Breaking the Silence on Suicide in the Army

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — They may still show up for physical training. They may still report for duty, finish the assignment, answer the phone and laugh at the joke. From the outside, everything may look normal. That is part of what makes suicide prevention difficult.

Within the military community, where resilience, discipline and pushing through adversity are deeply ingrained from the beginning, a person experiencing serious emotional distress may continue functioning while quietly carrying something much heavier.

For Fort Bragg Suicide Prevention Program Coordinators Jamila Ford and Alise Menchaca, preventing suicide means looking beyond whether someone simply appears to be OK. It means recognizing changes, being willing to have uncomfortable conversations and creating a culture where asking for help takes place before someone reaches a breaking point.

“A lot of the warning signs can be very subtle, and because Soldiers are used to pushing through difficult days, those signs often get missed,” Ford said.

Someone may become withdrawn, lose interest in things they once enjoyed or begin struggling at work. They may arrive late, seem distracted or appear increasingly overwhelmed. Sometimes, even humor can reveal something deeper.

Dark humor is common within military culture, Ford said, but comments about death, hopelessness or suicide should not be automatically dismissed simply because they are delivered in the form of a joke.

In some cases, however, the change can move in the opposite direction. A person who has visibly struggled may suddenly appear calm or seem as though everything is fine. Ford said a significant and unexplained change in behavior or energy also deserves attention. The difficulty is that people do not always allow others to see what they are experiencing.

Ford describes it as wearing a mask. A person may show one version of themselves to their unit, another to their Family and another to their friends or partner. Even those closest to someone may believe they would immediately recognize a crisis, when the person struggling has become skilled at hiding it from them.

Eventually, that mask may slip. It could happen in front of a battle buddy, supervisor, Family member, coworker or even a stranger during an ordinary interaction, Ford said.

Menchaca said concern for another person must outweigh the discomfort of asking them a difficult question.

“When a life is on the line, active caring always supersedes the fear of awkwardness or overstepping,” Menchaca said.

If someone begins talking about hopelessness, isolates themselves, gives away valued possessions or displays other concerning behavioral changes, Menchaca encourages people to ask directly: “Are you thinking about suicide?” However, asking the question is not the end of this responsibility.

If the answer is yes, Menchaca said the person should not be left alone. Someone should remain with them and help connect them directly with emergency care or another helping professional.

“That uncomfortable conversation is the bridge to their survival,” she said.

That willingness to intervene challenges the assumption that asking about someone’s personal life is intrusive and that mental health should remain private.

Suicide prevention asks people to become comfortable with doing something uncomfortable. It also asks the community to reconsider what seeking help looks like without shame. A person does not need to be suicidal to use mental health and support resources. Menchaca said early intervention can make future challenges more manageable. It also encourages people to seek support when they first recognize they are struggling rather than waiting for their situation to become a crisis.

“The very first step is to pause, take a breath and realize you do not have to carry this heavy load alone,” Menchaca said. “Acknowledging that you are struggling is not a sign of weakness but is a profound act of courage and strength.”

Fort Bragg community members have multiple places to begin that conversation, including unit chaplains, Military and Family Life Counselors, Holistic Health and Fitness teams, the Armed Forces Wellness Center and Military OneSource.

The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is also available around the clock. Service Members and veterans can call 988 and press 1 to reach the Military/Veterans Crisis Line. Support is also available to civilians and Family members through 988, while eligible military Family members can access non-medical counseling services through Military OneSource. Civilian employees also have support available through the Army Community Service Employee Assistance Program.

These are all wonderful resources, but suicide prevention itself does not begin with a hotline. Ideally, it begins much earlier. Menchaca describes resilience as something developed through ordinary decisions made long before a crisis occurs. Physical activity, time spent outdoors, reading, journaling, hobbies, and meaningful time with friends, Family members or pets can provide opportunities to decompress and maintain connection.

Mental wellness should be approached with the same intentionality given to physical readiness, she said. Those everyday practices do not eliminate a hardship. Soldiers and Families still experience deployments, relationship problems, financial pressure, grief, career uncertainty and other circumstances that can feel like too much. The goal is not to pretend those difficulties do not exist but to make sure people do not face them alone.

Ford said suicide prevention work itself can be heavy, but stories from people who survived their darkest periods remind her why the work matters. She has heard from people who reached out to 988 or used another resource after encountering suicide prevention messaging. For Ford, those stories transform a phone number, briefing or campaign into something tangible.

“The hope comes from knowing that people can and do find their way back from incredibly painful places,” Ford said.

She has watched people who once felt hopeless begin rebuilding their lives, their confidence and their sense of purpose. Those experiences reinforce that a crisis represents a moment in someone’s life, not the entirety of their future. For someone currently inside that moment, however, imagining a future beyond it may be extremely difficult.

“Your life matters. You are not invisible. You are valued. And it is safe to ask for help,” Ford said.

Having hope does not require someone to pretend that everything is fine. Instead, it can mean accepting the possibility that circumstances can change over time or allowing another person to come in to help carry the weight.

“No matter how dark the horizon looks right now, or how heavy the hardship you are carrying feels, please hold on to hope,” she said. “You are a vital, irreplaceable part of this Family. This difficult season will pass. Tomorrow needs you.”

Suicide Prevention Month places additional attention on the issue each September, but the conversations surrounding suicide cannot be limited to only one month. These conversations can happen in formations, offices, homes, barracks rooms and parking lots. They can happen when someone notices that a friend has stopped answering messages or when a coworker becomes distant.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988. Service Members and veterans can call 988 and press 1 to reach the Military/Veterans Crisis Line. In an immediate emergency, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. Help is ready when you are.

“Suicide is a heartbreaking and tragic reminder of just how many people are suffering quietly,” Ford said. “If anything in this story resonates with someone, I want them to walk away knowing they are worth fighting for and there are people ready to stand with them until they find their way forward.”

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