Commentary: September is Suicide Prevention Month

Suicide Prevention Month is a good time to remind every military and civilian team member of the importance of strengthening our personal readiness and that of our family, workmates and friends through suicide awareness and prevention.

 Most of us do not have to be reminded about combat readiness, retirement readiness, health readiness, or disaster readiness … a great deal of emphasis is placed on these topics. 

With more than 39,000 people in the United States taking their own lives each year – and an estimated million more attempting to do so – including significant numbers of military or family members, it is no wonder that the armed services keep suicide awareness and prevention as a centerpiece of their efforts to build personal and unit readiness and so should we. 

While this may be an uncomfortable topic to discuss, the magnitude and persistence of the problem, added to the fact that most of us at some time have been touched personally with this issue force us to face the facts that the need is real and we each must get personally involved if we are going to make a difference. 

Why get personally involved in suicide prevention and awareness? It’s because of compassion and duty in the face of a common problem that can affect us, our families, our friends and our teammates, at any age, life stage, gender, rank or status. Suicide is preventable and you and I can make the difference!

The next question you may ask is “What can I do?” 

There are a number of good program on the subject, but they generally agree on a few basic steps, which include prevention by living and helping others live a resilient lifestyle physically, emotionally and spiritually, which helps achieve and maintain a healthy life balance and reduces risk of suicide. 

Each military branch has some kind of resiliency program, which increases awareness using the wealth of training and resources throughout the military community to recognize risk factors and warning signs of suicide.

Awareness also includes paying attention to yourself, your family, your friends and your team members on a regular basis to know how they are doing. If you have any concern at all about someone’s personal safety, take personal action, inquire and intervene, so help can be provided. 

Remember, none of us is alone when we are in crisis. If we will trust in our family, our friends, our co-workers, our faith and our military resources we can overcome anything. 

Suicide prevention and awareness is up to you and me. Let’s get involved not just during Suicide Prevention Month, but throughout the year, for the sake of all of us in the military community. Get involved … save a life!

Here are some local resources where people can go to for help: 

Your unit chaplain,

• Fort Sam Houston on-call duty chaplain, 221-9363 after duty hours,

• Fort Sam Houston Behavioral Health Clinic, 539-9589/9567 during duty hours,

• Brooke Army Medical Center
Emergency Room (24 hours),

• Military and Veterans Crisis Line, 800-273-TALK (8255) (press option “1” or text 838255 or go to http://www.militarycrisisline.net),

• Military OneSource, 800-342-9647 or http://www.militaryonesource.mil,

• Wounded Soldier and Family
Hotline, 800-984-8523,

• An emergency room, or

• Call 911 or your chain of command.