[Pages S3542-S3545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

SUICIDE IN THE ARMED FORCES

Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today, on the sixth anniversary of the
invasion of Iraq, I want to speak about an epidemic facing the Nation's
Armed Forces; namely, the alarming rate of suicides in the services.
Yesterday, the Personnel Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee
held an excellent hearing on this topic, and I would like to thank the
chairman and ranking member for taking on this important issue. I would
also like to discuss an issue that we have so far paid far too little
attention to, and that is the way the strain on the force caused by the
rate of deployment is compromising our ability to care for
servicemembers struggling with mental health concerns.
We have come a long way in addressing this issue. Only a generation
ago, Vietnam veterans struggled to get care for the long-term
consequences of the trauma they survived during the war. They were
trailblazers, and thanks to them the VA has revolutionized the way it
cares for veterans. We now have, among other things, counseling centers
where combat veterans can go to speak with experienced counselors who
are also combat veterans about their difficulties in readjusting to
civilian life. I commend the President for emphasizing the need for
additional centers and have been a strong advocate for just that in the
State of Wisconsin. But more remains to be done.
It is not sufficient to wait until a servicemember is discharged from
the Services and transitioned to the VA to respond to the crisis. Let's
be honest. There is a conflict between the responsibility to both
maintain the readiness of the Armed Forces and adequately respond to
the needs of servicemembers struggling with mental health issues.
During this time of tremendous strain on the Armed Forces, our
noncommissioned officer corps is under incredible pressure to ensure
that the servicemembers under their command are ready to meet the
demands of combat. We must create the space for them to identify those
soldiers who are in need of extra assistance and provide a means for
them to provide that assistance.
We must begin by asking men and women in uniform about their
experiences and what we can do to support them. I was disappointed that
the hearing yesterday did not include the testimony of servicemembers
about their personal experiences, so I would like to take this
opportunity to talk about what I have been hearing from servicemembers
and their family members from my home State of Wisconsin.
Over 2 years ago, I was approached by a family whose son had taken
his own life while serving in Afghanistan. After an investigation of
the situation, I learned that the soldier was struggling to meet the
grueling demands of his duties and had, perhaps as a result, become
isolated from his unit. It was a tragedy for all involved.
Last year, my office was contacted by a soldier who immediately
thereafter took his own life. A subsequent investigation revealed that
he, too, had become isolated from his own unit. Due

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to his ongoing struggle with mental illness, his leadership became
understandably frustrated with him and repeatedly disciplined him. His
doctors decided he was not fit to deploy with his unit which was headed
to Iraq. This was a major blow for him. He desperately wanted to deploy
with his unit. He became angry and isolated. He sought to be
transferred to a wounded warrior transition unit where he could focus
on his recovery. Unfortunately, his leadership failed to get him
transferred in a timely manner. If they had, he might still be with us
today.
I was recently approached by a Wisconsin veteran who lost three of
his peers to suicide during his time in the Army. He has informed me
that in all three instances one of the main problems was a breakdown in
leadership. He has given me a list of recommendations for the Armed
Forces to train our noncommissioned officers in suicide prevention. I
will ask to have these recommendations printed in the Record.
Listening to the voices of these men and women serving in uniform, a
consistent pattern has emerged. Our Armed Forces, which are under
tremendous pressure due to two ongoing major contingency operations,
are struggling to meet the needs of their members while completing
their mission.
I suspect that the single most important thing our country can due to
address this epidemic is to redeploy from Iraq so that we can take the
time to care for the psychologically wounded without putting additional
strain on those who have already completed multiple tours. Redeploying
would also serve our national security needs by allowing us to better
focus on the global threat posed by al-Qaida and its affiliates.
Secondly, we must review the strategy we embraced which has led us to
rely so much on the continued sacrifice of so few. We must not make the
same mistake again of engaging in a mistaken war of choice. We should
not ask those who volunteer to serve their country to bear the burden
of a 6-year war absent a compelling need. We, the civilian leadership
of this country, owe it to the men and women in uniform to be more
responsible stewards of our Armed Forces.
It is far past time to redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq. I am pleased
that the President has set a course for such a redeployment. Now, we
can turn to the task of rebuilding our Armed Forces.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have recommendations to
which I referred printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:

