Service members should not consider suicide-prevention training business as usual, the Defense Logistics Agency’s new senior enlisted leader told DLA Headquarters troops Sept. 26.
Army Command Sgt. Maj. Sultan Muhammad spoke prior to suicide-prevention training at the McNamara Headquarters Complex. He said service member suicides are a problem that has to be prevented.
“We have to take care of every service member. We have to reduce this problem,” he said. “We can’t let this training be business as usual, because it’s not. When you look at the numbers, they are shocking, and I just don’t want that to happen to this organization.”
The training, which was held in two sessions for all uniformed DLA Headquarters personnel, was conducted by the DLA Chaplain’s Office and led by Army Staff Sgt. Sara Misorek, the chaplain’s assistant. It came amid the Army’s Suicide Prevention Month and one day before the service’s suicide prevention stand down, scheduled for Sept. 27.
Misorek went over facts and myths surrounding suicide, surprising the audience with some, such as that while proportionally, more men attempt suicide, women who attempt suicide make more attempts than men. She said suicide is something that many people contemplate at some point in their lives.
“Suicide is an attempt to escape the psychological and emotional pain,” she said. ‘They’re at the end of their rope.”
Those in attendance watched two videos: the Army’s “Shoulder to Shoulder: Finding Strength and Hope Together” and a clip from a movie, “The Bridge,” which related the story of a man who survived when he attempted suicide by jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. “Shoulder to Shoulder” included interviews with Soldiers, Department of the Army civilians and family members whose lives had been affected by suicide and attempted suicide.
Muhammad, who said that as a leader he has lost five Soldiers to suicides, related a story about a Soldier his command lost in Iraq in 2004. He told the joint crowd the point of the training was to refresh their knowledge of the subject and help them recognize the signs of someone contemplating suicide in order to stop them before it happens. He said he wanted to make it clear that asking for help is not something that can ruin a service member’s career.
“It is OK to get help. It’s OK. It’s not going to affect your career. I’m here, and I’ve got problems,” he said. “Actually it will enhance your career, because as you’re dealing with those issues, you’re bettering yourself. I’m telling you it’s OK.”
Misorek shared a number of resources service members can use if they or someone they know is contemplating suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK, and Fort Belvoir, Va., has a 24/7 chaplain’s line at 703-805-4002. The DLA Chaplain’s Office can be reached at 703-767-5249. Fort Belvoir Behavioral Health can be reached at 571-231-1204.