ARLINGTON, Va. - It’s OK to not be OK – and to seek help, the Army National Guard’s senior noncommissioned officer said here Monday.
“The reason for my ‘New Norm’ policy memo was to reverberate through the force that the leadership is 100 percent behind Soldiers who are providing and or seeking help,” said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Richard Burch, command sergeant major of the Army National Guard. “As [acting director of the Army National Guard] 'Maj. Gen. Raymond Carpenter said, ‘it’s ok to not be ok, and it’s a part of being human.’ ”
Every member of the team is important and a critical part of the team’s ability to maintain mission success, and if we can be there to help when you need it, we will be, the Army Guard’s top enlisted Soldier said.
“We are a team and, as a team, we have that responsibility to look out for one another and provide that helping hand or ear, to listen and to be there for each other, whether it’s during peacetime or war time,” Burch said.
Soldiers and their families shouldn’t expect to see any new assistance programs, he said.
“What the team can expect to see is an expansion of programs already in place,” he said. “We’ve taken a hard look at some of the assistance programs out there, figured out what their priorities are, and with help from the states, we’ve narrowed in on all of the best practices.
“Some of those that could see an expansion include the Buddy-to-Buddy, peer-to-peer, or Soldier-to-Soldier programs. After a recent video conference with spouses from several states, there was an interest in pursuing a spouse-to-spouse program as well.
“Some programs will expand, some will contract and some might go away, but nothing will go away without us knowing that there is something else in place that can provide that same service to our Soldiers.”
Burch said he was delayed while traveling recently. While he was waiting , a stranger approached him and began to tell Burch his many mental health issues.
“I sat with him and talked for a little while and provided him with some ways to seek assistance,” said Burch. “I’m no doctor, but I encouraged him to get the help from those who are.”
“That’s all that we’re really asking, for you to take a few minutes to listen, refer and then follow up.”
Oftentimes, fear of being perceived as weak prevents people from asking for help and taking those first steps to talk to someone, he said.
“From a leadership aspect, the issue of stigma associated with asking for help has diminished significantly, but where we need to work a little harder is at the individual level where it is still commonplace for a Soldier to not ask for help because they feel it is a sign of weakness,” said Burch.
He added, “The main focus of my memo was to communicate that this is not the case, and by illustrating our willingness to reach out, it will reinforce that asking for help is not a big deal.
“It’s a bigger deal to get you the help that you need.”
One of the problems facing Guardmembers returning from deployment is employment, and as troop drawdowns begin in Iraq and Afghanistan, employment in a slumping economy is a concern.
“We’ve identified that there are a lot of guardsmen who are coming back to an unemployed, or underemployed environment,” Burch said.
“We’re doing some things to help with that. We’ve partnered with the Army Reserve and a website that they have called www.employerpartnership.org, which lists businesses that are military friendly and looking to hire those in the military.
“In the long term, we’re hoping that the job market increases and the economy gets better, but we can’t wait, so we are doing what we can to help Soldiers out there find the jobs that are available to them.”
Burch said, “A goal of the ‘New Norm’ policy would be zero suicides, but realistically we know that that will never happen.
“I’m not expecting this ‘New Norm’ policy to decrease the number of annual suicides, but what I am expecting is that it serves to support the efforts of our master resiliency trainers, their assistants and our leaders’ guide to resiliency.
“These are the things that will truly make a positive impact on suicidal idealizations and suicidal attempts.”
Burch realizes that changes will not come overnight, but said that changes have to start from somewhere.
“We hope that we can create a culture and an environment in which asking for assistance and providing assistance becomes commonplace,” he said. “It might take a few years, but we are willing to take on the challenge of creating that culture, and once we do, we can proclaim success.
“As the senior leader of the Army National Guard, I ask that you pick up the phone and call someone before you decide to do something that is going to provide a long-term solution to a short-term issue, because there is no issue that we can’t get through together.”