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Show Fighter Country Page 3a 'Being the best9 Master sergeant earns command award By SrAJ.C.Woodring Staff writer Master Sergeant Jacqueline Miller was a little confused when Col. Daniel Dick, 388th Fighter Wing commander, called her into his office. She knew that the senior master sergeant list had been released, but her name wasn't on it When she got to the commander's office, she nervously asked Capt. Tom Lyga, 388th executive officer, "Is there something I should prepare myself for?" "Don't worry. It's something good," said Lyga with a sly little grin. She was invited into his office. "Congratulations Sergeant Miller,' said Dick."For what, sir?" Miller asked still not sure. That's when he announced she had been selected as Air Combat Command's senior roocctnnussioned officer of the year for 1994. The first hurdle was being selected as the 388th senior NCO of the year last January. The next is consideration for being named one of the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Air Force. Since enlisting in 1978, her Air Force career has taken her to Guam, Alaska, Germany and Southwest Asia as well as throughout the United States. In 16 years Miller has seen many changes in the Air Force. As an information manager, the biggest of these she's seen has been in computer automation. "Everything is computerized. I remember when we had to use typewriters for everything,'' said Miller. As a "people person,' Miller likes to get involved and try to help out whenever she can. She volunteers in the base sponsored Students and Teachers for the Advancement career was the F-incentive flight she received for being selected as the wing's senior NCO of the year. "It was awesome," said Miller, "I'll never forget it" During her ride, Miller pulled 7 16 "G"s and gained a new respect for the pilots who put their bodies through it daily. She attributes her success to "personal pride." Her philosophy is simple: "You have to be the best you can be and always give it a little extra." of Reading Skills (STARS) program. She spends an hour each week helping an elementary student improve her reading and writing skills. Miller is also working on a bachelor's degree in business management She is scheduled to complete her course work in May. The highlight of Miller 's Air Force -- HI ln--nftaXQ by MSccTim Randolph After getting the thrill of a lifetime in an Miller said she would do it over again in a minute. The incentive ride was awarded to her for being the 388th's senior NCO of the year. F-1- 6, Suicide: Getting people help before it's too late By AIC Aimee Groben fighter Country As the young man with freshly cut hair and a perfectly starched uniform makes his way through rush-hotraffic a collage of thoughts flood his mind. He can't slow them, and he can't make them go away. Slowly, methodically, he walks the driveway leading to his door. A trance-lik- e peace comes over him and finally, he knows that everything will be okay. Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, he understands that he only has one option. Tears quietly drip from his cheeks as he wraps his hand around a bottle of pills. He gulps the last of the tiny pills and hopes that "I just needed to rest" he people will understand whispers as he drifts off into his final sleep. At least three people in the United States kill themselves every hour. Last year, Hill Air Force Base lost three of its Air Force members to a sudden and mysterious death suicide. There have been 15 Air Force suicides since January, according to the Air Force Military Personnel Center. From 1983 to 1993 the Air Force lost 723 members to suicide. In 1994, there were an estimated 30,700 suicides in the United States, according to John Brockerti, director of vital records at the Utah Department of Health. These alarming figures aren't being passed off as mere statistics say Air Force officials. "We've come a long way in understanding the underlying causes of mental illness and stress ... so we need to move forward and take advantage of that knowledge," said Gen. Ronald Fogleman, in a recent Air Force News Service Editor, ur interview. Taking advantage of that knowledge includes a wide spectrum of options: counseling, behavior and stress management, exercise and hobbies, talking to a chaplain and getting help from mental health experts. The help is readily available, the only hang-u- p is the label attached to Air Force people seeking help for stress and other emotional problems. No one wants a "mental health" problem noted in their permanent record. "Those who seek treatment should not be considered weak," according to the chief of staff. "We should not make tools available for people and then punish them for using them, or put some stigma on them." What about the negative label? Is there a stigma attached to people trying to get help before things be- come overwhelming? Mental health officials say yes and no. "Whenever someone comes in for help we make a brief note in their record," said Capt. Michael Coudreaut, a staff psychiatrist for the 75th Air Base Wing Mental Health office. "But any time you go to the hospital to be treated it's noted in your records also. Just because you have a note in your records doesn't mean it's going to affect your career adversely," he said. "For most people who come to see us, their visit remains confidential. But if we find the person is ho- - "Many people have had thoughts of suicide at some time or another, but those are not the people who are in danger. Its the ones who act on those feelings, the ones who feel like they have no other options. " micidal, suicidal or has been involved in child abuse, we have an obligation to make sure that person is safe from themselves and they don't endanger somebody else," said Coudreaut The problem is that there are associated risks, but we still can't predict suicides," he said. As much as experts have tried to nail it down, there's no textbook criteria for pegging suicidal people. However, mental health experts, chaplains and researchers agree that at the core of depression and suicide is an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. An example of that hopelessness was illustrated E-- 4 in a note left by a who took his own 26-ycar-- life: " love you and the kids but I just can live with overw am helmed with life. I hurt myself anymore. I my head, my throat, my guts. I can think straight anymore. I'm overwhelmed at work. I have become ineffective. I need to sleep. I'm sorry." One option that allows a person to speak freely is the base chaplain. Everybody has had tough times and felt like giving up, according to Chaplain (Maj .) Curtis Wallace, the senior Protestant chaplain at Hill. "Many people have had thoughts of suicide at some time or another, but those are not the people who are in danger. It's the ones who act on those feelings, the ones who feel like they have no other options," said the chaplain. "Sometimes just knowing they have somewhere to come and vent helps tremendously. It's like a safe place to them here, because when they close the door the conversation stays here. "Although, if I can see that a person is definitely suicidal, that's when I have to make the decision to get them some more help, and sometimes that means taking them to mental health But the person shouldn't feel bad about that because I can help them find other options they might not of realized they had," said Wallace. Help comes in many different forms, and the mesfrom mental health is, "It's okay to come by and sage see us. I would just encourage people to seek out the help they need. Suicide has a much more devastating effect on someone's career than seeing a mental health provider," said Coudreaut Mental health providers, chaplains, commanders and first sergeants are still scratching their heads as to the "why" and "how to prevent" suicide in the military. While suicide is unpredictable by nature, 388th leadership is following it closely. "We're taking a look at the stress indicators our high ops tempo and deployments may cause. Suicides are a great concern to all the Air Force's leadership," said Col. Daniel Dick, 3 8 8th Fighter Wing commander. Mental hcahh experts agree, "It's understandable for military members to be under a lot of stress; we have less people doing more, job changes, family separations, decreasing benefits and it's becoming more andmore competitive. "One of my jobs is to help you find out what's stressing you and then offer you some coping skills," said Coudreaut The bottom line is keeping people alive. "If it's a just job, people are going to slip through the cracks. We care and we're concerned; that's why we're here," said the chaplain."Each person must know that they were absolutely created unique and they are precious and valuable in God's sight" |