Army

PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. (Feb. 25, 2022) – As the chief of Workforce Development for U.S. Army Garrison Presidio of Monterey, Stephanie Schafer continuously asks herself how she can help employees feel more invested, happy and engaged in their jobs.

“Engaged employees are not only motivated by money,” Schafer said. “Do I have job satisfaction? Am I given opportunities to do something that’s interesting and meaningful? Do I feel appreciated? Do I feel happy and safe here? All of those things are factors in employee engagement and retention.”

While Schafer reaches out to the workforce through emails, trainings and employee recognition programs, she encourages employees to reach out to her as well. Workforce Development offers a variety of programs and resources designed to help civilian employees progress in their careers and, ultimately, increase Soldier readiness.

For employees to ask informed questions, however, it is necessary for them to know what the garrison’s Workforce Development program offers.

Schafer, a retired sergeant first class with more than eight years of experience as an Army civilian, oversees a variety of U.S. Army Installation Management Command services and programs that include the Service Culture Campaign, the onboarding program, leader and workforce engagement services, training and employee recognition programs.

She also directs the employee professional development training program, which includes Operational Excellence, or “OPEX,” customer service training and monthly professional development trainings. Other than a monthly report she sends to IMCOM, however, Schafer is not involved with annual Department of Defense and Army training requirements.

Not only can Schafer help supervisors put together training to address particular issues, she can assist individuals set themselves up for future career success through professional development.

This month alone, Schafer has sent information via email about Massive Open Online Courses, often called “MOOCs,” the new Army Housing Management Certificate, and the “Interactive Leader Development Guide,” among other training opportunities.

Schafer also hosted a training session on goal setting and time management Feb. 24, as well as an OPEX training session on problem solving.

In addition, Schafer can help with Individual Development Plans and the upcoming annual Defense Performance Management and Appraisal Program requirements.

“Step by step, call me,” Schafer said. “We’ll do it on Teams together.”

All employees are unique, Schafer said, and with the widely disparate career fields within the garrison workforce, her approach to helping people is flexible and adaptable.

“I’m not telling you what you need,” Schafer said. “You know what things are interesting to you, and maybe you don’t know what the end point is right now, but what’s the next right thing for you? What’s the next thing that you can do that’s going to make you happy in the moment and maybe set you up for success?”

Within the next month, garrison employees will receive a training needs assessment survey via email to assess how the garrison can increase the effectiveness of directorates and employees, Schafer said, and she encourages employees to respond.

Schafer also encourages employees to visit the Army Substance Abuse Program Office, often called “ASAP,” and the Employee Assistance Program, which offers help for more personal matters. The programs, which also fall under the Directorate of Human Resources, offer much more than help with drug and alcohol issues.

Civilian employees are critical to the success of the Army’s mission, Schafer said, and their success as individuals is important.

“The more competent we are, the more engaged we are, the more invested we are,” she said, “the more effective and efficient and cost effective the military can be in accomplishing its mission.”

Reach Schafer at [email protected] or (831) 242-5474. Contact ASAP at (831) 242-6960. Learn more about PoM Workforce Development and available career resources at https://home.army.mil/monterey/index.php/about/garrison-directorates/human-resources/workforce-development.

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (WWTI) — The sky is not the limit when it comes to promoting inclusion and diversity in the U.S. Army, it is merely the start.

Fort Drum 10th Combat Aviation Brigade Warrant Officer Kevin Batson has spent his entire military career setting limitless goals for himself. Which included the vigorous challenge of becoming an Army pilot.

However, CW1 Baston’s career first started in the New York National Guard. But after three years serving, he enlisted to become an infantryman with the U.S. Army. He then spent 12 years as an active-duty infantryman.

After serving in this role for over a decade, he decided he was ready for a new challenge.

CW1 Kevin Baston went on to pursue aviation in the military, which involved competitive tests and intense training. Batson was also required to attend flight school.

After completing flight school, Batson arrived in the North Country at Fort Drum in the fall of 2021. From there, he began his role as an Aviation Warrant Officer and started flying A64 Apache Helicopters.

In his role every day, he is responsible for soldiers and is assigned official duties. However, he discussed how in his leadership role he helps to promote inclusion and diversity.

