The Frontline, March 1, 2001 Page: 4 of 14
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9
4A THE FRONTLINE Thursday, March 1, 2001
VOICES AND VIEWPOINTS
Suicide prevention is everyone's jobBy Staff Sgt. Marcia Triggs
Army News Service
WASHINGTON - It sometimes takes a village to help save
"an Army of one."
The Army's new suicide prevention
campaign seeks to train more people on "The bo
how to recognize early signs of suicidal
behavior and intervene until a mental Everyoner
health professional is available.
The bottom line is: everyone needs to inVO
get involved.
"Soldiers, Leaders and Communities
Saving Lives" is the campaign motto. As the motto indicates, it's
time to stop thinking that suicide prevention is just the comman-
der's responsibility. It's the community's responsibility when it's
not communicated to the proper officials that a soldier is in need
of help.
The U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive
Medicine and the American Association of Suicidology said in
the last 10 years suicide has been the second leading cause of
deaths in the U.S. Army, and that 10 times more soldiers have
committed suicide than have died in hostile fire.
I've heard soldiers complain about their free time being taken
away because they had "crazy horse" watch. Most soldiers are
unaware that suicide is a psychiatric disorder, and they think that
the majority of individuals who threaten to commit suicide just
want attention or they are trying to get out of work.
Unfortunately it could only take one time for a soldier's criestt
nvto go unheard before he decides to take his own life.
There are four types of suicidal behavior: thoughts, gestures,
attempts and the completed act, according to USACHPPM.
The American Association for Suicidology said 6 percent of
the American population has thought about suicide within the last
12 months. Gestures are made by those
who act upon the thought, but do not
om line is: want to die. Attempts are failed suicides,
eeds to get and then there are those who actually
take their own life.
(ed." We cannot make the determination
whether someone is serious about harm-
ing himself or herself. When I say we, I
mean those of us that are not mental health professionals, coun-
selors or chaplains.
The new program will make it mandatory for all soldiers and
Army civilian personnel to attend a briefing on suicide risk iden-
tification and what support agencies are available in the commu-
nity.
This briefing shouldn't be viewed as another disruption in the
duty day.
Most suicides are preventable and being knowledgeable on
suicidal behavior can possible help you save your buddy.
The Army was the first military branch to establish a suicide
prevention program. It was started in 1984 and until now there
have not been any major revisions to the policy. The experts in the
psychiatric field devised the new prevention plan, but the only
way it's going to work is if soldiers learn how to recognize the
symptoms of suicidal behavior and take it seriously.Slogan packs more punch than portrayed
By Spc. Jonathan Wiley lot more meaning into a short, punchy phrase than a first reading
Army News Service betrays.
Initially, "An Army of one," seems to encourage functioning on
FORT EUSTIS, Va. - One thing I've noticed in my time in the one's own, taking little notice of the team. Imagine a recruit at
Army is that soldiers love tradition. Basic Training explaining to his drill sergeant why he's doing
Almost without exception, those who have been in the Army for things his own way and not the way he was instructed.
longer than five years are a little suspicious of the changes that have "I'm an Army of one, drill Sergeant, and in my Army I do things
occurred since their first ---- this way."
enlistment. It's safe to say that probably would-
Words like: "The Army 'We are individuals, n't go over too well.
isn't like it was when I first powerful as The slogan doesn't actually encour-
joined," read as a simple and we are undefeatable as a team." age a disregard for teamwork,
observation, a reflection on though.
the state of things without any Instead, it simply allays a potential
particular value attached to it. --- recruit's fears that the Army strips
When spoken, however, they're rarely neutral. They're intoned in a soldiers of their individuality. In doing so, it conveys an idea about
way to suggest that the "new" Army is an imitation of the old - the Army as classic and as American as something its first general,
today's soldier may carry a heavy load, but it is a few pounds lighter Gen. George Washington, said about himself and his troops: "When
than the one carried by yesterday's. we took up the soldier, we did not lay aside the citizen," he said.
Given this attitude, it would be asking a lot of soldiers to imme- As a nation, America demands that its citizens function as indi-
diately embrace the Army's new advertising slogan - "an Army of viduals, not drones, and it expects its soldiers to be citizens. Yes, as
one" - without fondly reminiscing about the old. Those of you soldiers we must follow orders.
who joined the Army between the years of 1981 and 2000 did so to But as citizens, we must each choose those who shape the orders
"Be all you could be." - our highest leaders. As soldiers, we must answer to our com-
That was an ingenious slogan because it draws upon an assump- mander-in-chief. As citizens, our commander-in-chief must answer
tion almost every recruit has about the Army: that it is challenging, to us.
that you can only achieve your best through adversity. It says "Sure It's a curious contradiction, but one at which the "An Army of
the Army is hard, but aren't you as well?" one," slogan artfully hints.
How could you not be sad to see a slogan like that go? It suggests that every American soldier retains his or her unique
The new slogan is like a stepmother at the moment. Even if she identity, but it also implies that every soldier is a member of an
does have some good qualities, it's natural to be a little resentful of organization with a singular and unwavering purpose. We are pow-
her presence if you liked the slogan she's replacing - and obvi- erful as individuals, and we are undefeatable as a team.
ously, most of us did since we're wearing BDUs. Our Army has always been, and hopefully always will be, a
The new slogan isn't for us, though. It's for potential recruits monolithic force remaining ever vigilant in the fight for the free-
wondering if they should investigate the Army further. dom and liberty of every individual. It's an Army of one.
