He could measure his own progress only in relationship to others, and his idea of excellence was to do something at least as well as all the men his own age who were doing the same thing even better. The fact that there were thousands of men his own age Read more…
Summary: Rob Stewart joined Give an Hour in March 2014 as the Project Coordinator in the Detroit, Mich., area for the Wins for Warriors initiative. Rob retired from the military in 2009 as a Master Sergeant after having spent almost 12 years in the U.S. Army as an Indirect-fire Infantryman Read more…
September is National Suicide Awareness Month. In a recent conversation, an acquaintance questioned the need for all of these “awareness months.” Why a specific month for checking on your buddy? Why not all the time? Absolutely correct, of course, but having a specific time period that brings it into the Read more…
Summary: Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas sees issues of suicide prevention and mental health promotion from a host of perspectives. Clinical psychologist. Mental health advocate. Faculty member. Researcher. And suicide loss survivor. She has earned an international reputation as an entrepreneur and innovator in social change. Along the way, she’s helped establish Read more…
This article was an original op-ed published in the Colorado Springs Gazette on June 20th, 2018. You can see the original article here. According to a comprehensive analysis of veteran suicides, an average of 20 active duty military service members, non-activated Guard and Reserve service members, and veterans die by suicide every Read more…
Summary: Stacey Freedenthal is a Denver psychotherapist, consultant, and associate professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. Now a therapist with a part-time private practice, she also has extensive clinical experience in crisis and suicide prevention settings. Her book, Helping the Suicidal Person: Tips and Techniques Read more…
Faithful readers, thank you, as always, for taking the time to learn and share more about Veteran Mental Health. A key component of the mental health and wellness of former service members is the support that we get from our families; I know that I would not be where I Read more…
There are many paths to the top of the mountain, but the view is the same – Chinese Proverb As a young Staff Sergeant in Germany, I had a respected leader tell me: “I don’t care how you skin a rabbit, as long as I get something to eat.” I Read more…
Summary: The Military Voices Initiative provides a platform for veterans, service members, and military families to share their stories. In doing so we honor their voices, amplify their experiences, and let them know that we—as a nation—are listening. For more than a decade, 2.4 million men and women have served Read more…
Is there such a thing as just enough of a “bad” thing? Or too much of a “good” thing? Does that make the bad thing good, and the good thing bad? I try not to label things as good or bad, because that’s a judgement call. Here, I try even Read more…