Grace," played by U.S. Army Col. Martin Docherty, a doctor assigned to the U.S. Army Reserve's 345th Combat Support Hospital out of Jacksonville, Florida.

Learn more about suicide prevention at www.suicide.org.