U.S. Army Suicide Prevention Proposal

Abstract

The following correspondence is a proposal consisting of
recommendations members of Congress should consider regarding
the high numbers of suicides occurring within the Army. Even
though this proposal is emphasized towards the structure of
the Army, other branches should be able to utilize this
proposal in order to improve suicide prevention tactics as
well. If measures within this proposal are already being
taken, I apologize for the redundancy. This proposal is also
not intended to interfere with other preventive measures
being considered by the Army. Its sole purpose is to
implement ideas, based on my experiences, that should improve
the health and welfare of soldiers, increase education for
leaders at all levels to utilize while counseling
subordinates, and to develop measures commanders should take
should leaders abuse their authority, or commit any other
acts of misconduct that may hinder health, morale, and
welfare of soldiers within the United States Army.

Introduction

The high numbers of suicides within the United States Army
are extremely disturbing. Ever since combat operations
commenced in Afghanistan in October of 2001, the suicide
rates have been increasing. However, statistics from 2007 and
2008 reveal numbers of suicides that are the highest since
the Army began recording numbers of suicides in its history.
In January of 2009, 24 soldiers took their own lives. The
number of soldiers killed in action was lower than those who
committed suicide. In February of 2009, another 18 soldiers
committed suicide. Even though the Army has a very serious
problem pertaining to suicides by soldiers deployed overseas,
a high abundance of soldiers stationed within the United
States are committing suicide as well.
I commend the Army's initial and recent efforts intended to
handle this serious problem. Increasing the numbers of mental
health experts, operating a suicide-prevention hotline, and
encouraging soldiers to seek help if symptomatic are steps in
the right direction. However, as a 13-year veteran who has
dealt with a significant number of soldier suicides in the
past, I am aware of other problems that require immediate
attention. If these problems are not assessed and corrected,
the aforementioned measures will make little difference in
the pursuit of suicide prevention. Based on my observations
and experiences, the primary core of problems involving
suicides by soldiers involve breakdowns of leadership at the
lower levels. Therefore, the following proposal will detail
recommended improvements of leadership training for younger
leaders.

Army Recruiting Command

Army recruiters have perhaps the most arduous duty within
the enlisted ranks. They are required to meet specific
standards in regards to attracting individuals to contemplate
enlisting into the Army. They work very long hours each day,
and often work six days a week. They are under constant
pressure to secure enlistments so that the entire Army meets
recruit quotas and goals. Overall, the duties they perform
are extremely stressful. Recruiters either volunteer to
perform recruit duty, or are selected to do so by the
Department of the Army. Even though recruiters are
noncommissioned officers who are normally more responsible
and mature, they too are human beings who are subject to
mental health problems due to the nature of their duties.
Weeks ago, four recruiters in Houston committed suicide, most
likely from extreme pressure from their chains of command.
Recruiters normally have no one to turn to in times of
stress. Their leaders want them to produce, not complain.
Therefore, if they are experiencing any types of mental
health problems, most are likely to keep it within
themselves. Fellow recruiters must look out for each other,
and pay attention to stress that appears beyond the normal
stresses associated with recruiting duty. Like others, they
should not be ridiculed or chastised should they request
treatment. Also, even though it would probably be a difficult
task, the Army needs to expand the recruiting command. The
more recruiters, the less stress will be placed on recruiters
performing their duties today. Also, stigmatization shall not
be tolerated if a recruiter feels the need to seek mental
health treatment. The fear of stigmatization is a very
potential reason for the four suicides that occurred in
Houston.

