Video raises suicide awareness

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Kiley Olds
  • 7th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  Creators of a video filmed here are hoping it will educate, prevent and lower the risk of suicides across Air Combat Command as well as the rest of the Air Force.

“Air Combat Command Off-Duty Survivor Stories: Suicide Choices; Terminal Consequences,” is the second in a series of videos by the 436th Training Squadron’s multimedia flight highlighting key Air Force issues. The video was released Aug. 10.

“The common theme (of the series) is Airmen talking about their experiences and what they went through in order to help save another’s life,” said Senior Master Sgt. James Jarvis, 436th TS multimedia flight superintendent and director of the video.

The video, filmed here with Dyess Airmen filling various roles, tells the story of Airman Basic Justin Dundee, a fictional Airman whose life has taken a turn for the worse after receiving an Article 15 for underage drinking and writing dishonorable checks at the base exchange.

“It felt like my life was falling apart, and I had screwed everything up,” Airman Dundee said during the video. “One by one, everything that I cared about seemed to be disappearing: my girlfriend, my career, my friends and most importantly my self-respect. I didn’t care what happened to me anymore, and I didn’t believe anyone else did either.”

Not caring what happens to him, the video shows how Airman Dundee applies a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

The dramatization involving Airman Dundee is based on common themes that prevailed in actual Air Force and DOD-documented cases, Sergeant Jarvis said. Following Airman Dundee’s story, three Airmen talk about how suicide has affected them personally.

In his Oct. 21, 2004, sight picture, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. John P. Jumper said that 57 people were lost to suicides the previous year. He called the losses a dramatic and tragic increase from the year before.

Because Air Force suicides are rising, Sergeant Jarvis said he wanted to address the problem by creating something different than what was already available on the subject.

“We wanted to create a video production that targets (a) peer and is based on being a good wingman and saving another’s life,” Sergeant Jarvis said. “We didn’t want to create a training video which was essentially a lecture, or (target) one particular group. Instead, we wanted to create a product that could hit home with everyone and emphasize the need for Airmen to look after one another.”

After checking the current Air Force and DOD multimedia database and realizing there was not anything with a similar premise, the video found its start.

“The goal of the film is to bring an awareness of the problem of suicide and deliver a message to motivate others to be good wingmen,” Sergeant Jarvis said. “This will help give Airmen the tools they need to help their fellow Airmen from taking a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

According to the 2005 U.S. Air Force Posture Statement, because of the increased suicide rate among Airmen, “All Airmen have a responsibility to get involved, pay attention and ensure the health and well-being of their wingman. It’s not a program, it’s a mindset, a cultural shift designed to take better care of our most valuable resource -- our people.”

Keeping in line with the posture statement, its message is summed up at the end of the video’s first segment by Airman Dundee: “So where will you be when it counts? In the background, hoping your co-worker or friend won’t actually hurt themselves, or on the frontline of defending their lives? What kind of wingman and friend do you plan to be?”

The first video in the video series is “Motorcycle Mishaps.” Like “Suicide Choices,” the video features three Airmen telling their stories about motorcycle survival to increase awareness of wearing proper safety equipment and exercising good judgment while riding a motorcycle.

Both productions are available to any DOD person and can be obtained through the Joint Visual Information Services Distribution Activity in either DVD or VHS format.

To order either production, Airmen can visit http://dodimagery.afis.osd.mil/davis/ or submit a fax request to DSN 795-6106.

When sending a fax, Airmen must include the production’s PIN number, title of requested production, choice of DVD or VHS and number of required copies. The PIN number for “Suicide Choices” is 614503, and “Motorcycle Mishaps” is 614351.

Copies of the productions are free when mailed to an official military address and should be received within two to three weeks.