|
|
|
|
|
|
The Defense Department today recognized eleven United States' military installations and commands for suicide prevention programs and efforts conducted last year.
It is at military installations and commands around the U.S. and the world where dedicated military and civilian personnel work to identify the root causes of suicide, identify those who may be at risk for suicide and apply suicide prevention efforts, said Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks during an event at the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.
"We want to recognize all of the installations here for the exemplary suicide prevention efforts," Hicks said. "Today's ceremony highlights all of your contributions. The honored teams reflect the wide-ranging and cutting-edge approaches that the department is taking to save lives and address root causes."
Eleven military installations and commands were identified as having exemplary suicide prevention programs and efforts from September 2022 through August 2024. These include:
- Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. (Army);
- Guam Army National Guard, Guam (National Guard);
- Deployment Support Command, Birmingham, Ala. (Army Reserve);
- Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. (Marine Corps);
- USS Makin Island, Naval Base San Diego (Navy);
- Naval Construction Battalion 18, Port Hueneme, Calif. (Navy Reserve);
- MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. (Air Force);
- The 175th Wing, Warfield Air National Guard Base, Md. (Air National Guard);
- Air Force Reserve Command at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas (Air Force Reserve);
- Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif. (Space Force); and
- Coast Guard Base Kodiak, Alaska (Coast Guard).
"All of these programs and initiatives are making an impact, and they're reaching people before they are at a point in crisis," Hicks said.
Suicide and suicide prevention are complex subjects, Hicks said, and it will take the expertise and efforts of everyone within the Defense Department and the military services to tackle it.
"Suicide prevention isn't just about mental health," said Hicks. "There's no single cause that leads to suicide, and there is no single solution that will eliminate or reduce these tragedies. Suicide is a public health challenge, and the department is taking a comprehensive, integrated approach to decreasing suicide risk."
At the Pentagon level, Hicks said, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has over the past four years furthered his own set of initiatives aimed squarely at improving the lives of service members and their families. Included there are efforts to improve access to mental health care.
"Last Friday, Secretary Austin announced a new set of 'Taking Care of People' initiatives, his fourth in a series over the same number of years," she said. "And as he has in each of the years before, he made mental health and suicide prevention key features of his plan to ensure the success and well-being of service members."
Hicks said she is proud of the work done at installation and command level to identify and address the factors that contribute to suicide and said the Defense Department remains committed to suicide prevention.
"We remain squarely focused on suicide prevention, from the secretary of defense to division and squadron leaders, and from the E ring here in the Pentagon to every post beyond, on land and at sea," she said. "Suicide prevention needs the attention of every leader at every level throughout the department. We're committed to getting it right, and we're open to solutions generated by installation teams like we're recognizing here today."