Drill Sergeant School

Drill Sergeants are perhaps the ``elite'' of the
noncommissioned officers throughout the Army. Like
recruiters, they either volunteer to perform this duty, or
are selected to do so by the Department of the Army. They are
responsible for turning civilians into soldiers. Molding a
typical individual into a motivated, highly-disciplined
warrior is no walk in the park. Being a drill sergeant
requires high levels of dedication and commitment to their
duties. Drill Sergeant training is simply the same as going
through basic training all over again. They learn what they
are going to teach. Since they are the first true soldiers
recruits are going to follow, drill sergeants must set an
extremely high example at all times. Like recruiting, drill
sergeants work long hours. They receive a limited number of
days off. Drill sergeants are required to pay extra attention
to detail due to the ``culture shock'' new recruits receive
once entering initial-entry or one-station unit training.
Basic training is normally a recruit's true separation from
family and friends from home. Therefore, they are typically
prone to suffering home sickness while being pushed to their
limits. Drill sergeants must be adequately trained in
recognizing changes in behaviors of their recruits. They must
be proficient counselors, especially when recruits appear
more stressed than normal. In 1995, a recruit at Fort
Benning, Georgia shot himself to death after rifle training.
The recruit had apparently hid a round after the training,
and went to an isolated area with his weapon after cleaning
it. He then used the live round in his possession to commit
suicide. The incident was an example of dereliction that can
occur if drill sergeants do not perform their duties with
high levels of attention to detail.

initial entry training (iet)/one-station unit training (osut)

As mentioned earlier, entry into the Army is normally a
level of ``culture shock'' for a new Army recruit. Even
though they expect initial, or basic training to be a true
test, they do not know what to truly expect until they
initially experience the high levels of stress at the
commencement of training. Drill sergeants are tasked to mold
civilians into soldiers in a short period. Therefore, the
operational tempo is very high. The stress can be so high
that certain recruits may act out of normal character.
However, one positive aspect of this level of training is
that new recruits are treated the same way. They often turn
to each other for support and encouragement. However,
separation from loved ones is very difficult. If something
negative happens within a recruit's family while he or she is
in training, his or her behavior or mental state will most
likely change. One of the first blocks of instruction
recruits receive should involve the importance of the ``buddy
system.'' Drill sergeants must inform their recruits that it
is alright to report signs of problems. Even though drill
sergeants are hard on their recruits, the last thing they
want is for a recruit to feel alienated in any sort of way.
If a recruit is suffering from mental distress, immediate
intervention is a necessity. It is alright for

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drill sergeants to demonstrate compassion towards the men and
women they are training. Recruits are taught how to pay
attention to detail just as much as drill sergeants are.
Therefore, unusual behavior, or warning signs of potential
suicide must be reported immediately. In the Army, all
soldiers, regardless of rank, are safety officers. Recruits
must be properly counseled by their cadre. If initial entry
trainers cannot solve problems, recruits demonstrating signs
of mental distress must be command-referred to mental health
services upon immediate signs of problems in order to prevent
a catastrophic event from happening.

the army noncommissioned officer education system (ncoes)

