Military Suicide
A recent article in Stars and Stripes caught my attention. The article, Corps: Death of Camp Foster Marine an apparent suicide, briefly discusses the death of Corporal Adam J. Grady. My prayers are with the family, friends, and Marines who loved Corporal Grady.
The article has forced me to reflect over the last year and the multiple suicide attempts in my unit. One resulted in a Marine being paralyzed from the shoulders down. Another resulted in a Marine being medically separated. There is nothing wrong with command climate here, nor are there unnecessary stressors being placed upon us.
The reasons behinds the suicide attempts vary depending on who you ask, and the actual motives behind them may never be known except to the individual. The impact on those that lived and worked with the suicidal Marine is immeasurable and forces us all to ask a very hard question. What could I have done?
There are countless resources available to a service member who is suicidal and these resources are pounded into our heads at all safety training sessions, but Marines still attempt suicide at an alarming rate. Are the resources being used? Are they effective?
The answer to both questions is yes. Recently, a service member came forward to get help and someone was there for him. His life was saved because the Marine Corps ensured there were multiple avenues for him to take to get help. The line is cliché, but one life saved makes each dollar spent on the resources worth it.
Is there something else we could be doing aside from the all the various programs and training tools? It seems that no matter how much we do and what we make available, someone will not seek the help they desperately need and attempt to take their own life. Leaders can not admit defeat and claim the system is broken when an attempt is made. We must push forward, refresh our training, and ensure those directly affected are taken care of.
Another interesting bit of information contained in the article are the suicide rates for the Marine Corps, Army, and civilian population at large. The suicide rate for both the Marines and Army is lower than the civilian population. I believe the military has a lower rate thanks to our training and camaraderie.
Regardless of the fact the military has lower suicide rates, even one suicide is too many. Leaders at all level must watch their Marines and we have to look out for each other. Suicide is a battle that can be won, it just takes a lot of hard work.
Christie
September 10th, 2009 at 11:58 amThat was my cousin and thank you for the prayers for my family thanks once again……….