Army Seeks to Mentally Toughen Up Combat Troops With Resiliency Classes

[koz]

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...iency-classes/

In an effort to address the mental health problems of some combat troops, the U.S. Army wants all of its 1.1 million soldiers to start taking emotional resiliency classes.

The new $117 million dollar program is based on the research of Dr. Martin Seligman, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, who has been consulting with the Pentagon and whom the Army calls "Dr. Happy."

The Army wants to train 1,500 sergeants by next summer to teach weekly 90-minute anger management classes to reduce stress and help combat troops avoid depression and suicidal thoughts.

According to Army spokesman Gary Tallman, the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program is "designed to build resilience in soldiers, family members and Army civilians by developing five dimensions of strength: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family."

"Resilience can be defined as having the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back from adversity," Tallman told FOX News.

The three-part program began last October with the development of concepts and products. Phase two -- implementation begins in October and lasts for a year. Phase three will extend the program from military members to their families and Army civilians.

By the Army's own estimates, one-fifth of the troops returning from combat have mental health problems.

But some skeptics, including Gen. George Casey Jr., the Army's chief of staff, question whether mental toughness can be taught in a classroom.

The Army has a battle buddy system in place now which works like a designated driver. At Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where 15 soldiers committed suicide in the first five months of this year, the Army distributes "warrior ethos" cards to carry.

"The new card has the Army's intervention model on it," Brig Gen. Steve Townsend told FOX News. "It's called ACE. One, ask your buddy directly if he's having suicidal thoughts. Second, care enough about your buddy to take them to help and get them help now. Three, escort them to help now. Do not wait."

It got so bad at Fort Campbell, Townsend said, that he ordered his base to stand down for a day in May to deal with the high suicide rate.

[NousDefionsDoc]

Power Point to toughen them up...Great.

I heard someone say "Inappropriate use of profane language..." the other day - I almost fell down laughing.

[uboat509]

Originally Posted by NousDefionsDoc

Power Point to toughen them up...Great.

I agree. Then again, there were a few times in the D course where I was absolutely convinced that if I had to sit through one more power point class, I was going to end up on a water tower with a deer rifle and a list. May Power point can be useful for stress inoculation.

SFC W

[mffjm8509]

Let them drink beer.....

Let them get laid......

Do hard PT........

I haven't finished my masters in Psychology just yet, but these are a couple stress relieving ideas that I feel would have more of an impact than power point classes

[Richard]

Power Point to toughen them up...Great.

Yeah? Well I took the Dr Phil-CPT Myke Hawke hi-impact correspondence course version on-line with a dial-up modem, steel wool, and a 9-volt battery...most frustrating thing I've ever done when I couldn't get the damn computer to catch fire as instructed.

Richard's $.02

[Pete S]

Originally Posted by koz

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...iency-classes/

In an effort to address the mental health problems of some combat troops, the U.S. Army wants all of its 1.1 million soldiers to start taking emotional resiliency classes.

The new $117 million dollar program is based on the research of Dr. Martin Seligman, chairman of the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center, who has been consulting with the Pentagon and whom the Army calls "Dr. Happy."

The Army wants to train 1,500 sergeants by next summer to teach weekly 90-minute anger management classes to reduce stress and help combat troops avoid depression and suicidal thoughts.

According to Army spokesman Gary Tallman, the Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program is "designed to build resilience in soldiers, family members and Army civilians by developing five dimensions of strength: physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family."

"Resilience can be defined as having the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back from adversity," Tallman told FOX News.

The three-part program began last October with the development of concepts and products. Phase two -- implementation begins in October and lasts for a year. Phase three will extend the program from military members to their families and Army civilians.

By the Army's own estimates, one-fifth of the troops returning from combat have mental health problems.

But some skeptics, including Gen. George Casey Jr., the Army's chief of staff, question whether mental toughness can be taught in a classroom.

The Army has a battle buddy system in place now which works like a designated driver. At Fort Campbell in Kentucky, where 15 soldiers committed suicide in the first five months of this year, the Army distributes "warrior ethos" cards to carry.

"The new card has the Army's intervention model on it," Brig Gen. Steve Townsend told FOX News. "It's called ACE. One, ask your buddy directly if he's having suicidal thoughts. Second, care enough about your buddy to take them to help and get them help now. Three, escort them to help now. Do not wait."

It got so bad at Fort Campbell, Townsend said, that he ordered his base to stand down for a day in May to deal with the high suicide rate.

I thought that one of the purposes of Boot Camp, and other military training, was to build mental resilience.

If "resilience" isn't being attained at those schools, then it's time to revamp them.

More wasted time and wasted money.

[ZonieDiver]

How much of this problem is "generational" - with each successive generation being more coddled and protected and unused to harsh reality?

[SkiBumCFO]

ZonieDiver - you may have hit the nail on the head! I know a lot of tough kids in this generation. I just got off the phone with my nephew in 1st Rgr Bn and he is very tough but with all this modern technology many of his buddies cant get away from their parents checking up on them via text msg, cell phone, email, facebook, etc.. when i went to his RIP graduation they promised to send parents letters about two weeks after they deployed with email contacts, etc. Could you picture our mothers knowing where we were all the time (including in a combat zone) it would have driven me insane!

Is any of this due to the change (some say lowering) of the standards for entering military service?

[Dad]

Rick Atkinson, in his book," Day of Battle", reports that around a million troops in WWII were treated for "battle fatigue". Of these, 400,000 were sent home being deemed unfit for further combat. The military at that time determined that 265 days of cumulative combat was the the average the personnel could withstand without risk of mental damage. This was the greatest generation we have ever produced. Many of them had problems. I am pretty sure I knew one who did. (NOTE: I am reciting these figures from memory so they may be off slightly)

[abc_123]

I think a change to tan berets would be in order. The color black is so depressing. To have to wear that day in and day out might be pushing people over the edge.

[PRB]

To fill the force standards have been dropped resulting in more suicides etc. There is even a 'low stess Basic Training' program so folks can make it thru the training base.
Sad

[Dozer523]

I have wondered about the effect that first person shooter games.
I think the games de-synthetizeand confuse; make it seem easy and safe. Almost every shot you take is a catastrophic kill but you can absorb hit after hit and then find the magic first aid pouch and ding! you are made whole (or at least, improve by a factor of 25% or 50%). There are few tactical lessons to take away; aside from taking your time, using concealment, and observing and predicting what the baddie will do. (If you really want a challenge try getting through without getting hit -- sort of like in reality!) So I wonder what the psychological effect is when the gamer finds himself in the real thing and it doesn't have that much in common with shat he has practiced / come to expect. Expectations are not met and that throws things off ballance in a cascade.

As for the lower standards of Soldiers . . . compared to when and who? The American Soldier who steps up, no matter when or for what cause, has always been this Country's Greatest Generation.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Brush Okie

Some people are just tougher than others and that is why some people make it through diffrent types of training such as selection or even basic training and others do not.

I believe that's the fundamental point here. If someone can't deal with the stress associated with basic training, what's the likelihood they'll suffer debilitating mental injury when exposed to the much higher stresses of combat? Is that a liability (to those depending on the troop, to the service in terms of manpower, to the DOD and/or DVA in terms of disability pensions and medical treatment) the DOD should assume? Others are turned away from enlisting for physical infirmaties.