The initial phase of the NCOES involves the Warrior
Leadership Course (WLC), which is designed to prepare Army
specialists and corporals to become sergeants. Sergeants are
normally ``team leaders,'' who have a span of control
consisting of two or three subordinate soldiers. This four-
week course is military occupation specialty (MOS) non-
specific, and covers basic leadership skills. Students
receive enhanced proficiency on physical fitness training,
teaching skills, drill and ceremony, land navigation, field
and garrison leadership, and a written examination. It also
involves a situational training exercise (STX) designed to
teach hands-on leadership in a battlefield environment. My
recommendation is that a thorough block of instruction be
implemented that focuses on overall suicide prevention.
Students need to be taught what warning signs to look for,
and how to properly counsel troubled soldiers, as well as
carrying concerns up the NCO support channel and chain of
command in order to prevent a crisis from occurring. The
block of instruction should consist of classroom instruction
and role-playing activities. The role-playing training would
be the most beneficial part of the training. It must be as
realistic as possible and should give students hands-on
experience on listening to soldiers, demonstrating
compassion and caring towards a subordinate's problem(s),
and providing reassurances that problems can be resolved.
The next phase of the NCOES is the Basic Noncommissioned
Officer Course (BNCOC), which is specific to a sergeant's
MOS. The course is mandated for current or future staff
sergeants. The length of BNCOC varies by MOS, and is a live-
in learning environment conducted in two phases: Phase I,
which is a review of blocks of instruction learned in the
WLC, and Phase II, which is MOS-specific. This course
provides opportunities to acquire the leader, technical,
tactical, values, attributes, skills, actions, and knowledge
required to lead a squad-sized element of nine soldiers. Like
the WLC, a thorough block of instruction should be
implemented regarding mental health and suicide prevention.
It should involve the same classroom instruction and role-
playing activities learned in the WLC. Once again, proactive
and realistic role-playing would provide enhanced skills
designed to identify warning signs of suicide, tactics to
provide compassion towards the troubled soldier, and
necessary measures to immediately inform the squad leader's
NCO support channel and chain of command.
Promotable staff sergeants or newly-promoted sergeants
first class must complete the Advanced Noncommissioned
Officer Course (ANCOC) in order to lead a platoon-sized
element. The course builds on the experiences gained in
previous operational assignments and training. It emphasizes
skills complementing commissioned officer counterparts. By
the time NCOs reach this level of education, they should have
adequate knowledge of mental health, soldier human nature,
warning signs of suicide, and tactics required to ensure
prevention measures are taken.
The final phase of the NCOES is the Sergeants Major Academy
(USASMA). Noncommissioned officers (normally master
sergeants) attending the academy, are instructed on how to
implement policies, procedures, and training techniques and
tactics. They are the primary NCOs who would be responsible
for the oversight of suicide prevention training within the
NCOES. Sergeants major are instructed to oversee operations
within a battalion, brigade, division, or other element.
Command sergeants major oversee the training and operations
of all companies, battalions, brigades, divisions or other
higher elements, and serve as the enlisted advisor to
commanders of the aforementioned elements. Command sergeants
major are the NCOs most responsible for ensuring NCOs are
performing their duties properly and professionally. They
should mandate suicide prevention training be a part of
subordinate unit's training schedules. Suicide prevention
training should be conducted by chaplains, and/or
installation psychiatrists or psychologists. The same blocks
of instruction should be utilized during these training
sessions. My recommendation is that command sergeants major
mandate one day of training be conducted by each unit
quarterly during a fiscal year.

west point and officer candidate school

Specific curriculums pertaining to mental health and
suicide prevention must be implemented if they do not already
exist. Suicide prevention training for officers is extremely
important since they make final decisions as to how to handle
soldiers who are demonstrating warning signs of committing
suicide. More importantly, they must be prepared to initiate
investigations within their units that should reveal why a
soldier is contemplating suicide. Every unit has a safety
officer designated by the unit commander. Safety officers
must conduct thorough investigations as to why potential
crises arise, who may be responsible for misconduct, and what
measures must be taken in order to rectify the situation
without any harm done to anyone.

the medic school at fort sam houston, texas

On average, most Army companies have one medic per platoon.
Medics, MOS 91W, are enlisted soldiers normally supervised by
a medic NCO. Medics can be excellent counselors because many
soldiers potentially having a crisis situation often do not
feel comfortable talking about their problem(s) with their
leadership for fear of stigma. Therefore, any suicide
prevention training conducted at the Medical School at Fort
Sam Houston must be very thorough and specific. It should
involve the same blocks of instruction recommended within the
NCOES. It would be of great surprise to me if a thorough
block of instruction pertaining to crisis counseling and
suicide prevention did not exist at the Army Medical School.
Therefore, the United States Army Training and Doctrine
Command (TRADOC) should take any potential immediate action
to implement more crisis and suicide prevention training if
necessary.

the uniform code of military justice (ucmj)

