Navy

Mental Health Awareness and National Suicide Prevention Months are acknowledged each year during the months of April and September respectively. This month, Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC) is highlighting a Mental Health Awareness campaign that focuses on the importance of mental health and physical wellness among NSW personnel and their families.

Rear Adm. Keith B. Davids, commander, NSWC, highlighted the significance of the initiative.

“Our Naval Special Warfare operators are known for their resilience, strength, and unwavering commitment to the mission,” said Davids. “We realize that our line of work comes with significant stressors like rigorous training, years of recurring deployments, and family separation. Our priority is to ensure that they have the necessary resources and support to navigate through difficult times.”

The NSW community offers a range of resources, programs, and services to help operators manage stress, cope with challenges, and enhance their emotional wellbeing.

These resources include, but are not limited to, meeting with a mental health professional, counseling services and retreats provided by chaplains, attending training such as ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and Sailor Assistance and Intercept for life (SAIL).

The command continues to bring awareness to mental health through training and education programs to help personnel identify warning signs of suicidal ideation in their peers and to encourage open dialogue about mental health.

Jeanne Lagorio, NSW Force suicide prevention coordinator and licensed therapist, launched a series titled “Warrior Talk.” In these videos, Navy SEAL operators share their personal struggles related to depression and suicidal ideations in hopes of encouraging others to reach out for help and breaking the stigmas associated with mental health.

“As the force suicide prevention coordinator, it is my responsibility to break down the barriers and stigma of seeking help for mental health that can lead to suicide,” said Lagorio. “It is my goal to end suicides within the active duty ranks of NSW.”

In addition to taking care of your own mental health, it is important to look out for your teammates. Lagorio discussed the importance of checking in with the peers and colleagues.

“We can support and police each other by staying connected. When you are connected, you will notice when a teammate is more stressed than usual, and be able to offer a listening ear,” said Lagorio.

To increase awareness of the importance of mental health, the NSW community showcases artwork from the Military Art PsychoTherapy program. This program provides materials and resources that support the community through specialized clinical counseling focused on recovery, resilience, and resolution.

Each year, NSW’s servicemembers, spouses, teenagers, and embedded providers illustrate their perspective of what suicide looks like through art. Their work is then shared internally throughout the NSW community.

Another resource available to NSW teammates are chaplains and religious program specialists who not only support the community through providing religious support, but also through personally meeting with teammates to assess their situations and guide them to appropriate support channels.

Chief Religious Program Specialist Lamarsay Creer, NSW Force religious program specialist, has been a part of the NSW community for twelve years and supports the community through various deployments.

“In our role as chaplains, we have 100% confidentiality,” said Creer. “Sometimes Sailors just want to vent, and we provide a safe place for them to do that.”

Creer went on to discuss how mental health professionals differ from religious program specialists and chaplains, stating that they have a conversation with the member to identify their needs and how they can support them spiritually.

Besides a listening ear, another resource that is offered by the chaplain’s office are marriage and single retreats for members and their families through the Preservation of Family and Fleet Forces program.

“We care for each and every servicemember and their families,” said Capt. Dennis Wheeler, NSW Force chaplain. “As chaplains we are embedded into commands and frequently walk the deckplates so Sailors see firsthand that we are an accessible and ready resource.”

Leaders within NSW continue to promote help-seeking services by reminding operators to reach out for help when needed.

“Don’t hide or ignore mental health challenges or suicidal thoughts,” said NSW Force Master Chief Petty Officer Walter Dittmar. “Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. We want a mindset across the formation that good mental health and fitness is a routine part of who we are and what we do.”

Davids adds, “reaching out for help is a strong move. [Every] life is important to me and the NSW team. We need [everyone] in the fight. Let’s continue to lean on each other, so we can stay strong, resilient, healthy, and ready.”

Besides mental health professionals, chaplains and training, the crisis hotline at 1-800-273-TALK, and Military One Source are resources that can be utilized within NSW and the Navy.

Naval Special Warfare is the nation’s elite maritime special operations force, uniquely positioned to extend the Fleet’s reach and gain and maintain access for the Joint Force in competition and conflict.

For more news on Naval Special Warfare, visit www.nsw.navy.mil.

NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO (April 27, 2023) Capt. Douglas Meagher relieved Capt. Spencer Austin, a native of Knotts Island, N.C., following a successful tour as commodore of Mine Division TWELVE during a ceremony aboard Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Cincinnati (LCS 20), April 27. Meagher will dual-hat as commodore of both Surface Warfare Division ELEVEN and Mine Warfare Division TWLEVE.

Austin led his division staff and seven crews aboard the division’s four ships. During his command, USS Manchester (LCS 15), USS Tulsa (LCS 16) and USS Charleston (LCS 18) all embarked on their maiden deployments, while Cincinnati served as the division’s training ship for the off-hull crews.

As commodore, Austin provided subject matter expertise and fostered innovation within his division to advance the mine countermeasures capabilities aboard Independence-variant LCS and for the U.S. Navy. He coordinated with multiple stakeholders across his two years in command to shepherd the all-important testing of the LCS MCM Mission Package that achieved Initial Operational Capability during his tenure.

“Independence-variant LCS are deploying regularly and in force; they are the future of the U.S. Navy’s mine warfare capabilities,” said Austin. “My division staff and crews have worked tirelessly to deploy multiple hulls over-the-horizon for more than a year at a time to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific. I could not be more proud to have served alongside them. ”

Prior to LCS Maintenance Execution Teams (MET) shift to the Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, Austin employed the Mine Division TWELVE MET to complete dozens of expeditionary Preventative Maintenance Availabilities for Independence-variant LCS throughout the Indo-Pacific including locations such as Australia, Guam, Japan, and Singapore. These expeditionary PMAVs enabled the ships to participate in combined operations like Rim of the Pacific 2022, Garuda Shield 2022, and La Pérouse 2023.

“From his selection for early command of multiple Avenger-class mine countermeasures ships to his most recent tour as Mine Division Twelve’s commodore, Spencer Austin has honed his skills and craft in support of the U.S. Navy’s mine countermeasure capabilities,” said Capt. Marc Crawford, commodore of Littoral Combat Ship Squadron ONE. “His leadership, innovation and expertise will be sorely missed in the LCS and mine warfare communities.”

Mine Division TWELVE, located on Naval Base San Diego and nested within Littoral Combat Ship Squadron ONE, is the operational and administrative support for four Independence-variant LCS and seven crews. Littoral Combat Ships are fast, optimally manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. LCS integrate with joint, combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence missions around the globe.

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