ACA Stepping Up to Support Fellow Air Commandos

By Lou Orrie, CMSgt, USAF (ret)

Suicide rates among active duty and veterans continue to spike and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Military members, both active and retired, have scars both seen and unseen. It is those unseen scars that seem to carry the greatest burden as they are the most difficult to tackle as some of those scars run deep. To that end, the Air Commando Association has teamed up with the organization SoundOff where members of the Air Commando community can get mental health assistance anonymously free of charge. As “Quiet Professionals” we are often caught in the world of complexity, one where it is often challenging to ask for help. With SoundOff, one simply has to download the app, answer a couple of quick questions and you are up and running, getting the chance to chat with either a licensed clinician or a battle buddy. You get the chance to choose which clinician or battle buddy you would like to communicate with and the system hides your identity by automatically assigning you a random screen name. This allows you the chance to discuss various issues with the clinician or battle buddy. It all comes down to taking care of one another, ensuring the care of Air Commandos, past, present, and future. At this time this service is for current and past military members of the SOF community.

To get started, simply scan either the Apple or Google code to be directed to the SoundOff app. Once you have downloaded the app, choose the user path that will ask you to create a password and then a PIN. One word of advice is to be sure and write down the screen name the system assigns as it is not recoverable, even by the system administrators of SoundOff. You will then find yourself with several organizations to choose from. Select SOCOM, then Air Force Special Operations Command, as a minimum because the ACA funding is tied to that selection. There are other organizations that you can choose from and feel free to pick those that are applicable to your career path. Once all of that is done, you are now presented with one last choice and that is to pick your state of residence. You are now ready to receive one on one assistance from either a clinician or battle buddy. One of the benefits of this program is you get a chance to review the clinicians and battle buddies This allows you the opportunity to find someone you can open up to and receive the assistance you are looking for.

Along with being a great user platform to provide anonymous mental health assistance, you will also have the opportunity to become a battle buddy, which is just as vital as the clinicians. There are a few additional steps needed to become a battle buddy, but it is well worth the time invested. Battle buddies bridge the gap between the user and clinician. Oftentimes it takes a simple interaction with a battle buddy to stop a bad situation from becoming worse. Being a battle buddy is not anonymous so that others looking for assistance can choose someone that best aligns with their own background and experiences. To become a battle buddy/peer supporter, simply check the peer support icon that will take you to a page where you will enter your email address, phone number, and password. After registering, you will need to complete a quick program that discusses how to be a battle buddy and getting individuals the help they need.

I hope many of you that are dealing with issues find the fortitude to sign up for help and take advantage of this great program. Please consider signing up for assistance, if needed, or at least becoming a battle buddy to provide peer support to other fellow Air Commandos in need. You just may be the one to keep one of our friends or neighbors from taking their own life because they feel there is nowhere else to turn. Thank you for your time and please direct any questions to info@aircommando.org.

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