Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend issues orders to stay alive

You may think this sounds dumb right now, but therapists have been having patients sign contracts stating they will not commit suicide for years.

May 27th, 2009
Commander ‘orders’ soldiers against suicide
Posted: 08:36 PM ET
FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (CNN) — The 101st Airborne’s senior commander in-effect ordered his soldiers Wednesday not to commit suicide, a plea that came after 11 suicides since Jan. 1, two of them in the past week.

“If you don’t remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this — suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad,” Brig. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend told his forces. “It’s bad for soldiers, it’s bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it’s got to stop now. Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now!”

Fort Campbell’s suicide rate, the highest in the Army, “is not a good statistic,” he said in remarks to one of four divisions he addressed during the day.

After nearly one soldier per week committed suicide at the base between January and mid-March, the Army instituted a suicide prevention program that “seemed to be having good effects” until last week, when two more suicides occurred, he said.

“Suicide is a permanent solution to what is only a temporary problem,” Townsend said. “Screaming Eagles don’t quit. No matter how bad your problem seems today, trust me, it’s not the end of the world. It will be better tomorrow. Don’t take away your tomorrow.”
http://cnnwire.blogs.cnn.com/