"If you don't remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this -- suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad," Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told his forces. "It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it's got to stop now. Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now." (Full Story)Additionally:
"Don't let yourself, your buddies or your families down," he said, ending his comments by repeating, "This has got to stop, soldiers. It's got to stop now. Have a great week." (Full Story)
I ask you to consider his words in light of the fact that he is likely the highest ranking person who will ever be physically seen by the masses of people who were mandated to listen to him that day. In other words, within the strictly authoritarian hierarchy that is the military Chain of Command, he is the top level of what is actually visible to the vast majority of those below him. Secondly, bear in mind this one quote from the book Suicide Science, in which the chapter title Shame, Guilt, and Suicide alone is telling:
Although CNN interviewed a few mental health experts about how such "guidance" may have been ineffective, I'm more interested to hear what message you think was received by the soldiers if they did exactly as their General ordered. What might they be thinking and feeling if, in the wake of the 11 suicides that prompted the special meeting, they remembered only that their General said, as regards suicide:
"Theory and emerging empirical research indicates that feelings of shame are more prominent than guilt in the dynamics leading up to suicidal thoughts and behaviors."
"It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country . . ."
Furthermore, what effect might it have had on the soldier who was earnestly struggling with thoughts of suicide, perhaps as an effect of the extreme cognitive dissonance required of any individual tasked with killing others for the sake of promoting peace, justice, and liberty?
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I doubt anything he said would have much effect. In the article the General mentions talking to someone, which is a good step. The article doesn't get into what else was done. I've been subjected to "safety standowns" after our community has taken, what is for us, heavy losses. While there was a speech by our Commodore, there was also reviews by the smaller units (being overseas at the time I was subjectd to this).
ReplyDeleteI think its an unfair caricature to frame the command's response by the press' coverage. It is highly unlikely that there wasn't any imput from the command's psych dept (admittedly, I don't know how the 101st is structred, but it's a HUGE unit and most likely has psychs and conselors attached to the medical dept.) The article also doesn't get into how many of the deaths were at Ft. Campell but outside the 101st. Its doubtful that its many, the garrison CO is an O6, probably only commanding a small fraction of the people stationed there.
While we are making wild, completely subjective assertions to why these people may have killed themselves, I’ll make one. Given the amount of actual "killing others for the sake of promoting peace, justice, and liberty" these soldiers were tasked with on their last few deployments. I'll wager that it was the overall stress inherent of a combat zone. What wars we should be fighting and how is a separate issue.
But to make evidence-free assumptions on why these soldiers killed themselves, without any evidence as to their jobs, time in, combat time and deployment location is shooting in the dark. The same holds true for the article that parsed the CO's speech and then extrapolated the whole prevention program from it. Perhaps the quoted speech was the entirety of what is being done. And if so, it will do little to stem any future suicides. But it's very unlikely that was the only program supplied.
As for the quoted comments themselves, in relation to the shame v. guilt quote. I agree with the exerpt Dan provided. Suicide is probably the most selfish thing someone can do. Guilt requires caring about what others think. Shame is a completely introverted emotion. What the General said might have invoked guilt. Its unlikely, but like I said before, I doubt that the speech was the only thing offered.
Jay Jones