Sailors and Marines conduct a foreign object debris walk-down at dusk on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in 2009. US Navy Photo
The Pentagon will not address improvements to junior enlisted base housing, expanding transportation access for troops or changing on-base firearm purchase policy as part of its latest suicide prevention plan, Defense Department officials told reporters this week. Read More
Sailors assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) look for foreign object debris on the flight deck after a replenishment-at-sea with the Supply-class fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE-8) on Feb. 17, 2023. US Navy Photo
A set of new policies offering more confidentiality to sailors seeking mental health care was approved by Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro this week, USNI News has learned. Read More
Sailors stand watch aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68). US Navy Photo
A program within Navy medicine, born out of fatal Western Pacific collisions in 2017, wants to connect sailors with resources following non-combat-related trauma. Read More
Sailors man the rails as USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), returns to Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, following its deployment to the western Pacific ocean, Dec. 16, 2022. US Navy Photo
The Navy issued what it is calling a technical manual for Naval leaders to address mental health, starting with laying out how commanders should lead conversations with sailors. Read More
A humvee filled with Marines conducting a mounted combat patrol cruises through the desert of Iraq during the setting sun near Al Asad, Iraq, in 2006. US Marine Corps Photo
For the past 20 years – and longer before that – service members have returned from deployment talking about mental health concerns and illness they believed were linked to their time in the military, with many of their concerns backed by a variety of studies.
Now, a study that has been following military personnel, both active-duty and veterans, for 20 years supports the theory that experiencing combat can lead to adverse physical and health effects.
Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Alexis Vazquez places her handprint on the bulkhead of the vehicle stowage ramp aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) in recognition of Suicide Awareness Month. US Navy Photo
The Navy has seen its lowest rate of suicide in four years in active duty sailors, while the other services have seen a rise, according to the Department of Defense’s most recent suicide report. Read More
