Infantryman Robert Waddle’s mental state began to decline when he was stationed at Fairbanks.
“The issues I was experiencing in my unit had significantly affected my mental well-being,” said Waddle. “I certainly would say that my mental health was at a crisis.”
Waddle isn’t the only military member suffering. Military personnel here are confronted with all the normal tensions that come with Alaska life, including the short winter days and geographical isolation. They also don’t always have a reliable support system in the area since they’ve come in other parts of the United States.
The suicide rate within the military of the state reached its peak in 2021. the year in which seventeen Army soldiers committed suicide. It was an alarm call. The Army’s eleven the Airborne Division in Fort Wainwright decided to create an initiative called “Mission 100” to respond.
“We have realized that connectivity is vital for the health and well-being that our personnel enjoy,” said Col. Masaki Nakazono, the command Chaplain for the division.
It’s been a year and half in this Mission 100 program. And Nakazono and other people say that it’s successful – but there’s still a lot to be done.
Nakazono told soldiers that they should now visit a medical professional to have a wellness check-up once within the initial six months, and every year thereafter. The team’s leaders also call the family members of soldiers to introduce them to the team.
“A most of the time it’s a family member who can recognize that their soldier is struggling and struggling,” said Nakazono, “and they don’t really understand the military system, or how to reach an individual or a leader.”
It has also brought more pastors as well as counsellors in Alaska. Nakazono says that this has resulted in shorter waiting times for counseling with a 95% drop of soldiers suffering from an immediate crisis. Also, suicide rates are down however the figures are so insignificant that it’s difficult to draw any conclusions at this point. Halfway through the year there’s been one reported suicide. Six suicides were reported this year, a decrease from the record high of 17 however, it was similar to the previous years prior to the increase.
Nakazono stated that a key aspect is that chaplains are available during off hours and on weekends in the army barracks, when conversations don’t interfere with work. He believes these informal conversations can help identify problems earlier.
“I believe that these important conversations allow soldiers to sort through problems before they start to become a mess and eventually reach the point of being in a solitary, isolated state and have no one to talk with,” Nakazono said. Nakazono.
Nakazono explained that The division has also been working on additional programs to promote mental wellness, like helping soldiers purchase plane tickets to visit relatives and supplying blackout curtains to improve sleep quality.
Monique Andrews works as a therapy from Anchorage and is a member of her unit, the Alaska Army National Guard.
She has seen a lot of patients in her clinic, but she’s not part of Mission 100. She has described the program as an innovative way to decrease the stigma associated with accessing mental health services.
“If everyone has the desire to talk and connect to each other, then there’s no need for us against the other,” said Andrews. “You are aware that generals are going to speak to the mental health specialist. Privates will speak to the mental health specialist.”
Andrews does not claim to be a military representative – she explained that it is struggling with its tradition of stigmatizing mental health services.
“Back in the days when you had to go to mental health the end of your career was in sight,” said Andrews. “That’s not the case anymore. There is truth and a certain amount of validity in every myth.”
Andrews noted that the military’s culture is based on positive roles such as “heroism and being a good leader and being resilient, never giving up and taking care of family members, having good relationships.”
These roles can be beneficial However, when a soldier is unable to fulfill those requirements in any way the result could be guilt and shame.
Andrews stated that she also has a lot of soldiers struggling with loneliness and isolation. The surgeon general last month has declared loneliness in America as a major problem. The impact on mental health and well-being can be twice as dangerous as weight gain.
Waddle the infantryman who was stationed in Fairbanks told me he was struggling with feeling lonely. He met chaplaincy Drew Paul who came up to the division as member of “Mission 100.” And he added that the discussions with them helped him understand how to reconsider his relationships.
“I felt constantly very lonely or marginalized,” said Waddle. “And I was able to connect with someone I could be a part of. It’s hard to explain. It was enjoyable to feel a connection to a person for the first time in a long while.”
He started seeing the chaplain frequently, at times even once a day. He explained that it was easier to talk to him because the chaplain also serving in the military and is currently deployed. This June Chaplain Paul was officiant at Waddle’s wedding.
However, Waddle admitted that receiving help wasn’t always easy. He was criticized by his peers and was disciplined by an administrator for being late in a meeting that was running late even though he was able to provide an excuse in writing.
“When this was the case, it really caused a lot of stress for me to to go on because I was afraid that I would be disqualified or punished for seeking assistance,” said Waddle.
He did however continue to visit the Chaplain. It continued to be helpful. He views his mental health as an ongoing process, but it’s not in a state of crisis.
Now, he’s telling his fellow soldiers about the value of his meetings with the Chaplain. He believes this is helping shift mental health in the military towards the positive direction.
