Air Force chief orders stand down to combat rising number of suicides

[babylonsister]

Air Force chief orders stand down to combat rising number of suicides
Jeff Schogol
August 01, 2019 at 02:33 PM


Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein has ordered all units to take a day before Sept. 15 to focus on preventing airmen from taking their own lives.

"Suicide is an adversary that is killing more of our airmen than any enemy on the planet," Goldfein write in a July 31 memo to commanders, which Task & Purpose obtained. "You and I have sworn to 'defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic.' Suicide attacks sometimes with and without warning. Make this tactical pause matter. Make it yours and make it personal."

Last year, Goldfein asked the entire Air Force to think about what prompts airmen to go from hopeful trainees at Basic Military Training to deciding that killing themselves is the only answer.

At the time, 50 airmen had committed suicide, Goldfein wrote.

"I would never have predicted that a year later we would stand today at 78 suicides," Goldfein write. If we do nothing, we will end 2019 with upwards of 150+. Hopeful to hopeless ... what is going on? It is our job to find out."

more...

https://taskandpurpose.com/air-force-suicides-stand-down

[jimmy the one]

1. not gonna do much good curbing suicides

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein has ordered all units to take a day before Sept. 15 to focus on preventing airmen from taking their own lives.

Not gonna do much good. Sounds like a cosmetic approach. Seriously, what's he think, 'suddenly' his concern will induce such the decline in suicide rates?
Or, more likely, he sees his remarks as redounding on his own esteem. Tho likely sincere.
The military caste system is in part a reason for military suicides.

I did a contrast 20 years ago between military pay grades in the US vs the UK, britain. Converted from pounds to dollars at the prevailing rates then:

For a rank enlisted recruit just joining, the american E1 rec'd ~$11,000 per year.
For a rank enlisted recruit just joining, the briton rec'd ~$24,000 per year.

For the most junior officer, 2nd Looie army, ensign navy, American ~$31,000 per year.
.......... " ................... "................. " ............ " .... , Briton ~$26,000 per year.
BAQ & food allotments roughly equalized.

Note the disparity, a newbie british officer & british enlisted receive near parity, $24,000 vs $26,000.
However, the american enlisted $11,000 vs american officer $31,000 is quite the spread. And some of those new officers have swelled heads, probably on both sides.

The top end (highest salary achieveable for lifers) for american mucho star american general was ~$180,000 per year, while the top end for a british sea lord or general was just ~$110,000.

jimmy the one, formerly BT2 E5 navy & navy reserve;

[dumbcat]

3. You might want to look at those monthly figures again

They are a bit high.

[jimmy the one]

4. thanks, you are right; they initially were yearly figures I posted, not monthly

dumbcat: You might want to look at those monthly figures again
They are a bit high

You ain't so dumb; you are right of course, they are yearly figures.
I go edit now.

[former9thward]

5. Air Force base pay for E-3 is $23,770 a year.

And pretty much anyone gets to E-3 rather quickly. They have their food and housing and medical all paid for. Very few of them at that age have any responsibilities to anyone. So that money is mostly discretionary income. Name me another job where someone is making that much money straight from High school without any bills to pay. The air force is very selective about who they take because so many want to enlist.

I know you are trying to make some point (not sure what it is) but no one is committing suicide because their pay is not as much as some officers pay. And what makes you think officers are not killing themselves?

No offence to the UK but the UK does not have the military responsibilities the U.S. does. So making comparisons is like comparing apples and oranges.

[jimmy the one]

6. military caste system, af pay grade chart

former9th: I know you are trying to make some point (not sure what it is) but no one is committing suicide because their pay is not as much as some officers pay. And what makes you think officers are not killing themselves?

Did not preclude the latter about officers, and pay disparity would just be part of the caste system. What I said: The military caste system is in part a reason for military suicides.

