Jacqueline Wallace
Podcast Script
November 3, 2010
Overview
Hello my name is Jacqueline Wallace and I am going to be explaining in this podcast, the
struggles families go through while their loved ones are deployment in Afghanistan, and the
suicides of soldiers who cannot handle the pressure of war. Leaving your child with others while
you are deployed can be hard on a parent.
Content
Being the spouse of a military man or woman is never easy. People believe that the soldiers have
it hard, but so do the spouses. Jennifer Lewellings of Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station in
Havelock, North Carolina is the wife of Phillip Lewelling who is currently deployed in
Afghanistan. She struggles monthly with bills, and is scared what will happen if her husband
does not make it back home. The military provides a home for her and her husband, as long as he
is in active duty, but if she is no longer a military wife, she loses the home on the base.
Michelle Noblin, another military wife, must care for her three month old baby without her
husband. She lives month to month on her husband’s paycheck. Luckily on each base there is a
family readiness center. Shelbie Billiot is the family readiness officer for her base. She helps all
the wives and husband with anything they need while their loved ones are deployed. She
provides comfort and has a monthly meeting with all the spouses to discuss their problems.
Every base has a family readiness officer to help with any problems you may have.
According to Joe Klein in the Times magazine, the U.S. military is under a tremendous amount
of psychological stress due to repeated deployments to Afghanistan war zone. But, the story
doesn't end there. The official statistics also reveal another, even more troubling trend: the
suicide rate among currently serving military soldiers continues to increase. In January of 2009,
more soldiers were killed through suicide than soldiers killed during the war of that month.
According to NBC news, 20 percent of the U.S suicides are from the military. This suggests that
the problem is worse among the armed forces than in the general population. The toll of military
suicides last year in 2009 was the worst since records began to be kept in 1980. For every death,
at least five soldiers were put into the hospital for attempt of suicide.
Major General Mark Gram has dealt with many military suicides says NBC News. He has lost
his own son through suicide. His son was deployed when he killed himself. Many soldiers do not
realize that they have post- depression. The wife of Major General Mark Gram has put together a
suicide prevention class to help soldiers and families with this problem. It is a sign of strength
not weakness to ask for help.
Closing
To finish up this podcast, I would like to say that no matter what situation you are in,
death is never the way to go. There are always ways to overcome depression and thoughts of
suicide. There are always loved ones around to help you. If you are having trouble with dealing
with deployment, talk to someone, do not end your life.
For more information on signs of suicide and how to recognize them, visit www.suicide.org/.
Thank you for listening and I hope you have gained some important information.
References
Klein, J. (2010). Military Suicides. Times.
http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/03/10/military-suicides/
(Accessed October 24,2010)
NBC. ( 2009). Suicides Continue Alarming Rise in Military. msnbc.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28895624 (Accessed October 24, 2010)