I posed the questions:
'a. Does your base have a program whereby supervisors and co-workers
who might be confronted with suicidal people are trained to recognize
the warning signs and refer potential suicides to professionals?
'b. Are any base personnel, especially security police, social actions or
family support workers, trained in crisis intervention techniques? Are
any of them volunteer workers in the local community's suicide
prevention program?
'c. Does your base have any sort of arrangement with local suicide
prevention centers or hotlines so that a civilian crisis worker can contact
the base for information or assistance? Do civilian volunteers know
exactly whom to call for help when a military person or dependent
threatens suicide?
'd. Do your base officials routinely check with local crisis clinics to find
out the number and types of distress calls being received from military
people? Is this information analyzed to determine trends or patterns?
'e. Do your base mental health workers give talks to active duty and
dependents' groups on this subject? Are civilian experts in suicide
prevention brought on base to explain their services?'
The following month (February 22, 1985), the Secretary of the Army
and the Chief of Staff issued a Memorandum for Major Commands and
Staff Agencies which stated in part, 'The Department of the Army has
developed a Suicide Prevention Strategy designed to help commanders
deal with this problem.
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