Heroes and Healthy Families Conference visits Miramar

Photo By Cpl. Christopher Johns | Master Sgt. Brad Colbert, the inspiration for the HBO special “Generation Kill,” speaks to Marines and sailors during the Heroes and Healthy Families Leadership Awareness Conference at the Bob Hope Theatre aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Sept. 12. Colbert spoke about being an adrenaline junkie and finding less risky ways to combat those urges to do dangerous activities, like working out or getting enough sleep.  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, UNITED STATES

09.12.2012

Story by Lance Cpl. Christopher Johns 

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – “Suicide, just the word makes you uncomfortable,” said Mark Graham. “We thought we had one of those Walt Disney families, where everything was just great all the time and things were good, life was just fun and great. Our three kids went to the University of Kentucky together and even lived together in the same apartment. Kevin stopped taking his depression medication because he didn’t want the Army to know of his illness.”

Shortly after he stopped taking the medication, Kevin took his own life.

The Grahams’ losses did not stop there.

“After Kevin’s death, my wife and I dedicated ourselves to raising awareness about suicide and setting up suicide prevention programs across college campuses, while our daughter Melanie tried desperately to continue her studies at the university,” said Graham. “Our son Jeffery, who recently graduated as an engineer at the University of Kentucky, was preparing for combat at the United States Army Base Fort Riley, Kan., as a 2nd lieutenant to deploy with the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.”

Jeffery Graham was killed just eight months after his brother took his own life, leaving the Grahams to grieve for their lost sons. Now, the family shares their stories with service members in the hopes of raising awareness.

Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., attended a conference where speakers, like the Grahams, gave real-life stories instead of Power Point presentations.

During the Heroes and Healthy Families Leadership Awareness Conference, Marines learned about various topics from family violence, combat operational stress, suicide and sexual assault to substance abuse, adrenaline rushes and healthy relationships.

“After the first deployment [to Afghanistan] returned, we started noticing a very marked rise in the number of Marines coming into the court systems for a variety of things,” said the Honorable Pamela Iles, a retired Superior Court judge in Orange County, Calif. “We wanted Marines who come back from deployment, who may potentially have post-traumatic stress disorder, to have help dealing with those issues and know how to understand them without getting into legal trouble.”

With the help of the commanding general of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Iles offered to provide leadership awareness training aimed at keeping young Marines out of the judicial system. The General welcomed the idea, and together with the Marine and Family Services professionals at Camp Pendleton, the Heroes and Healthy Families program was born.

“We didn’t want their careers, families or possibly their lives lost because the Marines with PTSD weren’t educated on how to get better and avoid certain situations,” said Iles.

Within the program, now a conference that travels to different military installations, Marines learn to walk away when they feel themselves assessing someone as a potential threat. They learn to take that energy and turn it into something productive, like going for a run or going to the gym or seeking professional help instead of risking their lives or the life of the person who upset them.

Victims of substance abuse and sexual assault also spoke about how to get help, while therapists instructed Marines and sailors in their own areas of expertise.

The final speaker at the conference was Master Sgt. Brad Colbert, the inspiration for the HBO special “Generation Kill.” He spoke about being an adrenaline junkie and finding less risky ways to combat those urges to do dangerous activities, like working out or getting enough sleep.

The message these speakers offered to the Marines seemed to sink in for Lance Cpl. John Stancil, a warehouse clerk with Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 3 and a Belmont, Calif., native.

“I really liked Maj. Gen. Graham and his wife Carol’s [speech],” said Stancil. “A lot of what they had to say just hit home for me. Marines face so many things that can impact them [negatively], and I’ve heard so many stories of how Marines hurt themselves. It’s important to know the signs and what to look for in people so you can help them. I feel like I can see a lot more now that I’ve had this training, and I may be able to save someone’s life.”

• Date Taken: 09.12.2012
• Date Posted: 09.13.2012 17:40
• Story ID: 94687
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, CA, US
• Hometown: BELMONT, CA, US
• Hometown: MIAMI, FL, US
• Hometown: SAN DIEGO, CA, US