{"id":29481,"date":"2023-09-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=29481"},"modified":"2023-09-30T06:42:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T06:42:23","slug":"national-guard-committed-to-suicide-prevention-year-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=29481","title":{"rendered":"National Guard Committed to Suicide Prevention Year-round"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks recognizes the Guam National Guard’s suicide prevention efforts at the Department of Defense’s annual Suicide Prevention Awareness Recognition Ceremony in the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, Sept. 6, 2023. (Department of Defense photo by Chad J. McNeeley)
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ARLINGTON, Va. \u2013 The National Guard\u2019s commitment to fighting suicide remains steadfast, according to Guard officials, and goes beyond September, which the Department of Defense recognizes as National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month.<\/p>\n

Army Lt. Col. Crystal Huff, chief of Warrior Resilience and Fitness for the National Guard Bureau personnel division, said that committing a month to generate awareness about suicide prevention underscores the profound connection between people and mission success.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople [are the Guard\u2019s] No. 1 asset,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you show people they matter, and they feel valued, that leads to a healthier force. So, there\u2019s a direct link between taking care of people and increasing readiness.\u201d<\/p>\n

But that mindset, she added, shouldn\u2019t be confined to a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe great thing about September is that we\u2019re able to talk about it, amplify it and magnify the importance of it,\u201d said Huff. \u201cBut we must make time to connect throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Guam National Guard set a compelling example of strengthening bonds by weaving the Defense Suicide Prevention Office theme \u201cConnect to Protect\u201d into a tapestry of impactful campaigns, outreach events, resources and educational initiatives.<\/p>\n

One such event, \u201cChalk the Walk,\u201d invited Guam Guard families to inscribe uplifting messages in chalk, fostering a supportive atmosphere. During the holiday season, their \u201cCombat the Holiday Blues\u201d campaign raised awareness through strategic promotional materials at various events.<\/p>\n

More recently, coordinators and senior leaders helped inspire nearly 500 Guam Guard members to submit messages on \u201cstrength cards\u201d that were used during a prayer breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur programs and initiatives stress that support comes from all levels and that we must all work together to protect ourselves and each other while combating the stigma around seeking help for mental health and suicide,\u201d said Guam Guard suicide prevention coordinators.<\/p>\n

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks recognized the Guam Guard\u2019s suicide-prevention efforts at a Pentagon ceremony.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur honorees\u2019 work on suicide prevention has been more than conceptual,\u201d Hicks said at the Sept. 6 event. \u201cThey\u2019ve launched campaigns to get the word out on life-changing information. They\u2019ve organized outreach events to increase awareness. They\u2019ve helped match people to the community support systems that best suit their needs. And they\u2019ve nurtured connectedness at every level \u2014 from individuals to the squadron, command and battalion levels \u2014 to help save lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Guam Guard is not alone in its fight against suicide. In addition to hosting year-round events, Guard units nationwide are implementing training to make lethal means less accessible and less likely to cause death \u2014 a critical step to save lives in a mental health crisis event, according to Defense Department officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, because some of the other states have done that [training] and shown success, we\u2019ve elevated that program now to the national level, and we\u2019re going to try to roll it out to others,\u201d Huff said.<\/p>\n

She said making connections remains paramount in fighting suicide, starting the first day Soldiers and Airmen begin their military journeys.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to build that connection from the beginning \u2014 from the time a service member joins the ranks to the moment they leave,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In a recent public service announcement, Senior Enlisted Advisor Tony Whitehead, SEA to the chief of the National Guard Bureau, challenged Guard members to always look out for each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you know if the Soldier or Airman standing next to you needs help?\u201d he asked. \u201cI strongly encourage you to reach out to a battle buddy or wingman and let them know they matter. Seek help when you need it because a healthy force is a mission-ready force.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know is in crisis, contact Military and Veterans Crisis Lines. Dial 988, then press 1. For non-crisis help, visit http:\/\/militaryonesource.mil or call 1-800-342-9647.<\/p>\n

For more National Guard news<\/a><\/p>\n

National Guard Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

National Guard Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen H. Hicks recognizes the Guam National Guard’s suicide prevention efforts at the Department of Defense’s annual Suicide Prevention Awareness Recognition Ceremony in the Pentagon Hall of Heroes, Sept. 6, 2023. (Department of Defense photo by Chad J. McNeeley) (Photo Credit: Chad J. McNeeley) VIEW ORIGINAL ARLINGTON, Va. \u2013 The National […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29483,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29481","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\/29481","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=29481"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29484,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29481\/revisions\/29484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}