While it's impossible to predict whether or not the new slogan (Editor's note: Spc. Jonathan Wiley is the Fort Story, Va., bureau
will be successful, I think it might be because, like "Be," it packs a chieffor The Wheel newspaper at Fort Eustis.)
Korea -50 years ago this weekTHE FRONTLINE
Readers respond to the question:
How do you feel about having to put
your Social Security number on your
checks?"Personally, I don't
feel good about it
because people can
get your social off
your check and do
anything with it."
Spc. Ricky Hill,
Company A, 3rd
Soldier Support
Battalion
. . : . . . .4 .
''4>,,Hill
"I think it's a good
idea. It's the best
way for a business to
keep track of a per-
son's financial histo-
ry."
Capt. Shannon Fields,
4th Brigade, 87th
DivisionFields
"I don't think it's
good to have your
social on youi
checks because
people can get into
your accounts and
everything else."
Pvt. Jessika Barbery,
Company C, 3rd
Soldier Support
BattalionFlynn
Barbery
"You should not put
on because all the
sk of identity and
account fraud. Also
<ou don't know who
,sill see it.",
Master Sgt. Michael
Flynn, Headquarters
-:ompany 24th Corps
Support GroupBy Jim Caldwell
Army News Service
WASHINGTON - Fifty years ago this week in Korea, Lt. Gen.
Matthew Ridgway, Eighth Army commander, published orders for
"Operation Ripper," but set no starting date. One of the reasons for
not picking a date was the time it took for his forces on the Arizona
line to build up five days worth of supplies.
There were no stockpiles near the front in February because of
the fear they would have to be destroyed or be abandoned to the
communists. The strategy behind Operation Ripper was to carry on
the effort to destroy enemy soldiers and equipment while minimiz-
ing United Nation losses. Taking and holding new ground was not
one of Ripper's goals.
"Terrain is merely an instrument ... for the accomplishment of
the mission here," Ridgway said.
Ripper's objective was to establish the Idaho line. The line began
on the Han River eight miles east of Seoul, rose through the eastern
part of I Corps' area, up to a few miles of the 38th Parallel in IX
Corps' zone and down again through X Corps and ROK corps'
areas to Hapyong-dong on the east coast.
March 1, 1951 - President Truman asks Congress for a $1.7 bil-
lion supplemental appropriation of which $1 billion would be used
as borrowing authority to speed up defense production. A civil
defense program would be constructed with $403 million.
March 1-4 - The Eighth Army faces the North Korean People's
Army I Corps and Chinese 50th Army in the western zone; three
Chinese armies in the central front; and three NKPA corps to the
east.
There are reports that the Chinese plan a March offensive.
Ridgway's intelligence experts believe a new offensive-won't bepossible until several weeks
later. Some largyerny forces have
withdrawn from the south and others from Manchuria are approach-
ing or on the 38th Parallel. That's still close enough that they could
enter the coming fray too quickly.
At Ridgway's request, the Navy stages several mock invasion
preparations, shelling "landing areas" on both coasts, and moving
"troops" back and forth. These drills are meant to hold enemy units
above the parallel in place.
Ridgway knows that Gen. MacArthur wants to retake Seoul, and
has made plans to do it. But he is trying to avoid assaulting the city.
By taking high ground north of the city, he hopes it will pose
enough of a threat that enemy forces choose to withdraw rather than
risk being surrounded and pinned in the city.
March 2 - Ambassador-at-large Philip C. Jessup, head of the
American team at the Big Four Deputy Foreign Ministers meeting
to begin March 4 in Paris, said the team will be wary of Soviet strat-
egy at the conference. "We are from Missouri," he said, and will not
be fooled by Soviet attempts to deflect the talks from "the things
that are really causingall the tension."
March 3 - A regiment of the ROK Capital Division is
ambushed near Soksa-ri by a regiment of the NKPA 2nd Division.
Cut off north and south, the South Korean regiment loses nearly
1,000 soldiers - 59 killed, 119 wounded and 802 missing -
before survivors escape back to Kangnung.
The U.S. contingent to the Big Four talks in Paris proposes that
Russia accept an idea it vetoed in 1949 that would let the UN track
troop strength and "non-atomic" weapons stockpiles in member
countries.
March 5 - All Eighth Army units report they have enough sup-
plies for Operation Ripper.
March 6 - Ridgway briefs war correspondents himself to
ensure they receive his viewpoint on Operation Ripper. The briefing
is contingent upon the reporters waiting 48 hours before they write
about the operation."Once they get your
Social Security num-
ber all they need is
your mother's maid-
en name, and they
can take your identi-
ty."
Sgt. Rudoff Robinson,
Battery C, 1st
Battalion, 18th Field
ArtilleryPeplinskl
Robinson
"It's a violation of the
privacy act."
2nd Lt. Lisa Peplinski,
Headquarters
Company, 92nd
Engineer BattalionTHEiFRONTLINE
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The Frontline, March 1, 2001, newspaper, March 1, 2001; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth887973/m1/4/?rotate=180: accessed June 20, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting National WASP WWII Museum.