“We mostly try to tell everyone, you know, everyone has the same opportunities,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what your skin color is. It’s all up to you what goals you set for yourself and how hard you are willing to go for those.”

He also said he often shares his experience of becoming a pilot with other soldiers to encourage them to follow their dreams and reach any goals they may have.

“I try to talk to soldiers as much as I can, especially coming from the background that I have,” Batson expressed. “A lot of infantrymen don’t really think that they have the opportunities. And I try to be that person that shows them that ‘you have the opportunities it’s all up to you.’”

And with this advice, Batson said he is continuously setting new goals for himself as he continues his career, taking to the skies with the U.S. Army.

“When I was a younger soldier, I had a Platoon Sergeant that told me he pulled me to the side and he asked me: ‘What are you doing that is separating you from your peers?’ And that’s stuck with me from that moment on,” Batson shared.

“I set a goal for myself every single year. I wanted to achieve something. It’s helped me along my career progression promotions, and it’s definitely helped me to become what I am today.”

William Cathay enlisted in the U.S. Army on Nov. 15, 1866, for a three-year term. Since the Army didn’t do full physical examinations during this period, it would allow Cathay to serve out most of the contract, even though William Cathay was actually Cathay Williams, a woman posing as a man. But her service started long before she was old enough to enlist.

She would end her Army career as the Army’s only female Buffalo Soldier and first Black woman to enlist.

She was born in 1844 in Missouri to a free father and an enslaved woman, which made her legally a slave. When the Union Army captured Jefferson City, slaves were considered “contraband” so Cathay Williams and slaves like her supported the Union army as camp followers. She and others cooked for the troops, cleaned their laundry or acted as nurses.

According to stories told by Williams after her enlistment and discharge, she followed the Union Army throughout the west and was present for many of its most important engagements, including the Siege of Vicksburg and Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea.

She had begun supporting the Union Army at age 17. By the time the war ended, she was 22 years old, but the army was all she’d known as an adult. With the Civil War over and slaves across the country freed, she enlisted in the Army, posing as William Cathay and was sent to the 38th U.S. Infantry Regiment.

The unit was organized in 1866 as one of six segregated Black infantry regiments, which became collectively known as “Buffalo Soldiers.” They were the first all-Black infantry regiments of the regular Army formed during peacetime.

The 38th’s primary mission was protecting the construction of the intercontinental railroads, the first of which was completed in 1869, when the 38th merged with the 41st Infantry Regiment. The 41st was also a segregated unit, which had spent the time in Louisiana and Texas.

The only thing that kept Williams from completing her enlistment was a disease that would be eliminated in the United States 20 years later: smallpox. She contracted the virus not long after signing up for the Army. After recovering, she rejoined the 38th, which was then in New Mexico for the railroads’ east-west continental connection.

After years of stress on her body, frequent hospitalizations and never fully recovering from her smallpox infection, Army doctors finally took a closer look at William Cathay and discovered the truth. She was honorably discharged in 1868 and moved to Fort Union, New Mexico, where she went to work as a cook.

The Buffalo Soldiers went on to fight in the Indian Wars of the American West and the Spanish-American War. Cathay Williams moved to Colorado. She became a seamstress as her story remained untold in the wider press for almost a decade. In 1874, a reporter from the St. Louis Daily Times heard rumors of a Black woman who had served in and was honorably discharged from the Army and published an account two years later.

Williams’ medical troubles followed her for the rest of her life. She was known to have suffered from neuralgia (pain along certain nerves) and diabetes (from which she lost all her toes), but her applications for medical pensions from the Army were denied. No one knows when or where she died or at what age.

The Global Association of Buffalo Soldiers Recognition and Riding Club Inc. finally recognized Cathay Williams’ historic service after almost 150 years. In 2015, it unveiled a monument bench for Pvt. Cathay Williams on the Walk of Honor at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia.

— Blake Stilwell can be reached at [email protected]. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on Facebook.

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Winchester, Va. – With a long legacy of delivering solutions in one of the most complex engineering and construction environments on earth, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Division remains the ‘partner of choice’ throughout the Middle East and Central Asia by building relationships on a foundation of commitment to excellence.

