Suicide prevention specialists with Headquarters Marine Corps speak to service members and civilian advocates during the 2023 Suicide Prevention Stakeholder’s Symposium on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June 6, 2023. The symposium, now in its third iteration, brings mental health professionals and service members together to discuss critical issues and preventative measures regarding suicide. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Tyler Andrews) ()
CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JAPAN – U.S. service members joined government and civilian advocates for the 2023 Suicide Prevention Stakeholder’s Wellness Symposium on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June 6-8, 2023. The symposium, now in its third iteration, brings mental health professionals from Headquarters Marine Corps and service members with III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Forces Pacific together to discuss critical issues and preventative measures regarding suicide.
“If you go from one place in the Marine Corps to another, you'll find different ways of approaching [suicide prevention], not all good, not all bad. And all of them have their heart in the right place,” said Dr. Tomoni Owens, section head for Suicide Prevention Capability, HQMC. “At Headquarters Marine Corps, we have an integrated approach with many disciplines that are all working in their area bringing together an integrated way of tackling this health issue. But not everyone in the Marine Corps knows about that. If you talk to some of the commanders pre- and post-command, they'll tell you the biggest fear is knowing what to do when something happens. We bring that to them and one of the vehicles we use is the [Suicide Prevention Stakeholder’s Wellness Symposium].”
The symposium, averaging nearly 100 U.S. service member and civilian advocate participants each day, discussed various topics with HQMC mental health professionals such as suicide prevention, wellness, health resource barriers, stigmas associated with seeking help, post-intervention, and reintegration. Concerns ranged from how to accomplish the mission while taking care of the service member, how to account for lack of available mental health providers OCONUS and efforts being taken to fill these positions.
“We are having this [death by suicide] issue across the board, not just Okinawa,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Melanie Bell-Carter, chief of Force Resiliency, Marine and Family Programs Division, HQMC. “We have had extensive conversations with the secretary of the Navy and the commandant of the Marine Corps who are working that very issue as a top priority for not just [secretary of the Navy] level, but DOD as a whole, because it’s not just the Marine Corps out here, of course. And they are looking to hire more providers to come out into the islands.”
Recognizing there was a crucial need for suicide prevention measures for service members, the U.S. Department of Defense established the Suicide Prevention and Response Independent Review Committee in March 2022. On February 24, 2023, the committee released a report stating their findings and recommendations following nearly 2.5 million dollars of spending for the fiscal year 2022-2023 toward DOD studies, labor and expenses as they relate to suicide prevention and response.
Symposium attendees discussed the importance of primary prevention, or intervening before a crisis or trauma occurs, through measures such as increasing protective factors and environments. HQMC facilitates this healthy environment to communicate, educate and train U.S. service members, leaders and civilian advocates to do the same.
“What we do every single day is suicide prevention,” said Dr. Leila Brady, assistant branch head for Prevention and Response, HQMC. “When we make the choice to get up and see the positive in life, when we get up and start our day with gratitude, when we choose to target mental fitness, physical fitness, spiritual fitness, and social fitness. All of that is suicide prevention. And that's where the wellness title comes from.”
Throughout the three-day symposium there were issues addressed and suggestions for immediate actions were agreed upon to affect bigger-picture change across the entire U.S. Marine Corps.
“Out here in Okinawa, we’re the furthest away from the flagpole,” said Michelle Wozniak, the director for Embedded Preventive Behavioral Health Capability, III MEF. “[HQMC] are back in Quantico and they’re the ones making a lot of policies that then impact what we do out here. This was a firsthand experience for Headquarters Marine Corps to come out and hear from us and learn from us. I think they really created this environment for open dialogue, providing the opportunity for discussions and questions. And if there was a question left unanswered, [mental health professionals with HQMC] said, ‘Hey, we’re going to take this back for action and we’re going to look into it.’”
Representatives from commands throughout Okinawa, Iwakuni, Hawaii, Camp Mujuk as well as mental health professionals from HQMC in Quantico participated in the symposium each day.
“When we're referencing a public health approach, we're referencing science sets,” said Brady. “When we're looking at a peer-to-peer, or we're looking at a social-ecological model of influence, we're looking at a targeted approach to prevention, and we know that that is what works to get ahead of it. And that suicide is a public health issue. It is an absolute health issue, so death by suicide is something that each of us thinks about consistently. How do we keep folks in the fight? Because your job as Marines is to be mission ready. [If] you've reached the point of ‘My option, my [course of action] is to die by suicide,’ you're not mission ready.”
During SPSWS, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni was recognized with the Headquarters Marine Corps Suicide Prevention Outreach Award for outstanding suicide prevention outreach and dedication for the annual Connect to Protect: Help is Within Reach Campaign 2022. Accepting the award on behalf of MCAS Iwakuni, was U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jergen Campbell, manpower and suicide prevention officer with Marine Aircraft Group 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.
“I think the beauty of it is that everyone is geared toward the same end-state,” said Campbell. “Which is making sure that no-one chooses a permanent solution for temporary problems, and we don’t lose Marines to death by suicide or all the things that are associated with it. Especially within III MEF, if it’s just a certain attempt, a certain ideation or a certain condition, if we don’t stay ahead of the issues, we may not lose the Marine to death by suicide, but there is a chance that Marine may be shipped back to CONUS. Knowing that we all have the same desired end-state, and every unit, command and mission is different, how do we in our own intricate ways apply it to get to the same end-state of taking care of our Marines, Sailors and families when it comes to enhancing mental wellness?”
SPSWP, HQMC, service members and civilian advocates addressed issues and immediate actions throughout the symposium, however the fight for preventing suicide is continuous.
“We all have a role in suicide prevention: individual service members, unit leaders, families and mental health professionals,” said U.S. Marine Corps Gen. David H. Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps. “Every Marine and Sailor must work together to be engaged in each other's lives. Just as we talk about physical fitness, marksmanship, training and education – Marines must also be comfortable discussing life's struggles, mental wellness, and suicide. We must create a community where seeking help and assistance are simply normal, important decisions Marines and Sailors make.”
