New training for soldiers

Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009 | 2:08 a.m.

Severe stress among soldiers results not only from what they see and hear while in combat, but also from being away from their families for such long periods of time — multiple deployments have been common during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Undoubtedly it is severe stress that has caused more soldiers to commit suicide every year since 2004.

The Army has responded by hiring mental health professionals to screen soldiers before, during and after their deployments. It has hired social workers and marriage specialists. It has produced an array of multimedia publications to ensure that guidance on handling stress is available to soldiers and their families. Last year it came out with a Suicide Prevention Resource Manual.

Yet the number of soldiers committing suicide each year continues to rise. Last year 140 soldiers died this way, a record. Suicides this year in the Army indicate that 2008’s tragic number will be surpassed.

To its credit the Army has been diligent in researching prevention strategies. This has resulted in a new program that will begin at two Army posts in October and be steadily spread to all active-duty soldiers, including those in the National Guard and Reserves.

The thinking behind this strategy is that the mind of a soldier needs conditioning as much as the body of soldier. The New York Times, writing about the program on Tuesday, quoted Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey Jr. The general said the new program is an effort to transform a military culture that has considered talk of emotions to be a sign of weakness.

In weekly 90-minute classes, soldiers will be taught how to develop the type of mental fitness that allows them to sense their full range of emotions while understanding how they can and should remain resilient.

This training will be evaluated and adjusted as the program continues. We hope this is the strategy that will finally begin reversing the trend of rising suicides among soldiers.