This past month, the Transatlantic Division’s Team of Teams hosted Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, the 55th Chief of Engineers and commanding general of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in Kuwait and Iraq, for an action-packed week of project site tours and vital engagements with U.S. and allied nation mission partners. With more than 140 ongoing projects totaling nearly $4 billion throughout the U.S. Central Command area of operations, there was plenty to see.

Over the course of the week, Spellmon talked with hundreds of military and civilian professionals, including engineers from the Transatlantic Division’s two districts, the Transatlantic Middle East District and Transatlantic Expeditionary District, He also met with both U.S. and host nation partners to discuss bilateral ties, cooperation, and issues of common interest, especially in the military field and ways of boosting military coordination.

U.S. Army Col. Philip M. Secrist III, Middle East District commander, and Tom Waters, Middle East District director of programs, also traveled to Kuwait with Spellmon to see first-hand the complex work being accomplished by their district.

“The bulk of our current program is work on behalf our allied nation partners,” Secrist said. “They don’t have to work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, they choose to work with us. That speaks to both the quality of the work we’ve delivered for 70 years and just as importantly, to the relationships we’ve built with those we work with.”

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Delfin J. Romani, Transatlantic Division command sergeant major, coordinated the week-long trip, ensuring all the moving parts lined up allowing the teams to focus on engagement.

“The Transatlantic Division has a large span of diverse stakeholders who maintain a strong interest in our program. In addition to CENTCOM and U.S. Special Operations Command, we coordinate regularly with the service component commands like U.S. Army Central, U.S. Naval Forces Command and U.S. Air Forces Central.

Additionally, we support the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Assistance for International Development, the Missile Defense Agency, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Our international stakeholders include 18 of the 20 countries comprising the CENTCOM area of responsibility as well as the Combined Joint Taskforce and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It’s no small endeavor ensuring we remain connected and engaged with our partners,” Romani emphasized.

Scott Sawyer, the Transatlantic Division Program Integration Division Chief, who oversees the integration of program and project data from the districts ensuring the division sees a holistic picture of the mission, shared his thoughts on the importance of seeing the projects first-hand.

“To really be in touch with the mission you have to walk the ground, talk to the people and see up close the great things going on. Photos in briefings and reports and updates on the projects really come to life when you have seen them for yourself. You get a much better grasp of the magnitude of what we are accomplishing for our mission partners and the challenges we are overcoming to deliver the program so successfully over the course of the better part of a century.”

While in Kuwait, Spellmon also had the honor of meeting with the division’s Kuwaiti partners including Brig. Gen. Hazza Al-Alati, the Chief of Kuwait Naval Forces, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Al-Eid, the Deputy Commander of Kuwait Naval Forces, Maj. Gen. Adel Al-Hafedh, the Kuwaiti Air Defense commander, and the Kuwait Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Khaled Saleh Al-Sabah, and their staffs and delegations.

“Hearing how well we are doing and how much we are contributing directly from our mission partners, both U.S. and allied nation, really has an impact,” Spellmon expressed. “Partnerships for the Army Corps of Engineers are unique in the Middle East and Central Asia. They are built first and foremost on relationships and on our legacy of commitment.”

In the Middle East, there is a choice,” Spellmon continued. “A lot of the work the Transatlantic Division is executing is for our host nation partners and they decide where they channel their money and who they partner with to execute their engineering and construction needs. They are under no obligation to choose the Army Corps of Engineers. We earn their partnership by delivering the highest quality projects on time and on budget and prioritizing building and maintaining relationships.”

The value this Division and its Districts places on relationships and their commitment to their mission partners can be seen in the time and energy they put into engagement and the overall long-term success of their mission.”

One of the Division closest partnerships in Kuwait is the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, at Ali Al Salem Air Base. While there, Spellmon met with U.S. Air Force Col. Clinton Wilson, the commander of the 386th to review current projects being managed on the base.

“I got an up-close look at the ongoing renovations of the base dining facility, along with runway repairs and the installation of aircraft barrier arresting systems,” Spellmon said. “Ali Al Salem Air Base is a vital Army Corps of Engineers partner as it’s the primary tactical airlift hub and gateway for delivering combat power to joint and coalition forces in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

It is also one of the busiest aerial ports in the region supporting ongoing Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve missions,” Spellmon continued. “Taking care of the warfighter downrange is an honor and a privilege, and the Corps of Engineers works with CENTCOM and all its components to ensure soldiers and civilians have what they need to get the job done.”

