JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas –
The U.S. Army Reserve 4th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) took a stand against suicide by launching the Get Connected campaign at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston during their monthly battle assembly.
Brion Pinkerton, 4th ESC Suicide Prevention Program Manager, or SPPM, introduced Soldiers to the campaign, which aims to end the stigma around talking about suicide and, as the name of the program suggests, help Soldiers connect with one another.
Pinkerton has spent his entire professional career helping others. Before becoming a SPPM, he worked with the National Crisis Line in Alaska and worked in Christian ministry. He is also in the final days of completing his doctorate in industrial organizational psychology.
Pinkerton began the Get Connected campaign based on the works of Dr. Thomas Joiner, who identified three factors present in all victims of suicide. One of these factors, thwarted belongingness, describes feelings of disconnectedness. The Get Connected Campaign focuses on overcoming those feelings by encouraging Soldiers to establish meaningful relationships.
“The idea is that you are no longer connected with anybody, that you are isolated. You don’t have these emotional connections with other people,” Pinkerton said. “Connectedness is the one thing that we have the greatest potential to impact, so we came up with this idea of Get Connected.”
Some of the goals of the campaign are to identify the risk factors and warning signs of those who are struggling with thoughts of suicide and to end the stigma associated with talking about suicide. In order to accomplish these goals, Pinkerton said it was imperative to recognize that the courage to ask for help is a sign of strength and wisdom.
“This is an intentional and deliberate method of changing a culture, of reframing the way that we perceive our social interactions,” Pinkerton said. “It is the desire to succeed.”
During the Get Connected campaign’s initial launch, Pinkerton and 4th ESC Soldiers worked together to come up with a list of specific things individuals can do to combat that sense of loneliness, and help end the isolation people sometimes feel. The list included a number of actions, from establishing common ground to asking each other for help or opinions.
“The soldiers came up with some insightful ideas of how they can Get Connected with each other,” Pinkerton said. “This list will only grow with time.”
Pinkerton also met with U.S. Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Alex Fink, 4th ESC commanding general, and Command Sgt. Maj. Larry Johnson, 4th ESC CSM, to discuss the campaign. During the meeting, they both signed a pledge promising to do their part in preventing suicide.
Pinkerton said he plans to reach all 6,000 Soldiers within the 4th ESC. He will be working with everyone in an effort to spread his message.
“People don’t just have this type of discussion and then walk away. They have this discussion and carry those thoughts with them,” Pinkerton said. “We want all of our Soldiers to walk away knowing that they can Get Connected.”
If you or somebody you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). Veterans and Service Members can reach the Military Crisis Line by dialing the same number, and then pressing 1.
The 4th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) is made up of Soldiers, civilians and their families in units headquartered throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Their units are trained, ready and equipped to provide military and logistical support in any corner of the globe.