Department Recognizes Suicide Prevention Programs for Supporting Warfighters

The War Department recognized unique and innovative suicide prevention programs during a ceremony in the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes, Sept. 2.

The 11 department and two Coast Guard programs were recognized for building partnerships, equipping leaders and peers, connecting people with resources, and creating environments in which service members and families could more readily seek support.

"It is not just what they did during the last Suicide Prevention Month," said Alicia Matteson, Defense Suicide Prevention Office acting director. "They represent sustained efforts, informed by data, informed by the needs of their particular communities that they are serving."

Keith Bass, assistant secretary of war for health affairs, praised each of the honorees before handing out the awards.

"Today, we honor outstanding individuals for their efforts. I was just absolutely in awe of the creativity and the passion," Bass said. "Thank you on behalf of the Military Health System."

Joining Bass and Matteson during the annual event were Tim Hoyt, Defense Health Agency chief mental health officer, and Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shane Steiner, Coast Guard deputy assistant commandant for workforce and family services.

September may be Suicide Prevention Month, Hoyt noted, "but the individuals and commands we recognize today did not limit their work to a single month, event or campaign. They invested in suicide prevention throughout the year."

Hoyt added that celebrating these efforts today conveys to the force that the department values a multilayered approach to suicide prevention, which includes:

• Leaders who know and care for their people.
• Commands who act before concerns become a crisis.
• Programs that make support easier to access.
• Teams that strengthen connection and belonging.

The recognized programs represent a vital part in fostering that sense of support and connection in military communities, the speakers underscored.

Bass said when someone seeks care in a military hospital or clinic, "we will wrap our arms around that individual. We're going to take care of them and we're going to take care of our families. We have to continue to push this awareness. Nobody's alone. We do this as a team to take care of our folks."

During the ceremony, leaders emphasized that hope resounded throughout each team's efforts to prevent suicide.

"Hope is a belief that things will get better. But it's more than that," Matteson said. "It is also having the agency to make it so. And sometimes we forget that piece. The agency to make it so needs to exist for individuals to have hope that things will get better."

Each program was recognized for its outstanding prevention efforts and was evaluated by the military services based on criteria provided by the Defense Suicide Prevention Office.

Honorees are:

• 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, Katterbach Army Airfield, Germany. The brigade enhanced direct support of soldiers working in aircraft hangars with interactive walkabouts and physical resiliency notebooks. The unit also created an anonymous peer support group to help soldiers discuss stress without fear of career impacts.
• 84th Training Command, Army Reserve, Fort Knox, Kentucky. The command executed a campaign that trained leaders to recognize early deviations in a soldier's normal state of being. To combat isolation among geographically dispersed soldiers, the command implemented sponsorship checklists, virtual touchpoints and chaplain-partnered events. The initiative also integrated holistic health and fitness principles into events.
• Kentucky Army National Guard. The program created a modern suicide prevention music video that moves past traditional training briefings. This shareable video successfully connected soldiers and families to critical resources across the state.
• Marine Corps Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California. The battalion normalized seeking mental health support by hosting more than 30 interactive events, including a resiliency lunch and learn series. They also provided incoming Marines with secure storage training and physical gun locks.
• Marine Forces Reserve, Force Headquarters Group, New Orleans. This unit created "Vibes are Off," informal, rank-inclusive forums during which Marines can openly discuss stress. Their efforts drastically increased self-reporting and helped recruit 15 new peer prevention trainers.
• Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command, Portsmouth, Virginia. The command combined digital innovation with community outreach, launching a mobile app for mental healthcare and hosting basewide wellness fairs. They also partnered with Operation Homefront to provide support to more than 6,000 military children.
• Navy Reserve Center Minneapolis. This center trained 400 Navy Reserve service members across 17 units on how to spot early signs of a mental health crisis. They collaborated with fitness leaders and chaplains to build spiritual and mental toughness.
• Air Force Headquarters, Air Force District of Washington, Joint Base Andrews, Washington. The command trained more than 300 senior leaders in a supportive postcrisis framework and empowered airmen to share their personal resilience stories. They also taught leaders how to have comfortable, nonjudgmental conversations about secure firearm storage.
• Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. The 439th Airlift Wing brought mental health support directly to high-risk career fields, doubling demand for coping sessions for firefighters and distributing secure storage tools. They also expanded unit-level help by training 22 resilience training assistants.
• 172nd Airlift Wing, Air National Guard, Allen Thompson Airfield, Mississippi. Driven by the commander's clear support, the wing launched a gamified "Helping Hands" scavenger hunt in addition to mindfulness events. These activities showed airmen of all ranks how to make self-care a daily practice.
• Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. The base reached 25,000 community members through targeted leadership briefings, secure storage education and a veterans' suicide awareness ruck march. Base suicide response teams also support survivors by providing therapeutic art resources.
• Coast Guard Base Boston/Leadership Development Center, New London, Connecticut. Operating at the local level, the base completed more than 260 outreach initiatives to support 4,000 personnel. The center then integrated these real-world lessons directly into training pipelines for 1,300 future Coast Guard leaders.
• Coast Guard Station Golden Gate, California. The station used its unique bridge-recovery mission to secure a new physical bridge barrier and overhaul emergency response protocols. They also hosted an awareness walk for 400 first responders and provided daily, low-barrier support to the crew.