Battling the Holiday Blues

CAMP HANSEN, Okinawa - The holiday season can pose many challenges for Marines and Sailors stationed away from their friends and family. From alcohol issues to loneliness, many situations can lead to off-duty trouble.

To battle the holiday blues, III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Community Services are presenting "Beating the Blues" for Marines, sailors and civilians stationed aboard Okinawa. The program was conceived to address and deter high-risk behavior and depression during the holiday season. Increases in alcohol-related incidents, automotive accidents, suicides, infractions of regulations and laws have all been noted during the years in close proximity to the holidays.

During each seminar, service members are presented with information about safety, drug and alcohol abuse, suicide awareness, sexual assault, combat and operational stress control and MCCS holiday activities and programs. Gift certificates to various restaurants and services are given away and 10 service members from each seminar are given the opportunity to win a round-trip airline ticket to the United States, said John Velker, the director of the Substance Abuse Counseling Center.

The program reinforces the "no Marine left behind" tradition Marines and sailors live by every day, said Sgt. Maj. Lee D. Bonar, the III MEF Headquarters Group sergeant major.

"As Marines, we take care of our own, and that also includes our Navy brethren," Bonar said. "This program allows the leadership to provide additional support to our troops during one of the most family-oriented times of the year."

According to the 2009 Marine Corps Almanac produced by Headquarters Marine Corps' Program Assessment and Evaluation Division, nearly 60% of enlisted Marines are less than 22 years old. This means many Marines have not spent very much time away from the comfort of the home and family they grew up with.

Velker, a Toledo, Ohio, native, added more about the importance of taking care of each other during these trying months.

"A Marine would never leave another Marine on the battlefield. We need to apply that same way of thinking to garrison life," he said.

Bonar said the message of the Beating the Blues program reinforces caring leadership to the Marines and sailors.

"Having everyone attend allows for each person, no matter their status, to see what resources are available for the holidays," Bonar said.

The information provided in the seminars can also help attendees recognize the onset of someone exhibiting signs of loneliness or depression, and give them the tools to look out for one another.

Pfc. Mark D. Sapp, paralegal with the Marine Corps Base Camp Butler staff judge advocate office attended Beating the Blues last week. The information he heard about post traumatic stress and depression, some of the tell-tale characteristics to watch for and how to help fellow Marines in distress gave him confidence.

The 22-year-old Kent, Wash., native said the brief is particularly timely during the holiday season when suicides are known to increase.

"If people see some of the key elements leading up to suicide incidents, they might be able to help stop them," he said.

"We're supposed to be this big family. I'm not going to let my little brother do something stupid like commit suicide. I'm going to look after my family for the full nine yards," Sapp said.

Good advice from a young Marine can sometimes be hard to swallow for some who have attended similar classes many times throughout their career, but Sapp's recommendation for those who have yet to attend Beating the Blues is solid.

"Keep your eyes and ears open because the information is good," he stressed. "It can actually work if you apply the information. It can be used to help."