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Airforce.com adviser conducts life-saving live chat

  • Published
  • By Kelly Parsons
  • Air Force Recruiting Service Public Affairs
RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Airforce.com's internet advisers, or "chatters", answer a variety of questions from the online public, but occasionally, they are asked to help save a life.

Brad Shimp, an Air Force Recruiting Service chatter, acted quickly when he received a request this week from someone concerned about their friend. The "friend", an Air Force servicemember, had recently received some bad news from home and was threatening to end his life.

Caring for each and every Airman and their family is paramount in Air Force culture. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, issued a memo in 2010 stating, "We must redouble our efforts to identify those at risk for suicide and get them the support needed to regain hope and balance in their lives."

These efforts include regular Wingman Days, a unit-wide function where leadership discusses items such as stress management, identifying risky behaviors and suicide prevention. Ironically, AFRS's wingman day was held just a few days prior to this online event.

Mr. Shimp is no stranger to the wingman culture, a prior servicemember himself, he's well-versed in looking out for fellow Airmen. Armed with a chat screen, Mr. Shimp served as wingman as he gathered information from the concerned individual. He let her know that he was engaging with the right people and that help was on the way for her friend.
 
Mr. Shimp did the chatting and speaking, while Ray Korleski and Todd Goins assisted him in contacting appropriate base command posts. The three chatters wasted no time so the distraught Airman could get the immediate help he needed.

"I feel that the system worked very well. Within one hour of this [concerned friend] contacting me through the live chat, we were speaking with the individual's first sergeant and the individual was tracked down and is in good hands," Mr. Shimp said.

Max Sellers, lead interactive adviser for airforce.com said, "I believe Brad did a commendable job, and went the distance to ensure this individual was safe."

The chatters engage with an average of 18,000 individuals per month, and sometimes as many as one thousand or more a day. They also respond to approximately 5,000 e-mails each month, providing individual attention to each inquiry.

While the chatters' primary job is to prequalify an individual for entry in to the Air Force, provide pre-approach information to the Recruiters in the field and answer questions about joining the Air Force, this isn't the first time they've intervened to prevent a potential suicide. In 2007, Mr. Sellers and an Air Force chaplain helped keep a distressed Airman calm until help arrived. The chatters receive suicide awareness training as an additional tool because they need to be prepared if the situation arises.

For information about what to do if someone you know is threatening suicide call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273 TALK (8255).