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U.S. Air Force News

  • All trauma can cause PTSD

    PTSD is a physical and mental reaction to a situation or event that was perceived as dangerous, according to behavioral health experts.

  • Air Force chief of staff visits Cannon AFB

    At an all-call, Brown spoke about the importance of prioritizing the needs of Airmen and emphasized the vital role they play as the Air Force adapts to address pacing, acute and unforeseen challenges of the future.

  • AFIMSC Chaplain shares his ‘True North’ calling

    In an Air Force where there has been an increase in suicides in recent years, helping people find and appreciate their unique selves is a calling for Chaplain (Capt.) Portmann Werner and the service’s chaplain corps.

  • Kendall talks PTSD, mental health with medical leaders

    Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall met with Air Force Medical Service leaders to discuss the Department of the Air Force’s approach for prioritizing post-traumatic stress disorder care and support June 24.

  • Department of the Air Force leaders focus on resiliency

    Senior leaders are focused on building and growing resilience by establishing a task force called Operation Arc Care. This task force is currently reviewing resilience programs and overarching strategy using a phased approach which began in November.

  • ACC builds leaders armed for action

    Inspired by the Greek goddess of wisdom and war, Athena, Air Combat Command recently completed the first-ever inaugural Sword Athena Leadership Symposium, Aug 12-14, at Joint Base Langley-Eustis. The theme for this year’s event was “Building Leaders Armed for Action.”

  • Survivor harnesses resilience to overcome invisible wounds

    Reality hit when then Airman First Class Brittany Johnson of the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron left the hospital in September 2010 after a week-long stay for sexual and physical assault. “I didn’t feel like myself,” recalls Johnson, now a technical sergeant with the 36th Civil Engineering

  • Mental Health Awareness Month: Resiliency, wellness

    The goal of the Wellness and Resiliency Program is to help ensure there is a resilient community being built and maintained throughout all areas of a wounded warrior’s life to include their physical, spiritual, mental and social fitness. During COVID-19, the team assists warriors, caregivers and

  • Executive order offers better access to mental health resources

    Executive Order 13822, "Supporting Our Veterans During Their Transition From Uniformed Service to Civilian Life," directs the departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security "to come together and ensure we have seamless access to mental health care and suicide prevention resources for

  • A dark night leads to a bright career

    “We didn’t know what the area below us really looked like,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy Leahy, Second Air Force commander. “It could’ve been rolling terrain and when we hit the ground, the helicopter could’ve rolled over and burst into flames. Everyone could’ve died.”

  • Wounded warrior talks resiliency during tactical pause

    In the wake of Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein’s Resiliency Tactical Pause directive, Master Sgt. Jose E. Rijos, Air Force Wounded Warrior ambassador, recounted the traumas of his career with his service dog, Cairo, at his side.

  • Running with faith: an Airman’s journey to redemption

    Six years later, Keel is not only alive, but is in as good of a space, mentally and spiritually, as he’s ever been, he said. Since that dark moment in July 2013, the Reserve Airman has a new outlook on life altogether, and he owes it all to running.

  • Seeking mental health treatment: Chief shares his experience with PTSD

    Many service members struggle with the thought of seeking mental health treatment, thinking of it as a career ender, or possibly that others may think they are weak for seeking help. Corvin said he wrestled with the thought of whether or not to get help, and eventually decided he needed to make a

  • Blue Grit podcast features stories of resilience, strength

    You may have noticed a recent addition to the Air Force Portal homepage. A logo depicting a warrior looking over his shoulder with a fighter jet above him. It’s the face of the Blue Grit podcast. The podcast is the brainchild of Maj. Anna Fedotova, Los Angeles Air Force Base psychologist.

  • Army therapy dog visits maintenance Airmen

    Maintenance personnel got a surprise visit from a therapy dog as part of an effort to showcase the various mental health resources available at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan Feb. 2, 2019.

  • Turn stress into strength this holiday season

    The holiday season presents opportunities to engage in multiple forms of resiliency. Engaging in close relationships, practicing gratitude, and participating in religious activities that promote spirituality are often helpful aspects of the holidays. However, the holidays may also create stressors

  • The ART of training the total force

    In July, the 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing’s ART held a Total Force Integration Conference at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, allowing ART members from throughout the geographically separated Wing to connect for three days with over 160 peers from other services and nations,

  • Determined to make a better life

    Growing up in Gilroy, California, she had everything a girl could wish for: money, designer clothes and so much more. Shortly after high school graduation, her father took everything from her and kicked her to the streets.

  • Check your ego at the door, be your own advocate

    Master Sgt. James Stalnaker always thought going to mental health was a deal breaker for your career; that mental issues make you a weaker person. It took encountering struggles of his own to change those views.

  • Strength in recovery: victim becomes advocate

    It was not the 21st birthday she was expecting. She got off of work at midnight, and her coworker asked her if she wanted to celebrate. Tired, but still wanting to have some fun, she agreed.

  • Mental health expands services, reaches more Airmen

    The 386th Expeditionary Medical Group, with support from the 386th Expeditionary Operation Group, expanded mental health services recently to Airmen at an undisclosed location supporting ongoing operations in Syria.

  • Be there, be aware: Help prevent suicide

    When we focus on our health, it’s easy to pay attention to physical health versus mental well-being. Ignoring mental health concerns like anxiety and depression can lead to worsening symptoms and more serious issues. For some people, these issues may include an increased risk of suicide.

