{"id":28303,"date":"2023-09-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=28303"},"modified":"2023-09-22T06:41:58","modified_gmt":"2023-09-22T06:41:58","slug":"proclamation-signifies-fort-cavazos-iii-armored-corps-commitment-to-suicide-prevention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=28303","title":{"rendered":"Proclamation signifies Fort Cavazos, III Armored Corps commitment to suicide prevention"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Retired Lt. Col. Blaine Rabenz, the event\u2019s guest speaker; Summer Dixon, Fort Cavazos Suicide Prevention coordinator; Col. Lakicia Stokes, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos commander; and Command Sgt. Maj. Calvin Hall, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos command sergeant major, join Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos commanding general, as he signed the Suicide Prevention proclamation Friday at III Armored Corps Headquarters. (U.S. Army photo by Janecze Wright, Fort Cavazos Public Affairs)
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FORT CAVAZOS, Texas \u2014 <\/strong>Fort Cavazos\u2019 commitment to suicide prevention was highlighted during the Suicide Prevention Proclamation signing Friday at III Armored Corps Headquarters here.<\/p>\n

The proclamation signifies III Armored Corps\u2019 commitment to building resiliency and supporting the health, safety and well-being of its Soldiers, their families, Army civilians and the community.<\/p>\n

The theme for 2023 is \u201cYou are a light in somebody\u2019s life,\u201d which underscores the impact each individual has on preventing suicide.<\/p>\n

Military leaders and attendees, wearing varying shades of purple and teal to commemorate Suicide Prevention month, listened as Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos commanding general, encouraged unit leaders to be engaged and empathetic.<\/p>\n

\u201cSuicide prevention starts with the leaders who are proficient, leaders who are truly engaged with their Soldiers, their Soldiers\u2019 families and their units, and leaders who are empathetic. That\u2019s where it starts,\u201d he began. \u201cSuicide prevention is about caring for our Soldiers, all of our civilians and their families. It is absolutely about care for Soldiers and their families in all aspects of the word.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot just being a leader who is proficient, engaged, empathetic, but developing our young Soldiers who find themselves in fierce positions as team leaders, young corporals and sergeants, making sure they understand what it means to be engaged and empathetic,\u201d Bernabe continued.<\/p>\n

Bernabe went on to convey that suicide prevention is about building cohesive teams and recognizing when a team member needs help.<\/p>\n

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\n Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos commanding general, addresses the audience during the Suicide Prevention proclamation signing Friday at III Armored Corps Headquarters. (U.S. Army photo by Janecze Wright, Fort Cavazos Public Affairs)
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As he closed, Bernabe reiterated his assertion that suicide prevention starts at the top.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me say again, it all starts with an engaged and empathetic leadership,\u201d he said. \u201cI see a lot of leaders here. I ask you to join me in your commitment to prevent suicide. One is too many at Fort Cavazos. One is too many in the III Armored Corps. Let\u2019s prevent suicide. You with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

Soldiers and guests responded with a resounding \u201chooah\u201d and a thunderous round of applause before welcoming guest speaker retired Lt. Col. Blaine Radenz.<\/p>\n

The audience listened intently as Radenz recounted how depression and behavioral issues contributed to his youngest son taking his own life.<\/p>\n

Radenz paused frequently as he remembered the events that let up to the day his son died and the struggles he and his family faced in the wake of the tragedy.<\/p>\n

He admitted that he never talked to his child about suicide or asked him if he was thinking of killing himself and implored others to take an opposite approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be like me. I didn\u2019t want to live with it,\u201d Radenz urged. \u201cInform folks. Like the general said, it starts with proactive and engaged leadership.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Fort Cavazos military leaders bow their heads during the invocation during the Suicide Prevention proclamation signing Friday at III Armored Corps Headquarters. (U.S. Army photo by Janecze Wright, Fort Cavazos Public Affairs)
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Before taking his seat, Radenz issued a heartfelt plea to take action.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are a light in someone\u2019s life, whether you know it or not,\u201d he encouraged. \u201cAnyone can be that light that sustains the lines when someone is in that dark overwhelming place. Even a stranger can offer that lifeline when someone is in that place. Please, take the effort. Take the chance. Reach out when you think someone needs it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Summer Dixon, Fort Cavazos Suicide Prevention coordinator, echoed the same sentiments of implementing a collaborative effort to help save lives.<\/p>\n

She implored attendees to \u201cget to know one another and seek understanding and common ground as we work to meet the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dixon thanked the audience for their attendance and dedication to the mission of suicide prevention.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour presence here implies a free commitment to be a part, to being that agent of change in assisting in efforts to attain a suicide free community,\u201d she said. \u201cRemember, the actions we take today can help reduce suicides here tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Col. Lakicia Stokes, U.S Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos commander, Command Sgt. Maj. Calvin Hall, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos command sergeant major, Dixon and Rabenz joined Bernabe as he signed the proclamation, which read in part, \u201cConnectedness highlights the important role of building relationships within family, friends, community and resources to prevent suicide. Making a connection with a person can protect a life from suicide. The Army continues to experience an accelerated number of suicides, suicide attempts and suicidal ideations. Our entire III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos community must be fully committed to reversing this disturbing suicidal trend.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Retired Lt. Col. Blaine Rabenz, the event\u2019s guest speaker; Summer Dixon, Fort Cavazos Suicide Prevention coordinator; Col. Lakicia Stokes, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos commander; and Command Sgt. Maj. Calvin Hall, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Cavazos command sergeant major, join Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, III Armored Corps and Fort Cavazos commanding general, as he signed the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28305,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28303","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=28303"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28303\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28309,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28303\/revisions\/28309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/28305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=28303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=28303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=28303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}