Essay on Never Leave a Soldier Behind - 1059 Words

Some gave all, all gave some. Millions of soldiers have deployed to the Middle East in the last ten years. For the ones that came back, life is often different after combat. Haunting dreams and memories, post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and family changes leave the soldier desperately clinging to any hope they can get. When a soldier needs help, who is there to help them? The answer should be everyone, but is that the case? Some say the United States government and the services are not doing enough to protect the soldiers from suicide, while others claim the government has it as their top priority. After the sacrifices these heroes have given, it is their right to the best services and help, to get them back to the life they†¦show more content†¦They are also making major changes in the way they operate from day to day. The army has started to make changes to deployment times; turning deployments into 9 months instead of a year, and dwell times are longer as well. Paul Boyce, a writer for the Army.Mil website insisted that, â€Å" The Army is always conducting new trainings, including yearly required suicide prevention trainings, as well as buddy cards, to make soldiers aware of the signs of suicide, and the steps to take when their comrades need help. A program such as ACE, which stands for Ask, Care, Escort helps soldiers develop life coping skills, and encourages soldiers to seek help† (Boyce). Leadership abilities in such stressful environments are critical for survival, performance, and morale of subordinates and units (Wiederhold). A new interactive video game called, Beyond the Future, will educate the soldiers about the dangers of not seeking help when they most need it. The service plans on sending out thousands of copies (Lubold). The army has also recognized that getting help is a challenge, and that the key to preventing suicide is overcoming the awkwardness of actually asking for help. Col. Elspeth C Ritchie, behavioral health psychiatry consultant to the Us Army Surgeon general said, â€Å"We need to make sure that all our soldiers know that it is okay to come in and get help, andShow MoreRelatedAll Quiet on the Western Front1141 Words   |  5 Pagesafter participating in the war. As they begin thinking about their post-war life, the soldiers realize how war transforms their generation into a group of individuals who have no stable life to readjust to when they return; the horrors of war disrupt their lives psychologically and ruin their innocent youth, making it impossible to return to their past lives or build upon their dream life. Even though soldiers are able to distract themselves from the horrors that they witness on the front, war psychologicallyRead MoreThe Legacy Of The Army1123 Words   |  5 PagesThe legacy our leader’s leave behind is of the utmost importance to the future of our Army. 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