When Marines go into combat, they never go in alone. Whether it is a platoon, squad or fire team, Marines will always have each other’s backs. However, many Marines are dying every year not from enemy bullets or improvised explosive devices, but from suicide and vehicle fatalities.
Marines and sailors from II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) attended an operational pause at Midway Park Theater aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Nov. 22, 2010. An operational pause serves as a safety brief in which service members gather to discuss safety hazards and share ideas on mitigating risks. During this operational pause, Marines and sailors learned about and discussed suicide, hazing, leadership, nutrition and vehicle safety.
“We have a tendency to get too focused on our jobs and not see what’s right in front of us,” said Col. Lawrence Killmeier, chief of staff for II MEF (FWD). “It’s a good reminder during the holiday season to see what’s going on around us.”
Regardless of the topics being discussed, the prevention and cure of nearly every problem led back to a concept Marines have been taught since recruit training. “It’s about small unit leadership,” said Navy Capt. Steven Brown, II MEF (FWD) chaplain. “The key to stopping suicide in the Marine Corps is Marines taking care of Marines. We all have failures in our lives. Who we have surrounding us during those failures is what makes the difference.”
Gunnery Sgt. Brian Melton, the II MEF (FWD) operations chief, said Marines should constantly be looking to help one another out.
“When you hear these different stories, I think it sheds light on all levels of leadership, from the privates all the way up to the colonels,” said Melton, of Hyden, Ky. “What we really need to do is have Marines look after each other in garrison as they would in combat.”