Spellmon also viewed the construction inside one of five APS-500 buildings, located at Area Support Group – Kuwait’s Camp Arifjan. When completed the five facilities will provide critical environmental protection for Army Materiel Command’s pre-positioned stock, part of a U.S. Army program in which equipment sets are stored around the globe for use when a combatant commander requires additional capabilities.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command is another important partner in Kuwait. U.S. Navy Lt. Chris Quatroche, the officer-in-charge of U.S. Navy Construction Battalion sailors, Seabees, and members of his team, briefed Spellmon and the District leadership on the application of a hardware and software system to form and assemble cold-rolled steel framework to build semi-permanent buildings at Ali Al Salem Air Base.

The joint team of Navy Seabees and Army Theater Engineer Brigade engineers demonstrated how utilizing this modern capability allows them to build quality structures faster and cheaper than traditional wood-framed structures.

“We don’t just support construction projects,” Tom Waters, Middle East District director of programs, said following the project tour, “we are supporting regional security, we’re supporting stability operations, interoperability with our allied nation mission partners, and most importantly we are supporting U.S. service members across the CENTCOM area of responsibility”

While in Kuwait, Spellmon also hosted held two townhalls attended by more than 100 military engineers, emphasizing the importance of taking care of people.

COL Kenneth N. Reed and his team at the Expeditionary District who are located in Kuwait, picked up the tour from there and accompanied Spellmon on to Iraq to review ongoing projects in that region.

The Expeditionary District has ongoing projects in Kuwait and also serves as a Contingency Provisional Forward Postured District, delivering design, construction and related engineering services in support of named operations like Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.

The “Always Forward” District’s capabilities include providing small-scale, low-risk, and high visibility services to combatant commanders on the ground in the CENTCOM and SOCOM areas of responsibility.

Alongside the Expeditionary District’s command team, Spellmon assessed projects in Erbil including the Logistic Support Area, the dining facility, an alternate taxiway, and west taxiway road.

Spellmon also had an in-depth look at a Bunker prototype. The Bunker prototype is a joint research and development project with the Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center and is designed to reduce blast pressures inside bunkers, reducing risk of traumatic brain injuries. USACE is now working with ARCENT to finalize the prototype and implement the bunker design at military installations in Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait.

While in Erbil, Spellmon took a moment to thank U.S. Army Col. Andrew Steadman, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Brigade commander, for ensuring the team’s safety during the trip.

“Without your security support,” Spellmon said, “we would not be able to complete important assessments like these.”

Spellmon summed up the trip with an acknowledgment of the magnitude of the Division’s mission and meaningful impact the districts create through their projects.

“The physical working environment in the Middle East is unlike anything I’ve encountered in the U.S.,” Spellmon said. “The Transatlantic Districts are executing engineering and construction projects in regions where foundations are built on sand and stone and structures have to stand up to intense heat and unpredictable winds and rain.

The opportunity to tackle and overcome these challenges and deliver projects that improve not only the functionality but ultimately increase the security and stability across the region is unparalleled,” Spellmon continued. “And the depth of the relationships with our allied nation partners is just amazing to witness.

The Division and its Districts are truly living up to its legacy of being the engineering services and solutions organization of choice throughout the Middle East and Central Asia.”

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – Lt. Col. Dartanion Hayward, commander of the 309th Military Intelligence Battalion, knows it takes more than wishful thinking to effect change.

“Action actually drives change, not thought,” the Philadelphia native said. “Thought drives desire, but until you put action into it, nothing is going to happen.”

Hayward enlisted in the Army in 1997 as an 88M motor transport operator feeling the experience would make him a better leader. He later commissioned in 2002 after obtaining a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship in his sophomore year at Penn State.

Despite a love for combat arms, choosing Infantry as a branch was out of the question because of his severe allergy to grass, and his second choice, Aviation, wasn’t an option because his eyesight didn’t make the grade. Hayward settled into the Military Intelligence branch with a detail to Armor, making him one of a small handful of Black intelligence officers.

President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948, establishing the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services, committing the government to integrating the segregated military. The Army’s nine training divisions were integrated by 1951, and by 1954 the Army reported it was fully integrated.

