The United States Army National Guard

There are an alarming number of veterans who suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and depression. The suicide rate on returning veterans is on the rise. In California, service members were killing themselves and family members at an alarming rate. After an investigation, it was apparent that they do not have enough properly trained individuals to over see

Second, friends and family need to get their loved ones to a hospital and talking to someone who can professionally help them. Finally, the Veterans Affairs office must educate friends, family, employers, and institutions like colleges and community organizations, as to how best to recognize the signs and symptoms of suicide and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) so that they can get them help sooner rather than later. It is time to stop veteran suicides and to get people to understand that they are the first stepping stone to getting their loved ones the assistance they need. Friends, family, institutions and organizations must appreciate that they are capable of stopping their loved ones from committing suicide on account of the traumas inflicted upon them by military

The U.S. Marine Corps’ is thought to be one of the five free standing military departments, but in all actuality there is only three departments. The U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy are the only branches of the military that are correctly recognized as their own departments. There are two other Branches of the military that are under the U.S. Navy, one is the United States Marine Corps’. They were created to protect, but now they need protecting from budget cuts and disbanding. In order to protect the Corps’, they need to become their own U.S. Department, with their own funding and supplies.

A widely believed cause of this increase in suicides lies mostly on combat aspects. Being in the military is a lifestyle that is truly physically draining. The day to day life of being in the military is stressful. Multiple tours, increased stress, longer hours ‘repetitive deployments and much longer deployments, being away from friends and family more than in the past than in recent years can be believed to take a heavy toll on service members. The Rand Corporation issued in a report on military suicides that states that the US involvement in conflicts since 2001 has taken a toll on the service that has manifested itself in increased suicides. Dr. Brian Craig, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University Of Texas Health Science Center, says that it is not just the traumatic events but the day to day stressors of combat that cause problems. He is also the lead risk management advisor for the DOD Strong Star Research Consortium and found in his research that it is “not being able to sleep in a comfortable bed, not having access to warm,

On the night of March 20th, 2012, a twenty-three year old veteran named William Busbee, locked himself in his car and shot himself in the head. His mother and two little sisters were standing just a few feet away (Multiple Deployments). A veteran commits suicide every eighty minutes. If that number is not shocking to hear then I don’t know what is. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a major factor in this mass suicide of veterans. Suicide among veterans is turning into an epidemic. An epidemic that can be stopped with the help of experienced and educated psychologists. Those psychologists are working hard everyday with veterans who are suffering from PTSD in an attempt to cure and potentially rid the patient of this disorder. Maybe

The Pennsylvania Army National Guard is a branch of the United States Army that is mostly used today for homeland security. Although the National Guard is not active like the Reserves or Active Duty Army, they still have the same requirements and same responsibility. More than 22,000 men and women make up the Pennsylvania National Guard and Air National Guard today. They reach from state quarters at Fort Indian Town Gap in Lebanon County to about 100 comunities in the commonwealth. Like all National Guard members they share the same responsibilities. For their federal mission, they are trained and equipped to join the active forces in the time of war or a national emergency. For their

The response to Hurricane Matthew was the largest National Guard response to a hurricane since 2012, when Hurricane Sandy struck New York and New Jersey. Nevertheless they stood firm and ready to take on what Hurricane Matthew had in store. Standing true to their motto “Always Ready Always There”. The events following October 6, 2016 would put the National Guard to the test. The National Guard response consisted of three phases: training, preparation, and execution. The stage was set for the National Guard’s plan to go into action.

Serving in the United States Navy, Army, and North Carolina Army National Guard for a combined total of 21 years before honorably retiring in July 2013 has always been one of many life achievements that I have been profoundly fond of. During my Army tenure, I was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as one of a few non-Special Forces support medics for the 3rd Special Forces Group. In order to stay assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group, it was highly recommended that all soldiers were Airborne qualified. So, I was able to overcome my fear of heights by successfully completing Airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia and earning my parachutist’s badge before returning to Fort Bragg. While still assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group, I participated in the State Department’s African Response Crisis Initiative with assignments located in Northern Africa. I would accompany Special Forces operators and provide support as they would provide training based on a common peacekeeping doctrine and the supply of interoperable communications equipment, which would enable the units to work together more effectively.

