September 2023 — MHCE Newsletter

10 | MHCE - News www.mhce.us SEPTEMBER 2023 EDITION
Military Assistance to Maui Swells to 700 as
Recovery Teams Aid in Identifying Remains
Three soldiers at Fort Cavazos, Texas, died by suicide in the
past two weeks. But those deaths aren't unique to the installation
formerly known as Fort Hood. At least two soldiers have died
by suicide every week this year on average in the part-time
components and on active duty at bases across the service,
according to internal documents reviewed by Military.com.
There isn't a singular problem, as suicide is typically a complex
constellation of issues both personal and environmental, though
soldiers have pointed to quality-of-life issues and a breakneck
schedule constantly being away from home, despite the U.S.
being in a period resembling peacetime, as adding stressors to
their service.
policy, which goes into effect on Sept. 8, has no clear guidance
for how service members are supposed to take action if someone
in their ranks has declining mental health or suicidal ideation,
despite promises that the new doctrine would help provide
direction.
"This isn't a serious answer to what I'm seeing," one command
sergeant major told Military.com on the condition of anonymity
to avoid retaliation for speaking candidly with the press. "We've
been great about talking about this stuff, I think the culture is
close to where we need it to be ... or at least it has come a long
way. What are those immediate steps a junior leader takes when
their soldier is in trouble? We're getting a bit lost in the sauce."
But as the Army has struggled to grapple with the continued
prevalence of suicide, the service has had no universal guidance
for how leaders are expected to respond if a soldier is in the
midst of a mental health crisis, a fundamental building block for
combatting the problem of self-harm.
Three years ago, the Army sought to craft a policy outlining its
first major suicide prevention doctrine, an effort senior leaders
highlighted to Congress in May.
Earlier this month, the Army quietly published that doctrine to
combat suicide three years after it originally intended. The new
The service has more than a dozen official minor resources on
suicide prevention and response, which are not formal doctrine
and instead mostly short pamphlets and PowerPoint presentations,
but the August release is the first major doctrine on the subject
meant to consolidate information on how commanders should
work to prevent suicides within their formations and respond if
a soldier dies.
Last year, the Army saw at least 255 soldiers die by suicide.
Decisions on whether to provide a soldier mental health
counseling, give them time away from the field, or simply ask
whether they are considering self-harm is largely left up to