While strides have been made and the Department of Defense reaps the benefits of a workforce where team members from a variety of backgrounds unite for a common mission, the recent DOD Board on Diversity and Inclusion Report released on Dec. 18, 2020, identified the fact that more work must be done to ensure the military accurately reflects the nation’s diversity and every member of the force is treated with dignity and respect. Women and minorities remain underrepresented in parts of the military, particularly at the highest levels of leadership.

Recent changes include reviewing hairstyle and grooming standards for racial bias resulted in revisions to Army Regulation 670-1 in 2021. The DOD report, Recommendations to Improve Racial and Ethnic Diversity and Inclusion in the U.S. Military, advocates taking other, long-term steps to improve racial and ethnic diversity. Two of those steps are diversifying senior-level positions so they reflect the nation’s racial and ethnic makeup, and identifying and removing barriers to senior leadership for diverse candidates.

In Focus Area 1: Recruitment and Accessions, the board recommends increasing the pool of qualified ROTC enrollment, scholarship and commission applicants from minority-serving institutions.

Leaders at the headquarters of the Army’s military intelligence training and the traditional home of the Buffalo Soldier, are taking action on that recruiting recommendation by visiting Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, across the country to drive change and diversify the Military Intelligence (MI) branch.

According to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, HBCUs were established in the United States early in the 19th century to provide undergraduate and graduate level education opportunities to people of African descent. Congress defined an HBCU in Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as a school of higher learning that was accredited and established before 1964, and whose principal mission was the education of African Americans.

When demographic information compiled by the Office of the Chief of Military Intelligence revealed a stark lack of diversity among officers currently serving in the military intelligence career fields, Maj. Gen. Anthony Hale, commanding general of the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence & Fort Huachuca, wanted to make a personal difference.

Hale began incorporating visits to HBCUs on his many travels around the Army.

“I made it my objective to get on a campaign to recruit more minorities into the Intel Corps,” he said during a recent visit to Jackson State University. Hayward and other Black MI officers accompany Hale on these visits.

Their first visit was to Maryland HBCUs Morgan State and Bowie State in May 2021, followed by visits to Washington, D.C.’s Howard University, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and Virginia State University. Earlier this month, they traveled to Mississippi to visit Alcorn State and Jackson State Universities.

“Major General Hale’s recruiting briefs at 13 HBCUs in the past year, most recently to two in my home state of Mississippi, demonstrates leadership in action to ensure the next generation of military intelligence professionals are diverse and the most talented our Army has seen,” said U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss.

Hayward is inspired the Chief of Staff of the Army has placed an emphasis on diversity and inclusion.

“We can make it better in the Army; we have the ability to drive that kind of change and show the rest of society this is what right looks like,” said the commander of more than 1,100 military intelligence trainees.

“Nothing changes until something changes,” he continued. “We can talk about the change all day long, but it won’t change until something happens.”

Hayward has heard people talk about issues of diversity and inclusion within military intelligence for more than 20 years with very little action being taken.

He has his eye on the future and leaving a legacy for future Soldiers.

“If we don’t want to continue to look like and act like the things we’ve been struggling through for hundreds of years, then we need to start changing the trajectory of this compass,” Hayward said. “One azimuth on a compass makes a dramatic change when you continue to walk that way for five, six hundred meters. So if we just make one slight change and walk in that direction, it’s phenomenal what it will do in the future.”

While speaking to a group of ROTC cadets at Alcorn State University this month, Hale said, “When I talk to young officers, young minority officers in particular, they say I want to look up and see people that look like me. And right now, they don’t see a lot of folks that look them, and I am determined to change that.”

Like Hale, Hayward is motivated to be an agent of change and frequently paraphrases Proverbs 13:22, “A wise man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,” when he talks about improving diversity and inclusion in the Army.

Hayward’s travels with Hale to HBCUs are designed to educate cadets about career possibilities in military intelligence. The interactions inspire him as well.

Sometimes cadets are astonished to meet a Black MI officer from North Philadelphia.

“I bet you thought you’d never see a lieutenant colonel from the Strawberry Mansion-area of North Philadelphia?” he asks them. “No sir” is a typical response.

