Photo By Sgt. Edward Balaban | Army Maj. Gen. Hugo E. Salazar, center, the Adjutant General and Commanding General of...... read more read more
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PHOENIX, Ariz. - The recent and alarming rate of suicide within the military is cause for concern at all levels of leadership, and the Arizona National Guard is taking steps to address this growing issue.
Since June 2010, three Arizona Army National Guardsmen have committed suicide.
In response to the escalating suicide rate, the Arizona National Guard has instituted a week-long training module aimed at first-line leaders. An element of the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, the training prepares these soldiers and Airmen to be able to identify those signs of stress that could lead to a service member not being mission ready, and capable of assisting that service member in obtaining the proper assistance in dealing with that stress.
“We need this [Resiliency Training]; we need to recognize the signs,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Gabriel J. Almendarez, senior enlisted adviser to Arizona Army National Guard deputy chief of staff for personnel.
Resiliency training is based on the Master Resiliency Training module, a component of the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program, originating from the University of Pennsylvania.
Resilience is the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back from adversity.
Resiliency training participants learn about resilience and the competencies that contribute to resilience. These competencies are self-awareness, self-regulation, optimism, mental agility, strengths of character, and connection. All of the skills that participants learn in the Master Resilience Training course build resilience by targeting one or more of the master resilience training competencies.
Twenty-first century society, and the newest generation of service members specifically, is faced with challenges of everyday life that are magnified and exacerbated when serving in a combat environment. The increasing frequency of stress-related issues and suicides have brought into focus the need for leaders to identify and appropriately respond to an individual who may be signaling their need for assistance.
“Arizona is leading the National Guard in addressing gaps between resilience, suicide, and stress-related illnesses,” said Dr. Richard J. Westphal, a former Navy psychiatric nurse who helped develop the COSFA program.
“Identifying the need for a tool consistent with everything else that could conserve soldiers and airmen who are temporarily non-mission ready because of one or more of four sources of stress injury is a leadership responsibility,” Westphal said.
These sources of stress injury are:
*life threat or trauma – an experience of death provoking terror, horror, or helplessness
*loss – the loss of cherished people, things, or parts of oneself
*inner conflict – behaviors or the witnessing of behaviors that violate moral values
*fatigue – accumulation of stress from all sources over time without sufficient rest and recovery.
While the media has often attempted to link post-traumatic stress disorder with suicide, Westphal’s research and experience concludes that prevention of PTSD is not realistic and is not a leading factor in suicides.
“Post trauma stress is an occupational hazard of military members,” Westphal said. However, harm reduction is available to everyone.
Combat Operational Stress First Aide, a program successfully utilized by the Navy and Marine Corps, addresses the area between resiliency and suicide.
Westphal lauds the Arizona National Guard leadership for being proactive in their efforts to bring to bear the best resources in dealing with stress injuries. This includes the resiliency training mentioned above.
“Stress injuries start to occur when resources are not available, or exhausted, to meet challenges before us,” said Westphal. An early indicator could be the service member’s inability to readjust upon return from a deployment because of the lack of or exhaustion of resources.
Part of the resiliency training deals with the ability of first-line leaders to involve friends, peers, and family members of the individual showing signs of a stress injury and leverage the strength of those persons to help a loved one. Buddy and peer response is critical because self-awareness is the first characteristic that succumbs to a stress injury, said Westphal.
“It is the injured party’s need of a trusted other who can recognize something is wrong and say ‘you’re not fine!’ when the injured displays behaviors that are contrary to the claim of ‘I’m fine,’” Westphal said.
Stress injuries do not necessarily lead to suicide. Stress injuries can be healed and become a source of power and energy, compassion, and a message of hope.
“These programs and their components are about helping our young men and women, who don’t really know what they are capable of doing or withstanding, with living through and learning from life’s adversities,” Westphal said.
Life skills training programs such as Resiliency Training and COSFA, can help deal with stress injuries from occupational [military] hazards with the potential for suicide reduction.
“The Comprehensive Soldier Fitness and COSFA programs are designed to increase viable healthy options for service members with stress injuries before suicide is an option,” Westphal said.
Army Maj. Gen. Hugo E. Salazar, the Adjutant General and Commanding General of the Arizona National Guard, has personally addressed those going through resiliency training and strongly endorses the integration of COSFA. Emphasizing to his troops that “we are family,” Salazar wants to see front line leaders take care of their people.
“While the goals of these programs are the ultimate fitness of the service member, across physical, psychological, social, and spiritual realms, we need to be aware that these programs are not designed to stop a high velocity round, defy gravity or undue betrayal,” Westphal said.
The expectation is that Arizona Guardsmen will be able to recognize when a peer has a stress injury, have the ability to talk with that peer about changes in behavior (getting past “I’m fine!”), and help them get connected to the next level of support.
“It’s all about building connections with family, friends, and Soldiers,” said Sgt. 1st Class Maurice L. Wells, one of Arizona’s resiliency course instructors.
Studies conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health have shown that making the peer connection potentially makes a positive difference and is most helpful in treating post trauma stress injuries.
“It starts with the chain of command and someone who has been there,” Westphal said.
| Date Taken: | 08.31.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2011 17:37 |
| Story ID: | 76246 |
| Location: | PHOENIX, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 446 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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