[October 9, 2015] Suicide is a complex and difficult subject under the best of circumstances and thus how to respond can be challenging and frustrating. The U.S. military has done a good job helping reduce the incidence of suicide in its ranks but senior officials still fear the subject.1 Defying his fear, one man took on the task to shed light on military suicides: Army Major Justin Fitch.
Military suicides simply haven’t responded to the resource intensive effort by the military and therein lies the problem. Everyone – nearly everyone – believes that suicide under nearly any circumstance is not a good thing. That’s where Major Fitch stepped in. Fitch used his own story to shine light onto military suicides, both current military personnel and veterans.2
With the nationwide media attention given to his own victory over suicide and fight against cancer, he pointed out that 22 veteran suicides occur each day. Fighting cancer he underwent dozens of treatments and surgeries while still conducting his duties as a commander. In his time off he would go on rucksack marches with “Team Minuteman” to raise awareness. His mission? … to reduce veteran suicides to zero.
“Part of fixing a problem is knowing that a problem exists. [Suicide is] a very taboo topic with a lot of stigma. It’s just not talked about.” – Major Justin Fitch
Fitch was able to help other veterans because of his near suicide. He was often approached by other veterans who were at risk. He told them to call him, “day or night.” U.S. Army leadership talks about being Ready and Resilient. To Fitch it meant going the extra mile to help others. This is why I’m highlighting Major Fitch today at theLeaderMaker.com.
Unfortunately, Major Fitch passed away just a few days ago on October 5th. He never stopped leading soldiers, he always cared about them, and his strength is an inspiration to us all. Major Justin Fitch is a leader in every sense of the word and he has my respect and admiration.
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- https://www.theleadermaker.com/leaders-fear-military-suicides/
- http://www.army.mil/article/156663/Cancer_claims_crusader_against_veteran_suicides/