GOODFELLOW AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Every day approximately 123 people take their own lives in the United States. That adds up to one death every 12 minutes. It has become the 10th leading cause of death. Goodfellow members took a stand against those statistics Sept. 27.
Staff Sgt. Alexander Brown, 316th Training Squadron Military Training Leader, organized a 24-hour walk/run for suicide prevention and awareness. The event started with an idea that quickly gained support from Airmen to colonels.
“We are doing a 24-hour run/walk,” said Brown. “It’s to get everyone together whether they’re running or walking, they are talking and that’s the whole reason for the 24 hour run.”
Suicide has become a very serious issue in the military and in the rest of the world. Numbers increase every year. It is vital to the safety of our community that we raise suicide awareness.
“The main goal is to raise the awareness,” said Brown. “Even if one extra person goes and seeks help all of this is well worth it.”
Airman Daniel Soquet, 316th TRS student, is one of the many who have been affected personally by suicide.
“I’ve known some people that wanted to commit suicide,” said Soquet. “Some of them got the help they needed, others were not so lucky. Someone I knew in school ended up overdosing. One day she was not on the bus and we were curious as to why. We found out later that day over the intercom system that she had overdosed.”
Events such as the 24-hour run/walk are needed to show that there are people all around that care. Some people believe that there is no one to talk to, that no one will understand. The events prove those thoughts are false.
“There are a lot of agencies out there that can help,” said Brown. If you need someone to talk to, there’s a lot of people that are there to listen.”
Preventing suicide starts with preventing people from feeling alone. It starts with having a listening ear.
“If anyone has a problem they should talk to each other,” said Soquet. “No one should be afraid to talk to anyone, even the sergeants and leadership.”
Goodfellow leadership from all branches of the military participated in the run/walk to show they supported the event, but more importantly to show they listen.
Care is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week. Whether that be a friend, a family member, a Wingman, a hotline, your supervisor, your commander. There is always someone there ready to listen.
If you need help call 325-654-CARE.