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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      Global Strike Airmen save lives by employing the wingman conceptPublished Feb. 8, 2011
                    
                    By Maja Z. Stevanovich
                    
                    
                    Air Force Global Strike Command Public Affairs
            **BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. (AFNS) --**Two Air Force Global Strike Command Airmen employed the wingman concept recently when they alerted base security forces to the suicidal thoughts of their friend and got him the help he needed.
"A life was saved in our command that day because immediate action was taken by two wingmen who were paying attention, then stepped in and dedicated themselves to saving their fellow Airman," said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Carl Wright, the deputy command chaplain.
Numerous lives in Global Strike Command have been saved through suicide prevention efforts, Chaplain Wright said.
"If you stop to think of it, we probably spend more time with our fellow Airmen than we do with our families; so professional relationships matter," Chaplain Wright said. "By showing that we care, we can literally save lives. When suicides are prevented, it can be traced to healthy professional relationships in the workplace." 
The most important thing to convey to a suicidal Airman is first, that there is hope, and second, there is always a way out of life's problems that does not involve ending one's life, Chaplain Wright said.
Chaplain Wright recalls other recent instances where a suicide was prevented because a wingman listened and offered a kind word to an individual who was contemplating taking his or her own life.
"One key to suicide prevention is getting to know your fellow Airmen at work so you can notice any changes in their behavior," the chaplain said. 
"If somebody tells you they're thinking about taking their own life, first stress to them that suicide is not a solution to their problems," Chaplain Wright said. "If anything, it creates more problems for those they leave behind. Then, show that you care about them by offering to assist them in getting help."
Common warning signs of suicidal thoughts include an individual giving away personal possessions, talking about suicide and showing unexplained behavioral changes, officials said.
Help is available from chaplains on base, in addition to people at on-base mental health facilities, the chaplain noted.
Importantly, chaplains honor strict confidentiality where they are sworn to never disclose what they hear in counseling, the chaplain said. Featured News
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