Photo By Gunnery Sgt. Michele Hunt | Marines from Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, participate in...... read more read more
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CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- From boot camp to combat deployments, Marines are continuously placed in stressful environments. Combine these challenges with the everyday stresses of life and some Marines find themselves in a mental depression they can’t seem to get out of.
Members of Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group participated in an Operational Stress Control and Readiness training course here known as OSCAR, June 7.
The training teaches Marines how to look for signs of depression or thoughts of suicide and how to handle those situations, whether it is a junior Marine or a peer.
“Even the strongest Marine may need support,” said Staff Sgt. Nathan K. Johnston, an OSCAR mentor trainer with CLR-17. “I need to know what signs to look for because I am my brother’s keeper.”
The Marine Corps works to build resiliency in Marines to keep them mission-ready. Through programs like OSCAR, Marines learn to identify problems with stress as early as possible. Both junior Marines and leaders are educated on their roles of handling extreme situations to ensure the safety of all service members.
“As leaders and mentors, we need to learn to see when a Marine is being pushed to the max,” said Capt. Alexis Sanchez, an OSCAR mentor instructor. “Being pushed to the max is what makes us stronger, but when you push a Marine past that point, it breaks them down and we lose that Marine.”
During the class, participants acted out role-playing scenarios, and the group discussed how different situations should be handled. The instructors gave out pamphlets with guidelines for handling Marines in distress.
“A man or a woman’s character is defined by how they react to a crisis,” said Johnston, a 39-year-old San Luis Obispo, Calif., native. “Our words make a difference in everything we do.”
Every person handles stressful situations in different ways. What one person may be able to cope with easily, could bring another to their breaking point. A core value is: never leave a Marine behind, whether it is on the battlefield or in garrison. OSCAR is another tool offered to all ranks that teaches how to watch for a Marine in distress and how to get them the help they need.
| Date Taken: | 06.08.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2011 13:04 |
| Story ID: | 71774 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLTON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 176 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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