Photo By Staff Sgt. Walter Lowell | Col. D. Rodger Waters, special assistant to the adjutant general, poses for a photo in...... read more read more
The Nevada National Guard took another step this fall as the first state in the nation to develop a Purple Resolve curriculum.
Following its introduction iterations during the summer months, members of the Nevada Army and Air National Guard met Sept. 28 to 30 at the Washoe County Armory in Stead, Nevada, to develop trainers for the program. An introductory and trainer course is set to be held in Las Vegas at the Speedway Armory from Nov. 15 to 19. The next step will look to build the program under the J9 directorate, which administers the Nevada Guard’s resource and resiliency programs with trainers disseminating the program to the force.
The course, titled “Purple Resolve: The Heart and Mind of the Warrior,” is a military adaptation of Blue Courage, a program aimed at enhancing leadership and learning strategies for law enforcement agencies.
For Maj. Gen. Ondra Berry, Nevada adjutant general, the program is at the forefront of developing a culture change in the Nevada National Guard.
“Two days after I swore in as adjutant general, we had a suicide in our force,” said Berry, who became Nevada’s 30th adjutant general in September 2019. “It was the Nevada National Guard’s sixth suicide in about four years. At that moment, I knew we had to do something, not just addressing suicide, but also a variety of issues challenging our Soldiers and Airmen.”
The soldier who committed suicide was Staff Sgt. Chase Rauchle, a 31-year-old recruiting and retention sergeant and Afghanistan veteran. Rauchle was married with a 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.
Almost immediately, Berry began discussions with Rauchle's father, Craig, on how the soldier’s tragic death could have been prevented.
“This all came to fruition through discussions with General Berry,” Craig Rauchle said. “His experiences with his background managing the police department in Reno and with Blue Courage made him the perfect leader to become the architect for this program. We wanted to make sure my son’s death helped people in the Nevada National Guard.”
Rauchle founded the nonprofit PTSD NOW!, which stands for Prevent and Treat Stress and Depression Now. The nonprofit worked to provide funding through the state’s Division of Veterans Services with the creation of two counselor positions along with funding for Purple Resolve training for members in the Nevada National Guard. Rauchle described it as a two-pronged approach to fund counselor positions on the ground for those in need of mental health assistance and also help train the force through the Purple Resolve curriculum.
“The anniversary of my son’s passing was just two years ago,” Rauchle said last week. “We’ve been at this for just two years and look at where we have come in just that amount of time.”
During the “train-the-trainer” event this fall, members of the Nevada Air and Army National Guard took a deep dive into understanding the program and, eventually, pass it along to fellow wingmen and battle buddies.
The program brought members to the table for open dialogue about dignity, respect, resiliency, courage and culture, and how it applies to the capacity of the Nevada National Guard. According to the curriculum, the program is about “enhancing the capacity of our members to serve at their highest levels of their capability” and “optimize performance.” It also focuses on removing stigmas surrounding mental health.
“This was an outstanding course,” said Maj. Todd Brown, Nevada State Chaplain. “It was an illuminating experience into the art of self-improvement, leadership and cultural transformation. I would strongly suggest this course for units around the nation.”
Berry said he’s been in contact with other states to help grow the program nationwide.
“There is a lot of interest in this type of training given obvious trends we are seeing not just here in Nevada, but also around the country,” he said. “This is the right program at the right time for our Soldiers and Airmen. We need to tackle these issues head on and Purple Resolve is an exceptional tool in doing that.”
| Date Taken: | 10.05.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.05.2021 13:34 |
| Story ID: | 406749 |
| Location: | CARSON CITY, NV, US |
| Web Views: | 1,045 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Nevada Guard pushes forward with development of Purple Resolve resiliency training, by Capt. Emerson Marcus, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
Nevada National Guard
Purple Resolve
LEAVE A COMMENT