Soldiers have many difficult events to deal with at home and while away; from the death of a fellow Soldier during combat to homesickness.
Suicides and suicide attempts can be reactions to feelings of loneliness, worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness and quilt. Depression also is a factor in suicidal persons.
Warning signs can be as obvious as talking about killing themselves or someone else. Signs also can include problems in a relationship, withdrawal from friends, financial issues, losing a job or leaving the service.
A co-worker of Staff Sgt. Tina Rauls' took her own life.
"She was going through a lot at the time, separated from her husband, about to get a divorce," Rauls said. "When she came into work you could tell that something was bothering her. She would come in and kind of be to herself and quiet. Not talk to anyone. Then at the end she started feeling really happy, saying things were better now. Then the next day is when she did it."
Friends and Family members should be aware when a person is acting strangely. Advise them to seek help from a member of the clergy, a physician or behavioral health professional.
Chap. (Lt. Col.) David Waters has been an Army chaplain for nearly 21 years and has known many Soldiers and Family members who took their own lives.
"We have a varied number of mental health agencies and assistants in the Army," Waters said. "In the chaplain branch we have chaplains at the unit level, both the battalion, the brigade and division. Here on the garrison we have chaplain ... a number of chaplains that are specifically trained with various counseling skills to help Soldiers and Family members."
Chaplains at the unit level train with the ACE program, Waters said, which is an acronym for Ask, Care and Escort.
In the ACE program buddies are advised to ask the question, "Are you thinking of killing yourself'" but stay calm when asking. Caring for a buddy includes removing anything that could be used as a means of self-injury. Staying calm is key to controlling the situation; don't use force. Listening actively can produce relief.
The final stage of the ACE program is to never leave the person alone. Escort them to the chain of command, chaplain, behavioral health professional or primary care physician.
Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley commanding general, has insisted all commanders create an atmosphere that encourages Soldiers to seek the help they need. The Army also is in the midst of creating a Soldier care plan along with assistance that addresses the physical, mental, social and spiritual dynamics.
"In addition to support the commanding general's policy letter for equipped suicide prevention leaders at every level we have a program we implement here called ASIST, which is an acronym that stands for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training," Waters said. "Recently we conducted our own training conference at the Riley's Conference Center to raise our number of trainers that can train gatekeepers so that we can fulfill the CG, the commanding general's, policy letter to have gatekeepers all the way down to the platoon level in every unit."
ASIST graduates are specifically skilled in briefing and training their Soldiers to know how to intervene with Soldiers who may be considering harming themselves. However, not all individuals having suicidal thoughts seek help.
Staff Sgt. Michael Terstegen was in Iraq when he received an e-mail from home.
"I called home and my cousin had committed suicide," Terstegen said. "We grew up together. We were almost the same age. I was a few years older. It just came as a shock. I was over in Iraq and hadn't seen him in three years. Somebody I never would've thought would commit suicide."
Soldiers may not seek help because they don't want others to know how bad off they are, Terstegen said.
"People might look at them differently. I know the Army is trying to push all these programs to make it so people can come more out and open about it, which is a good thing, but I think people are still scared and they don't want people to know."
Numerous things may go through a person's mind, said 1st Lt. James Kirkpatrick.
"I think they're scared of the repercussions that might follow, or scared of being put on 24-hour watch or what their friends might think of them ... Overall probably the biggest thing would be how people are going to view them," Kirkpatrick said.
The Army has increased its suicide prevention efforts over the years. When Terstegen first entered the Army, he received annual suicide prevention training. Now, he said, the training occurs almost monthly.
"In the last 10 years they have become a lot more open about it," Terstegen said. "They've really pushed the programs to get everybody trained up to see the signs or to try to prevent suicide from happening."
The Army believes that stigma of asking for help is a big factor in Soldiers committing suicide.
"There can be a stigma in the chain of command, which we are doing everything we can, from the commanding general to our junior leader in the division, to eliminate the stigma of seeking help, regardless of the problem or issue the Soldier is going through," Waters said. "They don't give that cry for help that we need them to do if they are struggling, feeling a sense of hopelessness, despair, so many issues in their lives that they just don't seem to feel they can get through that. Sometimes some of them don't cry out for help."
The Army has many resources available to help Soldiers and Family members deal with the difficult times on the homefront or during deployments. "Beyond the Front," is an interactive DVD Fort Riley Soldiers and civilians recently used to decide how to handle different situations.
"It's a great product that leaders and Soldiers can use to learn better ways to intervene with their Soldiers," Waters said. "It gives various options to a crisis with a Soldier. It shows various outcomes of the actions or inaction that the leader takes. We are excited about that product and we recently trained on that product throughout the division. We are doing everything we can to save the lives of our Soldiers and our Family members."
Other resources are available online and by phone. For more information, visit Military One Source at www.militaryonesource.com or call 1-800-342-9647. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-TALK or www.suicide.org.
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