Photo By 1st Lt. Sydney Sedlak | U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Tisha Cornett, Pacific Air Forces Office of the Command...... read more read more
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Trauma looks different around the world, but the way people respond to it is universally human.
During a Subject Matter Expert Exchange, members from both the United States Air Force and the Bangladesh Air Force shared approaches to recognizing and managing acute stress reaction in Chittagong, Bangladesh, on Sept. 16, 2025.
Acute stress reaction refers to the body’s immediate response in the moments after a traumatic event. The briefing served as a foundation for ongoing conversations on mental health, emphasizing its role in disaster response and overall care for military members.
USAF Presentation
Working together, each nation outlined the mental health framework activated immediately after a traumatic event. For the USAF, the approach spans pre‑event preparation, during‑event response, and post‑event support.
Pre‑exposure preparation (PEP): The USAF mental health advisor, Lt. Col. Tisha Cornett, United States Pacific Air Forces mental health branch chief, emphasizes proactive education and resiliency practices so Airmen understand what a traumatic experience can do to the body and mind. This front‑loading helps set realistic expectations and reduces stigma around normal reactions.
“One of the best things you can give your people is just a basic understanding of what a traumatic experience does to the body and mind,” Cornett explained.
When a traumatic event occurs, individuals can present a range of normal reactions like fear, confusion, anger, and more. Training focuses on recognizing these reactions as typical in context and applying appropriate steps to help members regulate and return to functioning safely.
“When someone is actively responding to trauma, they can exhibit fear, confusion, anger… any number of symptoms,” Cornett said. “Knowing those responses are normal and how to address them can get people back to functioning much faster.”
A useful analogy compares this to treating a laceration: knowing how to clean the wound, where to get stitched up, and that pain continues during healing makes people more likely to seek the right help and also process the healing with little interruption. The same mindset applies to acute stress reactions, understanding what’s happening and how to respond shortens the recovery time.
“There’s a big misconception that exposure to trauma always equals long-term problems or PTSD,” Cornett said. “In reality, most people recover without lasting disorders.”
The USAF stresses expectation management. While Post‑Traumatic Stress Disorder is real and treatable, most people exposed to trauma do not develop PTSD. Clear education before and during an event lowers the likelihood of long‑term problems by normalizing immediate reactions and guiding healthy coping.
Beyond clinical providers, basic skills can be taught to any Airman to support a teammate in acute distress and help get them “back in the fight.” This democratizes immediate psychological support much like Tier‑1 Tactical Combat Casualty Care democratizes immediate physical care.
“Think of it like TCCC for the mind,” Cornett explained. “Just as every Airman can apply a tourniquet, every Airman can learn basic steps to calm someone in acute distress and get them back in the fight.”
BAF Presentation
The Bangladesh Air Force presented its perspective and areas of focus for disaster mental health in the local context, including mental health considerations that members should take into account when dealing with members who are exposed to a lot of stress. This exchange helps both sides compare frameworks and identify practical steps that make sense for Bangladesh’s disaster profile and population density.
“A Bangladesh Air Force psychiatrist acts as a clinician, advisor, trainer and researcher,” said Group Capt. Sohel Hasan Chowdhury, Bangladesh Air Force psychiatrist. “[Our role is] ensuring the psychological resilience of both victims and rescuers during disaster.”
The BAF perspective also informs how USAF teams can tailor support tools for partner needs, strengthening the Disaster Mental Health (DMH) team concept as a scalable response capability during crises at military installations.
“As medics, collaborating with our partner nation on disaster mental health operations fosters interconnectedness and mutual understanding of our respective capabilities,” said Maj. Jewelyn De La Cruz, PACAF Office of the Command Surgeon international health specialist . “We are glad to be here, so that we can learn together and better serve our mission.
“This will also prepare us for times of disaster and other calamities,” De La Cruz continued.
Why It Matters
Distress is universal, but effective response is context‑dependent. Pacific Angel’s goal is not to make every country handle trauma identically; it’s to share best practices and learn from partners so each force can better support its people during crises. The outcome throughout Pacific Angel iterations is sustained relationships, recurring exchanges, and partner nations better equipped to support each other and their people.
| Date Taken: | 09.15.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.24.2025 16:04 |
| Story ID: | 549211 |
| Location: | CHITTAGONG, BD |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Normal Response to an Abnormal Event - PACAF’s Mental Health Knowledge Exchange, by 1st Lt. Sydney Sedlak, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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