My issue is with a caste system that exalts approximately same age citizens with triple salaries to one class, enhanced with saluting rules, and yes some officers who read too much into their authority over enlisted ranks, even warrants. Most officers are ok.
Luckily this pay chart came up readily, I edited some for brevity.
Note that my figures in previous post still hold well enough with a little tightening, despite 30 years difference. The top end O-10 remains similar at ~180,000 per year (aside, are there warrant officers in AF? comm'd officers who started out as enlisted)
In that an E1 rank recruit (<2) gets 1600 per month, or ~19,200 per year. An O1 gets 36,000 to 46,000 per year, about 2 to 2.5 times higher than the enlisted guy.
So Yeah, once the enlisted guy is in & sees what it is and realizes he has to do it 1, 2, 3, 4 more years, it insidiously affects some of them. Location also can be a factor, an enlisted member in some parts of washington dc is pretty much an insignificant zombie walking around amongst brass monkeys.

Pay Rank Abbreviation Classification 2017 Pay Range
E-1 Airman Basic AB $1,600 per month
E-2 Airman Airman $1,793 per month
E-3 Airman First Class A1C Enlisted Airman $22,630 - $25,510 per year
E-4 Senior Airman SrA Enlisted Airman $25,067 - $30,427 per year
E-5 Staff Sergeant Staff Sergeant SSgt Noncomm $27,338 - $38,794 per year
E-6 Technical Sgt T TSgt Noncomm $29,840 - $46,220 per year
E-7 Master sgt Noncomm O $34,502 - $62,010 per year
E-8 Senior Master Sgt SMSgt Noncomm $49,633 - $70,787 per yr
E-9 Chief Master Sgt CMSgt Noncomm $60,631 - $94,136 per yr
E-9 Command Chief Master Sgt CCM Noncomm $60,631 - $94,136 per yr
E-9 Chief Master Sgt CMSAF Noncomm (Special) $60,631 - $94,136 per yr
O-1 2nd Lieutenant Comm Officer $36,418 - $45,824 per year
O-2 First Lt First Lt $41,958 - $58,068 per year
O-3 Captain Capt Comm Officer $48,560 - $79,002 per year
O-4 Major Maj Field Officer $55,231 - $92,218 per year
O-5 Lt Colonel Lt Co Field Officer $64,012 - $108,752 per year
O-6 Colonel Col Field Officer $76,784 - $135,936 per year
O-7 Brigadier General Brig Gen Officer $101,257 - $151,283 per yr
O-8 Major General Maj G GenOfficer $121,860 - $175,676 per yr
O-9 Lt General Lt Ge Gen Officer $172,224 - $186,998 per yr
O-10 General Gen Gen Officer $15,583 per month
O-10 Gen of Air Force GAF Gen Officer $15,583 per month
https://www.federalpay.org/military/air-force/ranks

[former9thward]

8. You bolded E-1 for some reason.

When I enlisted I went from E-1 to E-3 in 12 weeks. That was not unusual. Ok if you think the military is a "caste system" I guess that says it all. I knew of no one who cared what an officer was making. As I said before I challenge you or anyone to name a another job where straight out of high school you can have a job with food, housing, medical, benefits, and tens of thousands in pay. But to you it is a "caste" system. It is not. And there is no evidence that it has anything to do with suicide.

[jimmy the one]

10. military caste system

9thward: You bolded E-1 for some reason.

To note the disparity with O-1, which was also emboldened.

ward: When I enlisted I went from E-1 to E-3 in 12 weeks.

When I went in in 1969 some were enlisted as E4 on entry, no prior service; I was not so lucky, even with 2 yrs college took me couple years to get from the nothingness of E1 to E3, another year or two to E4. This did not endear me to the military; at the time it seemed the navy was more intent on suppressing rather than promoting me. But there are certainly good aspects to having been in the military, so there's some cherries in with the sour grapes.

ward: ... And there is no evidence that it has anything to do with suicide.

The suicide note will not have as the reason 'officers make too much & I feel belittled', but, in some, a degrading affect can contribute to the following reasons:

The Diagnosis of PTSD.. American Psychiatric Association, the types of symptoms that occur in individuals who are diagnosed with PTSD include:
.... Feelings of detachment from the self, reality, or others ... Mood swings
Ongoing feelings of dysphoria (negative emotions that include depression, irritability, anxiety, etc.)
Significant amotivation (a lack of motivation to do things or participate in events that were of prior interest)
The development of suspiciousness or a pessimistic attitude regarding one’s own future, the world in general, or other individuals .. Social isolation
Flat affect (difficulty feeling or expressing emotions)
https://www.recoveryfirst.org/veterans/suicide/

ward: ... to you it is a "caste" system. It is not.

