Photo By Tech. Sgt. Izabella Workman | U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. David Rhoton, Client Systems Technician, speaks with Airmen...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. (Jan. 13, 2019) -- Prior to joining the United States Air Force, Staff Sgt. David Rhoton knew the importance of resiliency. What he didn’t know was how important his knowledge and experience would be to the Air Force.
Rhoton worked in outpatient mental health Services in Hickory, N.C., for 13 years, before joining the Air Force. He began assisting children with autism, and years later, he moved on to helping elderly people who also had the developmental disorder.
When the economy in North Carolina started to decline in 2015 and Healthcare laws changed, his career began to decline as well. “When Obamacare came into effect, many people lost their family healthcare coverage because funding for mental health services just weren’t covered as extensively anymore,” Rhoton said.
The state of the economy was one reason to leave, but he also realized his service to his patients was starting to wear him down. “After working in a career field such as mental health, you begin to internalize your patient’s problems as your own,” Rhoton said.
Joining the Air Force was always in the back of Rhoton’s mind, but at the time he was two years past the Air Force’s cutoff age of 29, in addition to being severely overweight. Several years later when Rhoton was 34, his brother 2nd Lt. Christopher Rhoton informed David that the age requirements changed for the Air Force, and that he should give it a shot.
“I remember my wife and brother laughing at the thought of me joining the Air Force, because they did not think that I could or would,” David said. “I decided I was going to try, but I had to lose some weight first.”
David figured out the standards for the Air Force, and started to exercise to meet the goal weight.
“I ran every day and lost 60 pounds in three months,” David said. After meeting his goal weight of 185 pounds, he was able to join the Air Force.
Even though he had a background in mental health, David wanted to try something new. He remembered what he wanted to be when he was a child. “I wanted to be Iron Man as a kid,” David said. “In order to be Iron Man you have to work with and understand electronics, switches and computers.” He ended up joining the Air Force as a client systems technician.
Once David arrived to basic military training he quickly noticed that the mental health programs in the Air Force weren’t where they needed to be. “Instead of real emotional health training, it felt like the Air Force would provide a suicide prevention class to check a box,” David said.
He began his career with many aspirations to change processes within the Air Force’s mental health system, but due to his rank, he felt he wasn’t able to do much just yet.
Then on August 13, 2019, David received a phone call from his sister-in-law telling him that his brother committed suicide. “I don’t think it necessarily hit me yet, but I called my parents and we were all just in disbelief,” David said. 2nd Lt. Christopher Rhoton became the 79th Airman to commit suicide during that year.
Air Force leaders were at a loss for words and ideas on how to improve the emotional health of their Airmen. “We lose more Airmen to suicide than any other single enemy, even more than combat,” said Kaleth Wright, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, during an interview about the increasing rate of suicide in the Air Force.
2nd Lt. Rhoton was also the fourth Airman to pass away in just a few short months at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., causing Col. Derek O’Malley, 20th Fighter Wing commander, to post a video on social media asking for help to end suicide in the Air Force.
David took this as an opportunity to share his experience in hopes to change the culture in the Air Force, and hopefully save some lives. “I sent an email directly to Col. O’Malley to share my gratitude for the support provided to my family, but also to give my personal opinion on how to fix the increased suicide rate in the Air Force,” David said.
O’Malley responded to David’s email right away with gratitude and informed him he was going to forward his suggestions to Chief Wright and Gen. David Goldfein, Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Following their correspondence, David’s plan to improve emotional health for Airmen was sent up and waiting for approval before its implementation across the Air Force. “My plan is to improve emotional health and wellness the same way we harp on physical health and wellness,” David said.
David knew that very few people would be able to provide the constructive ideas and knowledge he had gained from years of experience working in the mental health field. “While I find the most amount of joy in working with information technology, I’m ready to get back in the thick of mental health support services if that is what’s needed,” David said.
David understands depression and other mental health diagnoses more than most. He also knows that Air Force leaders and wingmen can understand it too, but they just need the proper training and conversations. “The easiest way for me to explain mental health is through metaphors, and if I just had the opportunity to start those vital conversations we could save the lives of many Airmen,” David said.
“The best advice I could give anyone is first, understand that depression is like being in a dark room,” David said. “We need to be a light in the darkness to those that need us. We need to share our coping skills very much like tea lights in the dark for those people so they can find their way out.”
Following David’s correspondence with Air Force leadership, he was selected by Gen. Goldfein as one of twelve members to participate in the National Survivors Advocacy Council. “I’m so excited and grateful to meet senior leadership, and voice ways they can improve mental health support for everyone.”
| Date Taken: | 01.13.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 02.20.2020 10:22 |
| Story ID: | 363485 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 459 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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