Armor For Your Mind
I mentioned awhile ago that I was about to delve into the process of getting mental help. Prior to doing so, I wanted to look into all my options and talk to a few people. One of the things I have found helpful that I think other veterans could benefit from is an Army program called Battlemind.
Battlemind has four specific objectives:
1. To mentally prepare our Warriors for the rigors of combat and other military deployments.
2. To assist our Warriors in their successful transition back home
3. To provide our Warriors with the skills to assist their “Battle-Buddy” to transition home
4. To prepare our Warriors to possibly deploy again in support of all types of military operations, including additional combat tours
What does that mean? It means that the Army wants to assist Warriors through all phases of the combat cycle, whether it be in training prior to deployment or coping at the end of one. The goal, I think, is to actually minimize the number of Warriors suffering from mental issues as a result of their military service, especially at a time of war. If we properly train troops to the best of our ability to deal with the issues they will confront in combat, the likelihood that they will be affected is minimized. However, the Army also recognizes that “no amount of training can completely prepare a Warrior for the realities of ground combat and high-risk deployments.”
The program came about as a result of the Land Combat Study. With increased suicide rates and symptoms of PTSD, the Battlemind concept was born.
It is being incorporated into virtually all phases of Army training, beginning with Basic Combat Training. In this phase, soon-to-be Warriors core-competency and strength-based concepts and principles. The build trust in leaders and their battle-buddies. Additionally, troops are taught essential self-aid/buddy-aid (SABA). This ensures that that any trauma our troops may experience is identified and managed early before it gets worse. One of the biggest methods of keeping troops safe is early detection and care.
More advanced phases of this training is integrated into all the leadership schools within the Army from the Warrior Leader Course, the first leadership course a Soldier will encounter, all the way to the Sergeants Major Academy, Warrant Officer Staff Course, and Intermediate Level Education for Officers.
For example, Battlemind IV focuses on Leader resiliency for the Senior Noncommissioned Officer, specifically senior E-7s and O-6s and above. The module discusses the application of evidence-based, Warrior-oriented principles for ensuring their mental well-being and psychological fitness. This is the phase that is incorporated into the most senior leadership Army schools.
Another great aspect of this program is that it doesn’t just address our Warriors. It is also focused on a crucial aspect that is often overlooked – the spouses and significant others. Prior to the deployment, these loved ones will be taught more about the nature of military life, independence and resiliency, and some of what their Warrior’s experience may be in the combat theater as well as the Spouse’s deployment experience while behind at home. The goal is to maintain Army families, Army strong. Often, the hardest part of a deployment is the lack of understanding, experience, and knowledge of our family members in dealing with a deployed troop. They have been able to carry on their lives mostly like normal and expect that nothing will change with their Warrior’s return. This misunderstanding can contribute to broken marriages and damaged familiar relationships.
It’s good to see the Army’s continuing commitment to treating and understanding the needs of its troops…at least in this respect.
