The Army in Hawaiçi will recognize National Suicide Prevention Month today on Sills Field at Schofield Barracks with events intended to promote awareness of the impact suicide has not only has on family members, but also on the “Army family,” officials said.

The day starts at 6:30 a.m. with a two-mile fun run, followed by opportunities for soldiers and family members to visit booths staffed by behavioral health experts, Army counselors and military chaplains.
Army programs are available not only for suicide prevention but also drug and alcohol prevention and domestic violence prevention, officials said.
In 2008, 143 soldiers Army-wide committed suicide, the highest number in the three decades that the Army has kept records. The service is on track to surpass that number this year.
“The most frustrating thing is trying to find a cause,” Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, the Army’s vice chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on July 30.
To reverse the increase in soldier suicides, the Army has implemented a number of programs and put Chiarelli in charge of the service’s suicide prevention efforts.
Among those efforts, which included a service-wide stand down and a series of chain-teaching sessions, is a $50 million, five-year study on suicide conducted in conjunction with the National Institute of Mental Health.
“It’s not that the Army lacks programs to confront the problem of suicide,” said Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, Director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. “The long-term challenge is determining which programs are most effective for our soldiers, and ensuring Army leaders, from junior noncommissioned officers to the most senior leaders, know how to help their soldiers take advantage of these programs.”
Officials are trying to reduce the stigma of seeking help, a key obstacle in a warrior culture that prizes physical and mental toughness.