I am very aware of some of the potential reasons as to why
soldiers resort to suicide. Whether they are experiencing
personal problems, are unable to tolerate military stress and
operational tempos, or are suffering from depression or any
other type of mental illness, soldiers caring for each other
are the best preventive measures. Based on my own personal
experiences while serving in the Army, I have seen several
young NCOs abuse their authority for their own personal
satisfaction. I have seen newly-promoted sergeants embarrass
subordinates in front of other soldiers just to demonstrate
they are in charge, and that any defiance will result in
repercussions. In my opinion, the failure to control
``rogue,'' or immature and inexperienced leaders is a
significant and contributing factor in soldier suicides.
Therefore, more senior NCOs must closely supervise newly-
promoted NCOs to ensure soldiers are being cared for and not
humiliated. As mentioned earlier, commanders should order
investigations be conducted if soldiers are being mistreated.
Not only can mistreatment of soldiers increase likelihoods of
suicides, they will most likely affect the overall morale and
cohesion of an entire unit. Therefore, I recommend commanders
adopt and enforce ``no tolerance policies'' for acts of
cruelty or maltreatment of subordinate soldiers by superior
NCOs. Such actions violate Article 93 of the UCMJ (Appendix
A). If complaints are made, and investigations reveal
misconduct has occurred, commanders should either exercise
their authority to discipline under Article 15 of the UCMJ
(non-judicial punishment), or to order discipline under
Article 32 for more serious offenses. However, soldiers must
also know and understand their right to file a complaint
against their commanding officer if he or she is performing
wrongful actions against a soldier. Article 138 of the UCMJ
(Appendix B) protects soldiers from wrongful disciplinary
action being exercised by a commanding officer. If a soldier
believes his or her commander is in violation of Article 138,
a soldier should have full right to consult with the next
highest commander within his or her chain of command. If no
action is taken by that individual, the soldier should seek
assistance from the post Inspector General (IG), or the post
Staff Judge Advocate. For example, many soldiers are being
separated under Chapter 14 of Army Regulation 635-200
(Appendix C) for acts of misconduct. However, these acts of
misconduct may stem from mental health problems such as PTSD.
Therefore, soldiers should exercise their rights under
Article 138 to request medical separations. Chapter 14
separations normally result in ``other than honorable
discharges.'' Such discharges often hinder a veteran's VA
health benefits upon separation. Soldiers who served in a
combat zone do not deserve such an act of injustice. Appendix
D outlines examples of service members separated for
misconduct. Another problem involves service members
separated for personality disorders. According to Army
Regulation 635-200, only a psychiatrist, or any other mental
health professional may make such a diagnosis. Based on my
experiences, commanders take such action to simply separate a
soldier as soon as possible. Separations under Army
Regulation 635-200 are performed much quicker than medical
evaluation board (MEB) proceedings. While stationed at Fort
Stewart, Georgia, I observed an NCO harass a subordinate on
several occasions. However, even though the NCO was not
properly performing his duties and abusing his authority, the
commander declared the soldier as ``substandard,'' and had
him transferred to another unit, alienating him from his
friends and his overall support network. He eventually
committed suicide shortly after the transfer. Such
aforementioned abuses by NCOs are examples of abuses of
authority. They cannot be tolerated. Even though an
individual committing suicide is committing a selfish act
that cannot be rectified, improper treatment of soldiers does
nothing to help the situation. A new clause must be

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added to Article 93 of the UCMJ. Since females do not deserve
to be harassed sexually, or in any other manner, soldiers,
regardless of sex, do not deserve to be harassed or chastised
for being mentally ill. They deserve treatment. Therefore, I
recommend Article 93 be amended to emphasize that any forms
of stigma towards soldiers, regardless of rank, be a
violation of the article.

medical evaluation boards (meb)

Medical evaluation board (MEB) proceedings should be
commenced for all soldiers demonstrating symptoms of mental
illness, regardless of the symptoms or the illness. An MEB
establishes a disability rating, and the soldier is separated
under honorably. Subsequently, he or she is able to obtain VA
medical care for a service-connected disability, and may
request disability percentage increases if his or her
condition worsens. If a psychiatrist diagnoses a soldier with
a ``personality disorder,'' the soldier should not be
separated under the provisions of Army Regulation 635-200
governing personality disorders. He or she shall be medically
separated with a disability rating.

conclusion

As mentioned in the abstract, this correspondence involves
recommendations and proposals that may already have been
taken into consideration, or implemented within the Army.
This correspondence is not intended in any way to insult the
Army in any way. Its primary purpose is to attempt to assist
with the prevention of suicides within the Army, regardless
of whether soldiers are deployed or not. Too many soldiers
have taken their lives over the past few years for unknown
reasons. However, I have seen first hand soldiers take their
own lives due to failed leadership. It is time to be
proactive, and ensure more preventive measures are taken.
Soldiers are human beings, not super heroes. Hence, missions
cannot be completed without healthy soldiers on the front
lines.

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