Photo By Staff Sgt. Christina Dion | Christopher Vinson and his wife, Michelle, participate in the Out of the Darkness Walk...... read more read more
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Members of the 81st Regional Support Command based at Fort Jackson walked “Out of the Darkness” alongside hundreds of local Columbia residents Oct. 25.The event spread awareness about suicide, which plagues both the military and civilian community.
The walk, hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, is designed to raise awareness and promote prevention of suicide through personal stories of darkness, loss and hope.
“Suicide claimed 41,149 lives in 2013 in the United States alone, with someone dying by suicide every 12.8 minutes,” according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. “A suicide attempt is made every minute of every day, resulting in nearly one million attempts made annually.”
One of those statistics in 2013 was Christian J. Thiele, born June 20, 1987 to Debbie Thiele and Christopher Vinson. On September 21, 2013, he ended his life.
Vinson and his wife Michelle joined the walk in honor of Vinson’s son, known as CJ which is short for Chris Vinson, Jr. CJ joined the Army in 2009. After serving with the 4th Infantry Division in Iraq as an infantryman, he was medically discharged in January 2013.
“He made it home from war, but didn’t win the battle back home,” Vinson said. “He was a good man and he did his part. He’s so missed. It’s hard every day. Events like this get his name out; his picture. He’s not just a number. That gives me comfort. I don’t go to many events, but this one means a lot.”
Because of veterans like CJ, Aljournal Franklin strives to help combat the stigma attached with mental health and other hidden wounds that both veterans and community members deal with. Franklin, the suicide prevention program manager with the 81st Regional Support Command based at Fort Jackson, said he wanted to bring the two together and bridge the gap because suicide affects everyone.
The U.S. Army Reserve has had an average of 12 to 15 suicides per region annually , Franklin said. The U.S. Army Reserve has had reported numbers as high as 59 and as low as 39 in a year.
As of the latest numbers released by the U.S. Army Reserve in an August report, it is revealed that from 2010 through 2014 suicide rates were around 25 deaths per 100,000 people ratio, Franklin said. “(This) places the Army's rate of Suicide just a little ahead of the Civilian population which is usually in the high teens.”
“(Within the U.S. Army) suicide prevention training is designed to increase Soldier, Family and Leader awareness of the signs and symptoms of suicidal thinking and behavior,” Franklin said. This is to promote help-seeking-behavior, improve one's ability to provide care and get referrals for resources, and to provide advanced intervention training to gatekeepers.
If Soldiers feel something is wrong with a buddy, Franklin said to follow the acronym ACE: Ask, Care and Escort. Have the Courage to ask the question, Franklin said, but stay calm and don’t be accusatory. Remove any means that could be used for self-injury and show compassion by listening. If necessary, escort them to the chain of command, chaplain, behavioral health professional or primary care provider.
He also said that in a crisis situation, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and press one for the military crisis line. The Fort Family Outreach and Support Center can be reached at 1-866-345-8248 or visit www.arfp.org.
| Date Taken: | 10.25.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2015 21:23 |
| Story ID: | 184854 |
| Location: | COLUMBIA, NC, US |
| Hometown: | COLUMBIA, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 204 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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