After landing in Connecticut in late February, Capt.
Yumi Panui was ready to start her new life on the east
coast as the Connecticut Army National Guard’s Chief
Behavioral Health Officer.
You would not blame her for second guessing the
decision to leave her home state of Hawaii after staring
down four Nor’Easters throughout March. But she never
wavered, and now, she’s getting settled in her new life,
which consists of supporting the Behavioral Health needs
of 3,500 Connecticut Army National Guardsmen.
“I am very excited to be here and to get to work,”
Panui said with a wide smile. “This is a new adventure
for me, and I look forward to starting this new chapter
of my life.”
Moving from the island tropics to the frigid winters of
Connecticut may seem unorthodox to some. But orthodox
doesn’t seem to be a word in Panui’s vocabulary. She
marches to the beat of her own drum, and the twists and
turns her life and career paths have taken do not follow
the “usual script.”
Growing up in what she calls a traditional Japanese-
Korean household, Panui was the eldest daughter – just
like her mom, who now lives in New York.
“I was the oldest child, just like my mom was, and in
the traditional Asian household, that meant taking on a
caretaking role,” Panui said. “I was good at it. Growing
up in the family I did was my first real foray into taking
care of others. That’s when I knew I had a future in
helping others through trauma.”
After high school graduation, she didn’t immediately
go to college, but higher education was always in her
plan. She tended bar at three different locations – another
caretaking role of sorts - in order to put herself through
the University of Hawaii. While pursuing a double major
in Sociology and Psychology, she began volunteering
as a youth counselor for drug-addicted adolescents. She
worked her way through the ranks after eight years, and
by the time she left to pursue other opportunities, she
was the organization’s clinical supervisor.
“I don’t know when I slept,” Panui said with a laugh.
She then worked with a foster care/adoption agency
that contracted with the government to place the most
difficult/at-risk youths into homes.
“We took on kids that couldn’t be placed in foster
homes,” Panui said. “It was tough, but rewarding,
because often times, we were the last hope for a lot of
these kids.”
Panui ended up fostering one of those at-risk kids,
a pregnant teenager. It was the first of three fostering
experiences she and her first husband took on in the
hopes of offering just a few of Hawaii’s at-risk youths
the opportunity at a better life.
“We sat down and looked at our situation at the time,
and realized we could help,” Panui said. “We knew that
a lot of these kids, especially teenagers, don’t get a lot
of opportunities for adoption.”
But Panui herself has suffered loss, and it fueled her
desire to help members of the military get the mental
health care they need. In 2006, she lost a cousin to an
IED while on his second deployment.
“There was trauma there and (my cousin) didn’t want
to go (on a second deployment),” Panui said. “It got
me curious on what services are available for those in
the military that are suffering. It dawned on me that my
specialties in addiction and trauma had application to
what some service members go through.”
Panui hadn’t thought much of actually enlisting until
she joined her husband on a visit to talk to a recruiter.
While her husband spoke to the recruiter, she kept herself
busy by answering some of the pre-screening questions
on a computer designed to gauge how well recruits
may score on an ASVAB (Armed Services Aptitude
Vocational Battery).
It wasn’t until after she and her husband left that she
received a phone call from the recruiter.
“The recruiter saw my scores and said I could do
anything I wanted,” Panui said. I was fostering children
at the time, and it wasn’t really an option, but he asked
if I’d be willing to actually take the ASVAB.
So I took it for the heck of it and he said I could do
whatever I wanted in the military. I asked if there was
a way to translate my civilian experience in behavioral
health in the Army and he confirmed that I could. So,
at the age of 37, I sat down, talked with a recruiter, and
decided to join the military.”
Panui’s experience made her eligible for a direct
commission, but she turned it down, opting to go through
basic training and accelerated Officer Candidate School.
“My intent was to come into the military and work in
behavioral health, but I felt like I needed to have some
context and a little bit of understanding (of what service
members go through),” Panui said. “Since I couldn’t just
go off to war, I felt like I needed to have some sort of
relatable experience that would help me understand and
connect with the men and women I would be working
with. I wouldn’t have gotten that experience if I just
slapped on some rank as a direct commission, so I
decided to get the experience of basic training and OCS
under my belt.”
Panui felt like a fish out of water the entire time she
endured the challenges of Army training. As a delayed
ship, she spent numerous drills in Hawaii’s Recruit
Sustainment Program, but her commitment never
wavered.
“It was a surreal experience taking the (Army Physical
Fitness Test) on my 40th birthday, in OCS,” Panui said.
“How many people can claim their grader wished them
a happy 40th? I always had this internal drive to excel.
It was fueled by my cousin’s death and kept me focused.
I realized that this is a part of what service members go
through.
“I’m not saying I enjoyed it, but I continuously
reminded myself that there is a reason for the madness,
and when I framed it that way in my mind, I was able to
focus on excelling and exceeding.”
After OCS, Panui headed back to Hawaii and worked
with active duty personnel at Tripler Army Medical
Center and Schofield Barracks in a various number
of capacities: Family Advocacy Program, Embedded
Behavioral Health, Army Substance Abuse Program.
