On Wednesday, the White House announced a profound change in the government's response to service members who commit suicide. President Obama will now send their families condolence letters just as he does to families of troops who die in combat or as a result of noncombat incidents in a war zone.
"This issue is emotional, painful and complicated," President Obama said in a statement. "But these Americans served our nation bravely ... we need to do everything in our power to honor their service and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation."
Military families have been lobbying for this change for a few years, and six weeks ago, a group of senators-- 10 Democrats and one Republican -- asked the president to change the "insensitive" policy. U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, who led the bipartisan group, applauded the change. "This will ... do a great deal to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health treatment that prevents so many from seeking the care they need," she said in a statement Wednesday.
Gregg Keesling was one of many parents who has worked for many years for this change. His son, Spc. Chancellor Keesling, killed himself while serving in Iraq. After their son's death, he and his wife fully expected to receive a condolence letter from the president. When the letter did not arrive, Mr. Keesling wrote the president and the Army chief of staff to request they change the policy. As his son's suicide resulted from what he experienced during his service, Mr. Kessling believed his son's death merited the government's recognition and condolences.
"(This new policy) does not bring our son back," Mr. Keesling told CNN Wednesday, "but I think it does send a powerful message that mental health in our military can be addressed."
Obama said he hopes the change in policy will influence a change in the country's perception of mental illness. "They didn't die because they were weak," he said in his statement. "And the fact that they didn't get the help they needed must change."
Yet what this new policy does not address is the military suicides that occur outside the war zone: two-thirds of military suicides. As Tragedy Assistance for Survivors (TAPS), a a support group for military families who have lost a loved one in the service, said, "A line is drawn between the value of the life and service of someone who dies on foreign soil and someone who dies in the exact same manner ... here at home."
Consider Army Sgt. Douglas Hale Jr., 26, a veteran of two combat tours who left Fort Hood in Texas, who died a year ago. After buying a pistol at a pawn shop, he then shot himself in a restaurant restroom.
"My son served, too, you know," said his mother, Glenda Moss, in USA Today. "Sure, he didn't actually die while he was in action, but what happened to him and what he saw might have been enough, added to his other problems."
The president clearly believes we need to remove the stigmas of war's mental health consequences. But it is striking that his statement completely ignores the 71 percent of the suicides that occur after service. If we are truly going to address the stigma of mental illness, we must first address the culture within the military that still denigrates, if not punishes, any expression of emotional or psychological pain. While the top echelons of the military say all the right things about PTSD, on the ground -- within squads, platoons and battalions -- the attitude has not changed at all. And for veterans, we must make meaningful care easily available at all VAs around the country. Stories of veterans in desperate need having doors closed in their faces -- literally as well as figuratively -- are common. The president must speak to these realities for all our servicemen and women and our veterans to receive the mental health care they need and deserve.
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Obama approves condolence letters in military suicides - USATODAY.com
New Policy for Condolences on Military Suicides
President Obama to recognize military suicides with condolence ...
U.S. to Send Condolences After Military Suicides in War Zones ...
Report: Multiple wars partly to blame for more military suicides - CNN
New policy on condolences for military suicides - Yahoo! News
Supporting Those Left Behind By Military Suicides : NPR
Military suicides continue to rise - US news - Military - msnbc.com
http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxSoMa-Randy-White-The-Sharin
With the troops crossing the desert in Afghanistan, it is easy for the troops to get tempted to give up on themselves but they have to keep strong in the faith, no matter what.
Another thing I'd like to say is, never dwell on the negative. The more you keep thinking and telling yourself how much you hate being where you are, the more you WILL hate being where you are. You just have to tell yourself, this journey or venture in the military is only temporary and not permanent. You will eventually retire from the military and then you will be glad and thankful you hung in there and not gave up.
One could also say that 90% of the suicides by high school attendee's occur after they graduate. That doesn't mean that high school caused the suicides.
What honorable country does that to it's citizens only so the rich can get richer? There is no honor in anything related to war. Dishonoring someone that died because they didn't have the tools to deal with what they were experiencing is mean spirited and uneducated.
