Mental Health Awareness Month: A call to reflect, recognize and reach out

May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to confront the stigma surrounding mental health, deepen our understanding, and recommit to caring for ourselves and each other.

At Arnold Air Force Base and across the 704th Test Group, our geographically separated unit in Otero County, New Mexico, this observance carries profound significance, not just professionally but personally.

Over the course of my 37 years of combined military and civilian service, I’ve witnessed the toll mental illness can take. I’ve seen resilient Airmen struggle quietly, and I’ve known some who tragically lost their lives to suicide. For some, the warning signs were clear – withdrawal, despair, hopelessness – and someone stepped in. In other cases, those signs were overlooked and misunderstood. Those moments stay with you. They remind us why awareness must lead to action.

Here in Coffee County, Tennessee, mental health challenges are real and rising. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for adults aged 25 to 44, and our region consistently ranks high in mental health-related emergency room visits.

Otero County, New Mexico, similarly faces elevated rates of depression and suicide, particularly among veterans and young adults.

These aren’t just statistics. They are our teammates, our friends and our families.

This May, I ask each of you to take time to reflect. Have you checked in on your wingman lately? Have you paused to ask how a teammate is really doing? Are you helping build a culture where it’s okay to not be okay?

Mental health is mission readiness. It’s family stability. It’s a human issue and it requires all of us.

If you’re struggling, please know you’re not alone. If you see someone struggling, lean in. Ask the question. Stay present. Connect them to support. Sometimes, that moment of connection is the difference between despair and hope.

We each have a role to play, not just in May, but always. Let’s make it count.

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Together, let’s lead with compassion, act with courage and look out for one another because every life matters.