South Dakota National Guard has ACE for PTSD

Maj.Gen. Steven R. Doohen Photo by Andy Jacobs

Two SD Guardsmen committed suicide in 2007; risk taken very seriously

Some soldiers and airmen find it difficult to return to regular life after service
By Tom Lawrence
The Weekly News

A soldier’s biggest battle sometimes occurs after he or she returns home.

As American service members continue to fight and die in Iraq and Afghanistan, many men and women in uniform come home profoundly changed. Some discover they suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Others struggle with depression, anger and/or substance abuse and find it difficult to readjust to civilian life.A few can’t deal with the pain they feel. They commit suicide.Two South Dakota National Guard members killed themselves in the past year, according to Maj. Orson Ward, a Rapid City-based spokesman for the state Guard.

They witnessed a friend who was killed by an improvised explosive device in a combat zone in Iraq. One man killed himself a few days later while he was still deployed; the second man committed suicide after he returned to South Dakota.Ward, who has had to deal with his own PTSD-related issues, said the Guard is very aware of the mental health concerns that soldiers and airmen face in and out of combat.Maj. Gen. Steven R. Doohen, who commands the South Dakota Air and Army National Guard, said he has learned that the “big tough men” and the women he commands can be very vulnerable.

When soldiers and airmen come off the plane as they complete an overseas deployment, the general greets them with a handshake — and a card advising them of counseling available to them. “I strongly encourage them to go,” Doohen said.He said going to counseling with a family member can be useful. A soldier may not be aware, at least consciously, of changes he or she has undergone. But a loved one can often spot the pain they are feeling.Taking suicide, depression and PTSD seriously is a priority for the state Guard, Doohen said.“I’ve had it hit pretty close to home,” he said. “There is nothing more devastating than suicide.”

A program called ACE: Ask for help, Care for your buddy and Escort your buddy, has helped soldiers deal with the pain, he said.

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