WASHINGTON -- When a service member attempts suicide or dies by suicide, the trauma and grief in the aftermath has a ripple effect on the lives of fellow Soldiers, their Family, the unit, and the Army.
To provide the resources and support needed to help those struggling, it is important that commanders remember to submit Section 3 of DA Form 7747, the Commander's Suspected Suicide Event Report, or CSSER. Army Regulation 600-63 states the commander responsible for the unit where the incident occurred prepares the CSSER, with assistance of the 15-6 investigating officer.
The form is made of three distinct and supporting sections: the Serious Incident Report, the Commander's Initial Report, and the Commander's Final Report.
The Army Resilience Directorate has established the following mailbox where commanders can encrypt and submit CSSERs at any time: usarmy.pentagon.hqda-dcs-g-1.mbx.csser@mail.mil.
“The mailbox is manned by ARD staff and submitted CSSERs are retrieved daily,” said Carolyn Massiah, with ARD's Suicide Prevention Program. “The CSSERs are aggregated to identify trends, share common operating picture with commands, and to inform policy and prevention strategies.”
Massiah said ARD has made efforts to remind commanders of the requirement through S1 Net messages. She also encourages stakeholders and command representatives to remind their commanders to submit the CSSERs as well.
A copy of the DA Form 7747 Commander's Suspected Suicide Event Report may be obtained through the Army Publishing Directorate at armypubs.army.mil. Select the “Forms” drop down menu and scroll down to download the document in PDF form.
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