On one HBCU visit, Hayward recalls a cadet turning in the opposite direction when they saw a general officer. But not all cadets turn away. Many flock to Hale, Hayward and other MI officers to seek out advice, mentorship and contact information. Hayward was particularly thrilled when a cadet he had spoken with reached back to him in December to let him know she assessed MI and is branch detailed to Armor.

Because there can be generational disparity that might make it challenging for today’s college students to relate with a two-star general and lieutenant colonel, a junior officer is also a member of the HBCU outreach team.

1st Lt. John Jones is a graduate of North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University and serves as the executive officer at Alpha Company, 309th MI Bn. He has joined Hale on visits to HBCUs including his alma mater, and most recently, Alcorn State and Jackson State Universities.  For Jones, the opportunity to take part in driving change was one he could not pass up.

“I hope to one day make a strategic impact to the MI field and also be a role model for aspiring officers,” he said, applauding Hale’s initiative and noting the general is truly getting after diversifying the ranks.

Hale tells cadets and officers they need three things: a mentor, an advocate and a sponsor. Hayward described the role of each —a mentor providing step-by-step instructions, an advocate championing you on, and a sponsor having the ability to pull you in.

“That’s the issue we have,” he observes. “We don’t have someone pulling us in.”

Hale sees himself as a person who can be a sponsor who can pull someone in, and Hayward notes it’s good for the cadets to see that.

Hayward has observed the cadets are hungry and are looking for opportunity. Their training is very maneuver based, so that is what they know about the Army, he explained. Most aren’t aware of the opportunities in military intelligence while wearing the uniform and how they can translate to a civilian career after their time in the Army.

The interactions with the future leaders of military intelligence have also made an impression on the commanding general.

“I’ve been visiting Historically Black Colleges and Universities for the last year, and it has been the most inspiring thing that I have done while in command over 18 months at Fort Huachuca,” Hale told cadets during his February visit to Alcorn State University.

Hayward hopes to continue carrying the torch. Educating and encouraging subordinates and peers alike is the influence he wants to have throughout his career.

Returning to the topic of diversity in the military intelligence corps, he notes, “It’s not a Black problem or minority problem. It’s an ‘our’ problem. It’s everyone’s problem that we’re so under-represented within intel. If all of us aren’t fighting it, it will always be ‘us’ and ‘them.’ This is a problem we all need to address.”

Hayward sees Hale’s initiative as a great start and hopes it continues when the next commanding general inevitably takes command. Having a bigger pool of diverse candidates increases the likelihood of one crossing the finish line to senior leadership.

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick,” says Hayward. “The diversity and inclusion and equality piece is so important in that it gives other people hope to say, ‘I have the ability to obtain that.’”

(Editor’s note: Maj. Robin Cox, director of the USAICoE Strategic Communication Commander’s Action Group, contributed to this article.)

# # #

Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM)/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.

Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.

We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.

BELLE CHASSE, La. – Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training or ASIST, developed in 1983, is a two-day 16-hour interactive workshop that prepares caregivers to provide suicide first-aid intervention for someone who may be contemplating suicide.

The U.S. Army Reserve’s 85th Support Command and 76th Operational Response Command hosted an ASIST Training workshop, at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, January 20-21, 2022.

“The ASIST training is about helping people talk to someone that may have a suicide ideation and keep them safe for now. Meaning you could be walking down the street and see somebody on a bridge and this class is supposed to give you the tools to be able to assist that person to get some help to be safe,” said Sgt. 1st Class Veronica Moore, Suicide Prevention Liaison, 177th Armored Brigade.

During the ASIST course participants are trained in the Pathway for Assisting Life (PAL) model. Students are taught to recognize signs and ask about whether a person is contemplating suicide. They learn to listen to the person’s story and understand why they are contemplating suicide. Lastly, they are taught to develop a safe plan with the individual and confirm the follow through of this plan.

“What sets this training apart is that it gives our suicide prevention liaisons the opportunity to get a little more in-depth training on how to actually recognize and intervene with people who might be at risk of suicide,” said C. Tyler Montgomery, Suicide Prevention Program Manager, 76th ORC.

“When I talk to people across the Army Reserve and just even friends out in the civilian population, one of the biggest concerns is what are the signs and how to recognize suicidality,” said Montgomery. “But even if I do recognize that somebody is acting different than they normally do, what do I do then? What do I say? There has to be that perfect thing to say right?”

