It’s been well-documented, but the suicide rate in the U.S. military is at an all all-time. Now the Marines have come up with a idea to stop the sensesless deaths, and it’s simple yet brilliant: Apply the “leave-no-man-behind” ethic to suicide.
The idea is that just as Marines watch out for each other when they’re in combat, they must also watch out for the mental health — and keep on eye out for signs of depression and despair — in their comrades in arms.
This concept was discussed by The Los Angeles Times Friday in a story headlined “Marine Corps seeks to use buddy ethic to stem rise in suicides.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-afghanistan-suicides-20100910,0,2070757.story
The Times story starts out talking abut a young Marine in Afghanistan who killed himself after receiving a “Dear John” letter from his girlfriend in the states. None of the guys in his unit had any idea how upset the young soldier had been about the break-up.
The unit then got a visit from Sgt. Major Carlton Kent, who has been traveling to outposts to tell our soldiers that they need to proactively keep watch for signs of emotional problems among the fellow troops — and come to their aid, try to get them help, according to The Times.
The Marine Corps has the highest suicide rate of all of the military branches, according to The Times, with 52 Marines killing themselves last year, versus 42 the prior year.
A congressional report on military suicides last month recommended that a central office on suicide in all the military branches be formed.
But Kent told The Times that the Marines can’t wait years for an outside agency to find a way to end suicides.
“The answer, he said, lies within the corps itself,” The Times reported. “Marines have a solemn duty to rescue other Marines from suicide, just as they would come to their aid in combat, he said.”
That sounds like what the Marine motto Semper Fi is all about. Marines are sworn to remain faithful to their mission, their country, the Corps and each other, no matter what.