  • Airman overcomes suicidal thoughts, strives to help others

    Being part of the Air Force is not an easy task. Airmen are charged with supporting and defending the U.S. from all enemies, foreign and domestic. As a result, the military life has many stressors and responsibilities. Deployments, financial strains, intensive training, long work days and adapting

  • Suicide prevention month: stopping suicide is everyone’s battle

    September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time for Americans to build awareness and help understand suicide in our culture. More than 40,000 Americans lose their life due to suicide each year and research shows that rates in the military and the general population are very close. The loss of anyone

  • New annual Mental Health Assessment requirement begins July 31

    Beginning July 31, 2017, Airmen undergoing their annual Periodic Health Assessment may notice something new. A Mental Health Assessment will now be part of every annual PHA, to help ensure Airmen suffering from undiagnosed mental health issues are referred to the necessary care.

  • Healing from invisible wounds: The other side of the story

    Chanda D’Angelo was in a frenzy; she quickly washed all the clothes in her home, zoomed the vacuum across every floor, wiped down every surface, cleaned out the refrigerator and stove and scrubbed the windows and mirrors until they were spotless. Exhausted, she had just enough time to get her hair

  • PTSD treatment confronts the trauma behind the disorder

    Post-traumatic stress disorder is considered one of the “signature wounds” of the current conflicts in the Middle East. But many people may not know that there are highly effective treatments for this invisible wound being deployed at Air Force hospitals and clinics today.

  • 386 AEW mental health team builds bonds, shatters stigmas

    It can start with a simple conversation. “How are you?” “Yeah, I bet you see some crazy stuff at your job.” “That must have been really hard for you to process.” What at first seems like a run-of-the-mill conversation, stemming from a friendly visit, is more than meets the eye. It is a check-in. It

  • Around the Air Force: May 19

    On this look around the Air Force, the F-35 Lightning II pilot minimum weight restriction has been lifted and May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

  • Comprehensive Airman Fitness: Mental stability

    For a machine to function properly, the screws must be set, balance maintained and gaskets must be in good repair. Maybe that’s why mental instability is often characterized as having a loose screw, being out of balance or blowing a gasket. Recognized as one of the four domains of Comprehensive

  • PTSD awareness leads to positive treatment

    Post-traumatic stress disorder can be debilitating in some patients, but thanks to advancements in research and the continued training of mental health providers, treatments are getting better all the time. Maj. Joel Foster, the chief of Air Force Deployment Mental Health, said treating PTSD has

  • Around the Air Force: June 14

    On this look around the Air Force, officers can learn how to apply to become a test pilot, and the Air Force is hoping to treat behavioral health issues by using the Behavioral Health Optimization Program.

  • Coping with stress through healthy thinking

    Stress. Even the mention of the word can increase anxiety for some. Everyone deals with stress differently, but how a person copes with daily stressors can have great impacts on their quality of life and overall health.

  • AF program increases access to behavioral health care

    Nearly half of people with a treatable behavioral health disorder do not seek help from behavioral health professionals, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. However, 80 percent of this population does visit a primary care manager at least once a year. An Air Force program seeks

  • Putting mental health in focus

    Nearly one in five adults, or 43 million Americans, has a diagnosable mental disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Contrary to many other brain disorders, effective treatments are available for mental disorders.

  • Mindfulness over matter

    At 10 a.m. on any given Wednesday, one could walk into the 305th Operations Support Squadron's leadership meeting and see a strange sight. Airmen sit around the conference room table and in chairs along the walls, variously clothed in a sea of green flight suits and Airman battle uniforms. Each has

  • TRICARE improves mental health care, treatment

    People in distress may hesitate to reach out for help due to perceived stigma associated with seeking mental health treatment. This perception and the belief that care may be hard to get, may prevent some people who need care from getting it. TRICARE has worked hard to eliminate potential barriers

  • Mental maintenance: Tools to keep the mind fit

    Airmen often go to the fitness center; some spend several hours a week toning their bodies, while others go to simply maintain their physique. But what about strengthening the mind?

  • Mental health: To go or not to go

    The clinic buildings themselves aren't scary, but add the words ‘mental health,’ and most people will avoid them like they contain tigers on the loose. That's why the 432nd Wing Human Performance Team was stood up -- to alleviate that stigma, provide help and have easily accessible trained mental

  • AF mental health services helps a family recover

    Two Colorado Springs area-NCOs have been on a journey of recovery since losing their son to leukemia nearly nine years ago, a journey they said couldn't have happened without the mental health services available to Airmen and their families.

  • DOD officials order disability board results review

    Some Airmen who met a medical or physical disability evaluation board between Sept. 11, 2001 and April 30, 2012 prior to separating from the Air Force may be eligible for re-evaluation, Air Force Personnel Center officials said.

  • PTSD specialist simplifies stress science

    Tania Glenn, Doctor of Psychology and Licensed Clinical Social Worker, delivered a feelings-free, scientific analysis of the human body's physiological response to high-stress situations to help Air Commandos understand their biological processes downrange during a briefing at the Landing Zone at

  • Website teaches coping skills to military community

    As part of the Integrated Mental Health Strategy, the Defense Department's National Center for Telehealth and Technology and the Veterans Affairs Department's mental health informatics section have partnered to develop an interactive online educational and life-coaching program.