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Navy Recruiter Reaches Out; Shines Light on Mental Health
Story and photo by Aren Everett
Navy Talent Acquisition Group Great Lakes
Public Affairs Officer
JANESVILLE, Wisconsin (Dec. 9, 2020) - Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Great Lakes Talent Scout Sonar Technician 1st Class Kevon Fansler walked into the Navy Recruiting Station (NRS) in Janesville, Wisconsin, one Saturday morning in November and sat down at his computer for a day of social media prospecting. Signing on to Facebook Messenger, he began to reach out to prospective Sailors. As the day wore on, one interested applicant caught his attention.
“He sounded positive and then he sent me a peculiar message,” said Fansler. “I didn’t think anything of it at first because it wasn’t worded in a way that seemed questionable. It was something along the lines of, ‘I didn’t think I was going to be around this long.’ I wasn’t sure if he meant COVID-19 or other circumstances we’ve seen arise during 2020.”
Fansler said he let the remark slide and continued communication with the prospect, but a similar statement came up later in the conversation that set off an alarm.
“He said he probably wasn’t going to be around much longer anyway,” said Fansler. “That really triggered and flagged something in my head. I decided I needed to probe and figure out what was going on with this young man.”
Fansler began to ask questions and the young man soon disclosed he was experiencing mental health issues. Based on his previous statements, Fansler became concerned that he was exhibiting signs of suicidal ideation.
“I continued to communicate with him as much as I could through Facebook Messenger and started searching online for some relatives I could contact,” said Fansler.
Fansler said that the prospect confided that he felt isolated, he was living at home, he had no friends, and that he was feeling “really down.”
“I was trying to connect with him because we’ve all been there,” said Fansler. “I’ve been there.”
“I sought mental health services twice in my military career, once as a junior Sailor when I felt similarly isolated during my first time stationed in Japan, and then again six years ago on recruiting duty,” said Fansler. “I lost my first-born daughter when she fell into my backyard pool.”
Fansler said he reached out to his chain of command for help and was able to receive counseling through Military OneSource, a resource website and call center for active-duty military, family, and survivors.
“Knowing how it feels to lose a child, I didn’t want his mother to lose hers,” said Fansler about the prospect. “I don’t think anybody should be a part of that group. It’s a very exclusive group with a price of admission that is too high.”
From his online search, Fansler was able locate a cousin, who put him in touch with a brother, who then gave Fansler a phone number to contact the young man’s mother.
“I’m sure she was confused and probably thought I was a spam caller,” said Fansler, “but I kept calling because I knew I had to get him help immediately. I reached out until I could get a hold of somebody.”
“It’s strange how we can feel more secure reaching out to strangers than we do our own family sometimes,” said Fansler. “That’s what I did. My experience definitely was a factor in my decision to probe, to ask the important questions, and to get him help as quickly as possible.”
Fansler said he believes the current pandemic plays a significant role in the overall mental health of a lot of people.
“Many people are isolated or quarantined away from family. People aren’t traveling, holiday plans have been cancelled, and even in recruiting we’ve worked from home for several months,” said Fansler. “It can be mentally taxing.
“Most kids aren’t even able to see their friends; they’re going to school virtually,” added Fansler. “There’s a large concern, and rightfully so, of stopping the spread of the corona virus, but unfortunately the steps we take isolate us and make it difficult to cope.”
Fansler said that while there are simple steps to stop the spread of the pandemic, we need to also be mindful of the threats to mental health and of ways to safeguard it.
“The first step is to recognize feelings of doubt, confusion, sadness, or loneliness and to reach out to someone,” said Fansler. “When you feel yourself mentally stressed, even if it hasn’t reached the point of suicidal ideation, those feelings don’t go away. They build and stack up on top of each other until you can’t escape. It feels insurmountable.”
As a Sailor, Fansler said he is aware that sometimes people have concerns about the affect seeking help for mental health issues may have on their military careers.
“It’s not a bad thing to ask for help,” said Fansler. “It’s not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength.”
Fansler said that while there may be a perceived potential risk in seeking help for mental health issues for some people, his experiences have proven that not to be the case and, in any event, the alternative is riskier.
“Since I’ve been in the military, I have seen a lot of people reach out and get the help they need,” said Fansler. “They weren’t separated from service because sometimes all it takes is getting counseling or the right medication. I’ve talked to several Sailors who have gone through medical board reviews and still were able to finish their careers. Bottom line, seeking help does not mean the end of your career. The people you leave behind are going to be devastated and lost, they would rather see you get help than risk losing you in a low moment.”
Fansler was able to contact the mother of the young man he met during his prospecting and after a few follow-up calls, was told he was able to receive the help he needed before any drastic measures were taken.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out and if you see something like this happening, react,” said Fansler. “Don’t think it’s going to go away because simply ignoring it is not the answer.”
For more news from NTAG Great Lakes, visit https://www.navy.mil/local/nrdc/ or follow NTAG Great Lakes on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NTAGGreatLakes/) and Instagram (@NTAGGreatLakes).
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MyNAVYHR), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2020 19:28 |
| Story ID: | 384610 |
| Location: | GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 187 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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