The Air Force lost 38 airmen to suicide in 2008, a rate of 11.5 suicides per 100,000 airmen. The average over the past five years — since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom — was 11 deaths per 100,000 annually. Of the airmen lost in 2008, 95 percent were men and 89 percent were enlisted. Young enlisted men with a rank of E1 to E4 and between the ages of 21 and 25 have the highest risk of suicide. Recently released data indicates that active duty males carry, for the first time in known history, a suicide risk greater than that of comparable males in the general population (Psychotherapy Brown Bag, 2009). This is particularly noteworthy considering that the military entrance process screens out serious mental illness prior to entry onto active duty, and that the rate of suicide in military males has historically been significantly lower than comparable civilian populations. To help

Even though chaplains receive basic training on suicide intervention skills as told by the Army spokeswoman Tatjana Christian, there are gaps in practices that the Army Office of Chaplains are studying in

Following the year 2013, suicide rates amongst Active Duty personnel decreased, yet rose for Reserve and National Guard units across the United States (Baldor 2014). This was due in part to the lack of resources available to Reserves and Guard units that were called to serve in foreign lands. The Defense Science Board conducted their own internal investigation on Reserve and Guard suicide rates and concluded, “The task force was impressed with the dedication and professionalism of the members of the National Guard and reserves. They are performing to a very high standard under great strain. The task force is very concerned for their future if the strain is not relieved” (2007). The report further explains that active duty personnel work full time in their respective units, whereas reservists demobilize and lose the support from their command’s peers and that active personnel have more access to health facilities, compared to reserve personnel who can only have limited access. Reservists and Guardsmen often face other stressors, for example sudden change after a long and tedious deployment back to a civilian career.

Mental health illness is a major issue that several United States systems faces daily. Mental illness can contribute to high crime rates, suicide, drug addiction, mass shootings, prison overcrowding, and several other problems. This paper will discuss and examine mental health issues as it develops and result in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the United States Military, and specifically how PTSD can result in suicide among military service members. PTSD is commonly and well known to infantry soldiers who were mostly deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq war between 2001 and 2003 due to an overwhelming and challenging environment. The war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq conflicts, both have had a an actual impact on soldiers' mental health. In addition, infantrymen are most likely to experience at least one event as a minimum that may result in PTSD than any other divisions in the military. According to Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Major Gary Wynn provides statistics shows that "93 percent report coming under fire from artillery, rockets, and mortars. 91 percent say their unit has been attacked or ambushed. 87 percent say they know someone who has been seriously injured or killed" (Robson 2012).

The drive for dual-status commanders appeared after inadequate path and direction between state and federal forces throughout Hurricane Katrina restrict response efforts (Bucci 1). In Katrina incident, active duty and National Guard tasks, even those that were obviously same in practice, were supervised by two different series of command. The dual-status arrangement of the National Guard during Hurricane Sandy, despite, allow state and federal military responders to have the directives from the workforces and function in a more smooth approach.

Given constrained funding and the requirements of short-term national military objectives and longer term operations, the Army should balance the Total Force as follows: first, decrease the Active Component deployments and increase the Reserve Component, specifically the National Guard. Second, assign National Guard units to specific regions and/or missions so that their training can be focused on these conflicts. And third, increase the use of National Guard units to reduce active component use particularly for low-intensity conflict and short term missions.

According to http://worthywarriors.org/images/PTSD-Related_Military_Suicides_by_Branch_2.png, the most suicides happened in the Army out of any military branch. They had way more than the navy did. The Army had 23.7%. And the Navy had 14%. But more suicides happened in the marines than with regular civilians. Civilians had 13.7%. And the Marines had 19.9%. Now you see how big this problem really is and we need to help them as much as we can. This is not okay and we need to do something about it now before more people start killing