CAMP CASEY, South Korea - With over 5 percent of the United States population suffering from suicidal thoughts, the U.S. Army considers every life lost a life that could have been saved.
As members of the U.S military, Soldiers serve not only within their respective occupational roles but also as guides for their peers who struggle with stress and emotional trials.
To help Soldiers at every level, the 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division/ ROK-U.S. Combined Division, conducted an "Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training" course, which was made open to all Soldiers, Jan. 19-20, at the Community Activity Center, Camp Casey, South Korea.
"We can expect these Soldiers and young leaders to be more focused on suicide intervention," said 1st Lt. Miller Croix, a Las Cruces, New Mexico, native and an ASIST course instructor assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.
"In the past, we talk about prevention and 'postvention,' if something unfortunate should happen," said Croix. "But now we must focus on the 'intervention.' Most people do not understand the process of support, when someone has identified that they do in fact want to commit suicide."
Varying from seasoned veterans to newly-enlisted privates, all Soldiers residing in the Korean peninsula are at risk of slipping into emotional downfall, depression and having suicidal thoughts. Those close to people struggling with these issues are key to providing initial treatments.
"It is their peers that the Soldiers at risk are more likely to talk to first rather than outreach to a chaplain or someone at the hospital," said Croix. "You want someone who is next to you every day."
The two-day suicide prevention course was composed of lectures and role-playing exercises designed to train attendees on active listening, interviewee and practical conversation skills.
"One of the first things we introduce is the PAL (Pathway to Assisting Life) technique. We tell the Soldiers to explore those unique feelings and emotions their interviewees are going through," said Croix. "The caregivers must listen carefully to their story and find a particular turning point of a glimmer of hope."
In most of the cases, people with suicidal thoughts have lost all hope. By discovering a glimmer of hope, they regain their will to live and think twice about committing suicide.
"At first, when I heard about the suicide prevention course through my chain of command, I was not sure whether to apply for the course or not," said Sgt. Elsa Thiers, a California native and a track vehicle repairer assigned to 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. "But, this course has helped me in a way that gave me confidence to make some changes for people who are suffering from suicidal thoughts."
A graduation ceremony was held on Jan. 22 for the 10 Soldiers who successfully completed the suicide prevention course.
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