There are never enough words to explain the reality and facts about nations #1 mental disorder, it seems that reducing its numbers or even controlling is an illusive prospect! Its
a subject that is always avoided, but now that this problem is getting important attention but unfortunately on the back of the suicides in our military, there is a sad face on that subject! Even though there have been cases of suicides reported for years, it wasn’t until the number of suicides in the military were reported that it became a national issue. The sacrifice of our men in women who were put in harms way without the benefit of medical intervention is really no ones fault, but the fault of medicine in general who allowed the nations #1 mental disorder that is easiest to recover from to get out of hand. Only the helpless environment of feeling trapped could have accelerated the terrifying outcome of a disorder gone deadly for those serving in war zones.
The truth is, the science of mental disorder it appears is still in the dark ages with the fatal results now occurring in the military, Take my word, no one could have foreseen this outcome that I’m sure was accelerated only by the circumstances on the battlefield. It is like the plague, the right circumstances had to be present.
For more information:
The Jokes On us/The Innocent Mind amazon.com
George Christophe
Thejokesonus.b@gmail.com
Lip service will not help those who have taken a desperate way out, nor will those who mean well but do not understand the distressed mind of our service men and women! Take heed; they are like voices crying in the wilderness; no one can understand the fear in the mind that is more terrifying than the fear of the battlefield! There lies the problem, until that is acknowledged the loss of those in need will continue. I will try to make clear the mindset of those who are lost and all who are afflicted, with the complete ignorance of not understand why?
I don’t think my words will fall on deaf ears, but on the helplessness of those who can never understand what there facing (the military and the doctors). That I’m afraid only comes from the ignorance of not being able to experiencing first hand what it is there up against.
To take a page from AA would be a start and the only way of making the point of what would be the help needed in heading off this national shame. Only the few who are cognizant of how they overcame this fear based disorder (like AA) can communicate with those mentally desperate, who feel trapped in their minds and can find no understanding of it in the military!
For more information:
The Jokes on Us/The Innocent Mind amazon.com
George Christophe
Thejokesonus.b@gmail.com
But on the issue of soldiers suicide phenomena, I give him credit for honoring these soldiers. As a private citizen, I would not want to contemplate on taking my own life, but then again, 'am here in my home, in my country safe and sound while these brave men and women are fighting other humans, they do not even know. I do not know nor had any experience in the battlefield. I do not know how it feels for someone in your own company gets blown. Must be a nightmare,
Mr. President Sir, you have the power to end invasions to Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. Please bring them home in 1 piece NOW.
I am always very frustrated with the level of uncare our returning vets receive. They come home, get a 2 week debrief, a packet of information & then a welcome home party. Afterwards...nothing. We have to wait for them to contact us, which few do. We are not allowed to do a wellness check when family calls us with concerns. We can only do a check without the soldiers ok is when there is immediate threat of violence. The outlook in the lower ranks is that soldiers dealing with emotional trauma just need to "man-up" making it embarrassing for them to call when they need of help.
This isn't a top priority to our government officials. I know this because my office was closed for 2 months when the gov. did blind mass budget cuts. We fought hard & were finally reopened but with half the staff. We were told it is because the soldiers are not deployed & are not in drastic need of this service. They are not attending the funeral of a local soldier who just returned from afghanistan who killed himself recently. Maybe if he would have had our services before he would still be alive.
If you or anyone you know, who is in the military or is military family, needs to speak with someone please call our 24/7 phone line toll free at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
It is vitally important, for the vets but also for the spiritual health of our society, that people our government sends to war are properly taken care of. That means money. That means careful, adoptive follow-up.
PTSD is 'a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.' It is not normal to be asked to kill people. It is not normal to watch friends being blown up; or to be put into terrorizing situations over and over again.
War-related suicides committed after the person leaves the war zone are equally deserving of a condolence letter honoring one's service as any other.
Yes, we certainly need to not only reduce the mental health stigma but more importantly, provide mandatory counseling to anyone returning from a combat situation.