As a National Guardsman, according to Panui, working
for and with the Active Duty was a big deal; a feather
in her cap that she is very proud of as she continued her
journey helping others.
As a commissioned second lieutenant, Panui added to
her toolbox by becoming a platoon leader in the 29th
Brigade Support Battalion, Hawaii Army National Guard
before becoming the Medical Detachment’s Behavioral
Health Officer.
On the full-time side, Panui continued working with
multiple programs, all with a focus on service members
and veterans. She worked with homeless veterans at the
VA Hospital as a contractor before becoming the Director
of the Hawaii Air National Guard Psychological Health
– all while serving as a drilling Army Guardsman. She
sees a number of similarities between those she worked
with on the civilian side and those she sees in uniform.
“A child abused or a soldier’s experience on the
battlefield – it isn’t the same event, but you see a lot
of the same variations that come out of a person that
experiences trauma,” Panui said.
“I draw on my experience with trauma and addiction so
often. When you work with people who have experienced
trauma, it isn’t about the trauma event itself, it’s about
the impact of that event,” Panui said. “I like to focus on what I call post-traumatic
growth. Part of the thing with
trauma is understanding that it
is part of who you are and that
it’s okay. You can recognize
that part of you is a part of who
you are, but doesn’t have to rule
everything that you are.
“That post-traumatic growth…
it helps people to understand that
there is an ability to move on and
be better.”
In 2014, she lost a second
family member to war – a nephew
deployed to Afghanistan. She
finds herself having to gather
and compose herself when
she speaks about either family
member, but uses their memory
to fuel her need to excel.
Her approach to her new
position has been to help
educate. Panui believes there is a
stigma Soldiers must overcome
when it comes to accessing Behavioral Health resources.
“Leaders need to lead from the front. We’re all
human beings and we all have stuff that we go through,
regardless of the rank on our chest,” Panui said. “Part
of reducing the stigma is understanding that you can use
(BH resources) just like you do other resources. When
you have a common cold, the first thing you do is go to
the doctor, or pharmacy, to get better.
“Why don’t folks do the same when it comes to their
mental health? We go out of our way for medication
and professional insight for something as simple as the
common cold. Why wouldn’t you do the same to stay
mentally and emotionally fit?”
Except for the weather, Panui has found the transition
to the northeast to be a smooth one. While her husband
ties up the last loose ends on his career as a Honolulu
Police Officer, she leans heavily on her newfound Guard
family as she makes her way around Connecticut.
“I’m so fortunate and appreciative that I have had
a group of strong, female officers to surround myself
with,” Panui said. “I’m a strong woman, and need other
strong women in my life that help as a support system.
I’ve met some really amazing, phenomenal women in
just my short time here.”
Panui will find herself all over the state as she takes
over a position that can offer a lot to Connecticut’s
Guardsmen and she’s here to help reduce the stigma by
changing the culture surrounding how some think about
accessing Behavioral Health resources.
“I want the Connecticut National Guard to know
Behavioral Health isn’t just about diagnosing someone
with a mental health disorder. It is about education people
on a number of different topics” Panui said. “Maybe
you do have an issue, or you’re in a place where you’re
drinking too much, deep in debt or going through a
divorce – and we’re here to help you.
“But coming to us doesn’t mean you’ll walk out with
a diagnosis. There are confidentiality laws and rights
that you have that protect you from adverse action for
just visiting Behavioral Health. Unless in very specific
instances, like you’re a danger to yourself or others,
your information is protected, and Connecticut’s
Guardsmen need to know that
their confidentiality is of the
utmost importance.”
From a sleep-deprived,
bartending undergrad to a
foster mother to a military
behavioral health professional,
there isn’t much Panui hasn’t
seen, and she understands the
value of self-care. She advises
people to, “fill their tank,” by
identifying activities that help
bring stress levels down and
provide an outlet when things
start to get a little rough. For
her, that includes dealing with
compassion fatigue.
“I’m a big supporter of selfinsight
and self-care. You have
to come to grips with your own
humanity because that’s where
you will become the strongest,”
Panui said.
“If I can’t overcome something
myself, how can I help someone
else overcome? It doesn’t mean
I’m perfect, but you have to be willing to work on your
own personal issues if you’re going to help others.”
Helping others has been a lifelong mission for Panui’s,
and one she will continue here in Connecticut.
“It doesn’t matter how strong you are, your mind has
to be healthy,” Panui said. “What I really appreciate
about the Army is that we are at the forefront and some
of the things the Army has done to advance in the mental
health field is championed in the civilian world. A lot of
the policies set have evolved to make sure our service
members are not just physically capable, but mentally,
socially and emotionally healthy as well.
“I want our service members to know that you’re a
whole person. You aren’t just an APFT score, or an expert
on the weapons range, or a fantastic ruck marcher. You
are a whole person with multiple sides, and I’m here to
help with those other sides that aren’t scored on a test.”
Looking for more information on
Connecticut’s Behavioral Health Program? Call 1-855-800-0120.