The #military has struggled to meet the #mentalhealthneeds of troops, lawmakers and service members say.
WASHINGTON — Maj. Gen. Ernest Litynski has received numerous awards and decorations during his nearly three decades in the #Army. But he is best known among soldiers and his superiors for his campaign to illuminate #mentalhealthissues among troops, scraping away bit by bit at the #stigma that often leads to tragedy.
In meetings with new formations of #Army Reserve troops, he might first talk about physical fitness and training before moving on to the story of his own unraveling after he returned from #Afghanistan, when he would sit in his darkened basement, ignoring his family and staring into nothingness.
“I removed myself from everybody between 2007 and 2010,” he recalled. “I wouldn’t go to family parties, events, wouldn’t go out with my family to eat. I would turn the TV on just for noise. I would not go up to bed with my wife. The burden I put on my wife and 12-year-old #daughter had to be the worst.”
His #daughter did not speak to him for years, he said.
He tells his story at ceremonies and gatherings, and made a video that the #Army has posted to some of its #Facebook accounts, generally a repository for war remembrances, vaccine information and images of cold weather drills. “There’s a shame if you show weakness,” he says, voice wavering as he recounts his struggles with #posttraumaticstress. “That’s the way I felt.”
General Litynski’s campaign is a striking one within the #military, where resilience is not just celebrated but part of the job description.
After two decades of war, the #military has yet to make significant progress on what many experts, lawmakers and service members say are among its most persistent problems — unaddressed #mentalhealthissues and rising #suicide rates among troops.
“The needle has not moved much at all in this,” said Mark C. Russell, a former #Navy commander who is now a professor at Antioch University in #Seattle with expertise in #military trauma. He added, “So it’s rare when someone with a star on his lapel is speaking out.”
The #suicide rate among active-duty service members increased by more than 40 percent from 2015 to 2020, according to Defense Department data. The #military had historically lagged the general population in #suicide rates but in recent years has caught up.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
A report last year from the Costs of War Project at Brown University found that an estimated 30,177 active duty #military personnel and #veterans who have served since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks died by #suicide, compared with the 7,057 killed in military operations during the two-decade war against terrorism.
Over several years of writing about #veterans and #military affairs, I have received scores of emails from desperate service members, or their family members, about their struggles with #mentalhealthissues and difficulty getting help when they are out of the service. Some families have written about losing loved ones to #suicide.
Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and is retiring when her term ends in January, said the issue was so pressing, “I can guarantee you upfront that is going to be the focus of my work this year.”
While some service members, like General Litynski, have suffered from combat-related traumas or injuries, others come into the #military with #mentalhealthissues that are not revealed in medical screenings, or that later become more intense.
The problem mirrors a larger crisis in the nation, with millions of #Americans lacking access or not seeking #mentalhealthcare.
“Members of the #military have to function at a very high level and that takes a toll,” said Sherman Gillums Jr., a retired #Marine officer and a former senior executive at Paralyzed #Veterans of America.
“We are taught to mask anything that is wrong with us, to adapt and overcome. #Military culture looks at asking for help as a liability, from recruitment to training to the rest of one’s career.”
General Litynski was born in Chicago and joined the #Army in 1994. He has multiple advanced degrees and #military awards over a career that has included tours in #Iraq and #Afghanistan, and has held a variety of active and reserve component command positions. He is now the commanding general of the 76th Operational Response Command in Salt Lake City.
After he returned from overseas in 2009, General Litynski said that his life at work seemed fine, but he would isolate himself in his basement when he returned home at night. “I didn’t do anything,” he said, other than “let time go by.”
His few interactions with his family were generally stormy. When his wife, Jennifer, dented their minivan in a parking lot, he reacted by hitting the vehicle violently and repeatedly. “This was a 180-degree turn from who Ernie Litynski was,” he said.
In 2011, his wife said she had enough. “That is what sparked it for me. That moment in essence was an ultimatum, and rightly so,” General Litynski said.
He sought help and began to reflect on the troops he had seen die overseas and the death of his younger #daughter from a rare genetic disease less than a year after she was born.
His #psychiatrist at the Department of #Veterans Affairs had an idea: Discuss his struggles with his unit at the time in Milwaukee in lieu of giving the usual PowerPoint on #posttraumaticstress.
General Litynski worried that no one would understand and how it might affect his career. But ultimately, he said, “I went all in.”
Some in the audience revealed experiences they had previously felt too ashamed to share. “I had young soldiers talk to me afterward and hug me and cry,” he said.
The speech became his brand, of sorts. “When he first came to our unit, he told us about how he felt helpless and was ready to give it up,” said Scott Alsup, who served under General Litynski in #Iraq. “He helped get me into rehab, which probably saved my life.”
“Being a #man, you don’t talk about your feelings,” he added, “and having someone who was not afraid to show that was a huge, huge relief.”
In 2019, after speaking at an event in Florida for redeploying #soldiers, General Litynski caught the attention of #Army brass, who encouraged him to make a video, which was posted on #Army #Facebook pages.
While many applaud General Litynski’s efforts, #veterans who suffered from #mentalhealthissues while serving said the #military needed to do much more, like improve health screenings of new recruits. Training must change and leaders must learn to address problems before they spiral, they say.
“There is #stigma, it persists and it is real,” said Elizabeth S. Pietralczyk, a family doctor in Alaska who joined the #AirForce in 2003 to assist with medical school. She left the #military in 2021 before hitting her lifetime pension award, she said, because of her #mentalhealth struggles. “People doubt your sincerity when you’ve done an amazing job at handling everything up until it implodes,” she said. “It is a common story.”
Dr. Pietralczyk was offered a post as a flight #doctor, but to get it, she needed training in case she was ever captured, she said. She declined. “A lot of training exercises can be triggers for people,” she explained. “A lot of people don’t recognize that.”
Badgering from her superiors led to panic, #anxiety and #depression, she said. She considered hospitalization, but feared how that might affect her career as a #doctor.
The message of resilience at all costs is necessary for war fighters, but it can ultimately backfire, #military leaders and experts say.
“The readiness of the force depends on the strength and resilience of every #soldier,” said Simon B. Flake, an #Army spokesman.
“It takes a self-aware, courageous #soldier to admit they need help,” he added, noting that the #Army has increased support services for troops.
Members of the #NationalGuard and the Reserve often lack medical insurance or do not have access to #mentalhealthresources. “We see so many stories when a #mentalhealth process ends in a tragedy,” said J. Roy Robinson, a retired brigadier general and the president of the #NationalGuard Association of the #UnitedStates. “I truly believe a large amount of those issues are tied to access.”
Mr. Gillums noted that more troops were sharing their experiences with sexual harassment, assault and #mentalhealth struggles on #socialmedia.
“This could be an intergenerational shift,” he said, “starting with young people who see themselves as humans first beyond their uniform and weapon.”
Jennifer Steinhauer has been a Times reporter since 1994. She has worked on the Metro, Business and National desks, and served as City Hall bureau chief and Los Angeles bureau chief before moving to Washington in 2010. She is the author of a novel, two cookbooks and “The Firsts,” the story of the women of the 116th Congress. @jestei
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