Montgomery further shared that a lot of people want to help they don’t know how, and this training really set the standard and is research based in the way that makes people feel more comfortable in approaching people.

Chief Warrant Officer John Brasfield, Command Chief Warrant Officer, 85th USARSC, attended the ASIST workshop as an observer, met with the training audience, and shared his thoughts on the topic.

“Every death by suicide is a tragedy. It profoundly impacts Soldiers, family, and friends in the individual’s life. It also has far-reaching negative impacts on units and operational readiness,” said Brasfield.

According to the ASIST workshop organizers they have received extensive positive feedback from past participants of the class.

“We’ve had lots of success stories. Participants call all the time, and a lot of times it happens right after they leave the class, like within that first week. They find themselves in that caregiver role and they’ll call for backup and ask hey am I doing this right? what do I need to do next?,” said Sgt. 1st Class Ariesa Evans, who has been an ASIST trainer since 2017.

“The most common feedback from those who take this class is that they’ve been able to intervene before it got to a point where somebody was on that life-or-death crisis. Where they notice signs and they’ve been able to talk to people who maybe contemplated suicide but did not have a suicidal plan,” said Montgomery. “They were able to intervene at point before it ever got to that place and get them resources, got them connected to people, showed that they cared, maybe figure out what problems were going on in their life and the person never got to the point where they were they actually had a plan to take their life.”

For anyone contemplating suicide, Carmella Navarro, Suicide Prevention Program Manager, 85th USARSC emphasized how critical it is to seek help.

“They are not alone in those thoughts. There are many people who feel the same way. Those thoughts can be extremely isolating and it’s important to know that there are others they can reach out to that will listen and let them process what they’re thinking and feeling, and hopefully allow them to see that there is a connection to life,” said Navarro. “So I would say find that person you trust, call the Veterans hotline and know that there’s not going to be a judgment when you reach out, it’s going to be how can I help you.”

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please call the Veterans Crisis Hotline at 800-273-8255 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.

FORT HOOD, Texas – Gordon Logan is an Air Force veteran and lifelong supporter of the United Services Organization.

On Feb. 17 at USO Fort Hood here, that support was recognized and honored.

Soldiers eating lunch at the USO watched as Col. Chad R. Foster, commander of U.S. Army Garrison – Fort Hood, presented an award, featuring patches representing all the major commands at the Great Place, to the Killeen, Texas businessman.

“A lot of what you enjoy here, today, and on a regular basis, is in large part due to his efforts and his support of this great program,” Foster told the troops.

“The USO is one of the key partners here on the installation to take care of you and help you have a better day sometimes,” he said. “I know when you’re out there – turning wrenches, pulling triggers, doing that hard work – it’s good to come here and get away from it all.”

Logan, who owns Sport Clips, makes a personal donation to the USO annually, as well as raises money for scholarships for troops transitioning out of the military. Through Veterans of Foreign Wars, Logan has helped raised more than $10 million in scholarship funds.

“We want to make sure the service members here at Fort Hood are well taken care of,” Logan said. “I’m just really proud to be able to help the USO and say thank you to Soldiers who sacrifice so much for us.”

Logan shared that during his time in the Air Force, serving overseas in different parts of the world, the USO was always there to make him feel welcome, which is why he is such a big supporter of the organization.

“The USO is always a safe place to go to relax and feel like you’re connecting back to home,” he added.

Isabel Hubbard, executive director of USO Fort Hood – Central Region, said Logan is one individual who never says “no” when called upon. She added that she’s happy the garrison was able to thank Gordon in some small way.

“I’m very appreciative of him,” she added. “It’s just amazing what he does, and just knowing it’s for the service members. That says a lot.”

Also joining the ceremony were Randy Hardin, chairman of USO Fort Hood; and retired Maj. Gen. Bob Halverson, who also serves of the USO Fort Hood board.

“Mr. Logan is a great friend of the USO and, therefore, a great friend of Fort Hood and the U.S. Army,” Foster said. “On behalf of Lt. Gen. (Pat) White, (III Corps and Fort Hood commanding general), all of Fort Hood, and all these great Soldiers and family members stationed here, thank you very much.”