Arnold stands down to raise resiliency

  • Published
  • By Bradley Hicks
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  The U.S. Air Force is on track in 2019 to experience a five-year high in the number of Total Force deaths by suicide.

In response to this growing concern and in an effort to address it, Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein on Aug. 1 ordered all Air Force units to stand down for a one-day Resilience Tactical Pause (RTP) by mid-September to focus on suicide prevention.

“Make this time matter. Make it yours,” Goldfein wrote on social media after ordering the stand down. “We must take time to listen, connect and address the issues that are shifting our teammates’ outlook from hopeful to hopeless.”

The RTP at Arnold Air Force Base occurred on Aug. 29, just days before the start of National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month. During the daylong operational stand down, airmen and employees across Arnold learned more about suicide prevention and had the opportunity to gather for some food, comradery and connection.

Prior to the RTP at Arnold, AEDC Commander Col. Jeffrey Geraghty sent an email to the AEDC workforce to inform its members of the upcoming pause. In his message, Geraghty wrote that as of July 29, there had been nearly 80 suspected Total Force deaths by suicide. This represents a significant increase over the 51 suspected suicide death experienced by the same date in 2018.

The number of suspected Total Force deaths by suicide in 2019 has since climbed above 80.

Geraghty wrote that without direct, targeted efforts, the Air Force is on pace to lose more than 150 Total Force Airmen this year to suicide, an increase of more than 30 percent over the last five years. He further wrote that prevention can sometimes be as simple as human connectedness.

“Connectedness is necessary to prevent suicides and can also be beneficial to unit cohesion and morale,” Geraghty wrote. “AEDC personnel at all levels must make every effort to enhance unit connectedness, and create a climate that fosters total force resilience and optimal performance, while promoting help-seeking when necessary.”

To provide tools to the workforce, branch leaders and facilitators led discussions in work sections around Arnold during the early portion of the RTP. They shared with unit members information on suicide, such as warning signs, and provided steps those observing such signs in others can take.

“We are encouraging leaders to get more involved with communicating to their Airmen that seeking help during times of stress is important and to have the tough conversations,” said Lee Smith, Arnold AFB Community Support Coordinator and Violence Prevention Integrator.

As Air Force Materiel Command Commander Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr. stated in his August virtual town hall, sometimes the most important intervention is simply noticing somebody who is stressed out and asking how things are going and how they can help. The RTP is aimed at helping make those connections that allow leaders and co-workers to notice the sometimes subtle signs of stress.

Later in the day, Arnold military and DOD civilians assembled at the Arnold Lakeside Center for the “Let’s Connect” portion of the RTP. Both Smith and AEDC Vice Director Edward Ayer addressed the crowd to further discuss the topic of suicide prevention. Afterward, those in attendance were treated to free pizza and snacks. Cards featuring different questions, such as “What do you think is the most interesting subject in school?” were placed on the tables in the ALC to spur conversations among those present.

Others opted to venture outside and take part in the games, which included cornhole, disc golf, tug of war and badminton.

“The ‘Connect Event’ is designed to get people to talk to others that they may not talk to in the course of their normal duty day,” Smith said. “We want them to connect with more than just the people in their work center.”

Smith said holding the social portion of the RTP away from workstations and in a more comfortable locale was important, as the setting would be more conducive to interaction.

“This gets them away from the office in a low-stress environment,” Smith said. “Maybe you can have a chance to talk to somebody or ask someone a question that you may not have a chance to during a normal workday. You have those opportunities here where it’s a bit more relaxed.”

Geraghty has made clear that when one uses the word “Airmen” at Arnold, it includes not only those in uniform and DOD civilians but also base contractors, all of whom contribute to a vitally-important national security mission.

“To put it simply, anyone who selflessly serves the Air Force mission with integrity and excellence is an Airman,” Geraghty said.

All Airmen were invited to take part in the “Let’s Connect” event.

“We want them to know that they’re part of the connection that we need to build and nurture on this base, and that’s going to be a focus of this year and next year,” Smith said.

Smith also reiterated verbiage from Goldfein’s order and Geraghty’s message – that the RTP is the beginning of a sustained effort and the topics broached during the event must continue to receive focus and discussion.

“The idea is it doesn’t stop today,” Smith said. “This is the beginning of the conversations that they’re going to have within the work centers. We want leaders to come back to this subject on a regular basis, in staff meetings and other functions. Once leaders routinely communicate about the issue’s importance, others within the unit will see that as well, and they’ll start to recognize potential early warning signs in the people that they care about. With the proper engagement, Airmen can get their Wingman to the right helping agency. Airmen at all levels should know that during those times when challenges feel overwhelming it is institutionally-valued and socially-accepted to seek help.”

The RTP not only served to start these conversations but also to let personnel know of available resources.

These resources include the Military Crisis Line, which can be reached at 1-800-273-8255, option 1, and the services offered by the Department of Defense Employee Assistance Program at foh4you.com.

For more information on suicide prevention, visit the Air Force Resilience website at www.resilience.af.mil.