Edwards loses one of its own

Team Edwards, we lost an Airman this past weekend, and it breaks my heart. For reasons unknown to us, one of our own chose to take his own life. The tragic loss of a young Airman with his whole life and career ahead of him will never make sense to those he left behind – his family in Nevada, and his friends and teammates in the 412th Security Forces Squadron and throughout Edwards. My thoughts are with all of those who knew this young man, and my deepest sympathies are with his family and friends.

People often avoid talking about death, especially when it involves such a tragedy as this, but we must not ignore this senseless loss to our Air Force family. There are nearly 2,000 Airmen on Edwards AFB along with almost 10,000 civilians and family members. In such a large group of people, it is likely that at least one other person is contemplating ending his or her life while suffering in silence.

I challenge each and every one of you to do all you can to prevent anyone else from taking that terrible step and turning a short-term problem into a permanent solution. We should not be afraid or ashamed to discuss the topic of suicide – at shift change, at commander’s calls, at office meetings, over lunch or dinner and in social groups – especially if you or someone you know has mentioned being overwhelmed or possibly hurting themselves. Commanders, supervisors, team leads and coworkers – listen carefully for those clues that are sometimes very hard to pick up on, and do not hesitate to act. Every big “A” Airman should have at least one wingman – someone with whom you can share even your most hidden thoughts, and knows when it’s time to seek outside help.

Chaplains, helping agencies, senior enlisted leaders, victim advocates and wingmen are available to all of us, and we can all be wingmen to someone else. As a loyal wingman, understand the role you can play in identifying and helping those who may be contemplating suicide. Know the danger signs, but more importantly, get to know the people you work with and supervise on a deeper level.

We work in an already dangerous industry. We must do everything we can to avoid another senseless loss of life from our ranks. I’m asking all the men and women of Team Edwards to use this occasion to focus your efforts to prevent suicide, so that we never again have to say, “Never again.”