Despite generations of protest, the caste system has existed since the Revolutionary War when George Washington, that Virginia squire, chose to structure his army after the aristocratic "nobles and peasants" European model rather than create a new form compatible with the egalitarian ideals of the revolutionaries and the values of self-worth inculcated in the youth of a free people. Caste has continued to exist not because it is efficacious but because it suits the officer class to have its privileges, warranted or not.
Today we have an all-volunteer force. Any protests now are muffled by the fact that these aren't draftees. They volunteered -- they asked for it, didn't they? But get today's common soldiers off their bases, away from their brass, and they will tell you that caste still grates, that lifting the burden of class thinking from their shoulders would be the best gift this country could make to the men and women we ask to do our fighting for us.
https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/03/opinion/l-military-caste-system-marches-blindly-on-847682.html

In the military, a rigid caste system prevails and forms the basis of all personal relationships. There are three levels: officers, non-commissioned officers (sergeants) and enlisted personnel. Out of the field, off-duty, none of these groups normally has any contact with the others, period.
http://www.tourofdutyinfo.com/Notebook/Essay2-milcaste.htm

[former9thward]

12. You clearly want to overturn the whole military system.

Now you are going all the way to the Revolution. Fine, if that is your thing, but it is not mine. Our military has rescued Europe from its shit two times and I think it works as good as any military system as ever worked. Our military is the only military in the history of the world -- including the UK -- who has sought to avoid civilian causalities at its own risk.

[jimmy the one]

13. buh bye

ward: Now you are going all the way to the Revolution.

Which is when the continental army was started, duh, then the article traced to today's volunteer army. Might want to reread my previous post, seems to have gone over your airhead.

ward: Our military has rescued Europe from its shit two times and I think it works as good as any military system as ever worked.

Who did the bulk of the dying, enlisted or officer?

ward: You clearly want to overturn the whole military system.

Clearly I do? I don't really want to have any further discussion with you.

[former9thward]

14. Another one bites the dust.

[jimmy the one]

7. british pay scales updated 2019

I found british pay scales, and actually if I read it right, british pay hasn't changed much in past 30 years, unless extra benefits somehow factor in. Current exchange rate appears to be 8 Lbs = $10.

British:OF-0 Step 3 £20,386.. = ~$25,000 {after completing mil indoctrination?}
Step 2 £18,454
Step 1 £15,553 .. = ~$20,000 this might be brit officer recruit upon 'check-in'

OF-1 Lieutenant ARMY 2nd Lt ARMY Step 1 £27,273 .. =~ $34,000 @ 8 Lb/$10;
http://www.armedforces.co.uk/armypayscales.php#.XUQ6l-hKjcs

British recruiting website:
The current rates for soldiers starting each of these roles are:
Recruits (in initial training); £15,671 a year = approx $20,000 equiv rank recruit
Private: £20,000 a year = approx $25,000, equiv E1
Lance Corporal: £26,790 a year
Corporal: £31,244 a year
Sergeant: £35,150 a year
https://apply.army.mod.uk/what-we-offer/regular-soldier/benefits

I might've been using E1 private US scales, rather than rank recruit scales, in my 1985 contrast.
Top end for british general officers seems to have risen somewhat, to ~$135,000, compared to US general ~$180,000.
One typical difference between socialism & capitalism is more closeness in pay scales in socialist states, so is to be expected.

[Blue_true]

9. What do you think is causing the suicides? nt

[former9thward]

11. I wish I knew.

When I was doing Basic at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas it had the highest suicide rate of any military base in the country. This was 1986. The Air Force uses mental punishment rather than physical punishment for infractions in Basic training which the other military branches use. The reason for that is the Air Force wants people who are calm under pressure -- such as missiles being fired at them. Is that reason? I don't know. It may be a reason in Basic training but it would not apply afterwards I don't think.

[Initech]

2. Ugh, we live in an incredibly sick society right now.

Those service people who committed suicide, they deserve better. Hell, we all do.