Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao Addresses the Navy and Marine Corps on Suicide Awareness

When I raised my hand and swore an oath to serve our nation's Navy Marine Corps, I did so with one thing in mind. How will I make us the most lethal fighting force in the history of the world? After standing on the shoulders of the giants from World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, after watching the towers fall on 9-11, we took the fight to the enemy for over 20 years, and our job is not finished. To be successful, I need you to be physically, mentally, and spiritually fit. I see messages that active duty service members have ended their lives by suicide. Those numbers are higher in the Marine Corps. We must confront the rising tide of suicide head-on. Some people think the more you talk about it, the more it happens. That talking about it creates a social contagion, so leadership often avoids it. That thinking is a fallacy, unsupported by data. For the sake of your Sailors and Marines, you must address any issue head-on. You must be unafraid to ask direct, pointed questions of your people if you or someone close to them suspect they are having thoughts of suicide. Every Sailor and Marine in leadership has a duty and obligation to know the man and woman underneath them. Every leader, from NCO to Senior Officer, has an obligation to know their people. There is no excuse. I'm talking about knowing which Petty Officer or Corporal has a kid on the honor roll and what spouse is going through cancer treatment. I'm talking about knowing people well enough that you can tell by the look on their face that something is wrong, and then having the integrity to get involved. Again, to ask the hard questions, because if you don't, who will? For too long, I've seen leaders skate their way through command, more worried about being fired or making rank than knowing the people who work long days on behalf of the mission. Leadership is not the rank you wear. Leadership is service, and it is service to your people first, because people are the mission. Your job is to be engaged in order to meet a moment of crisis when it comes. I will give you the tools, but you must do your job. Lead. I did it and expect nothing less of you. To our Sailors and Marines, if you make the very real and permanent decision to end your life, understand that you are transferring your pain to someone else. Your spouse, your parents, your children, and your shipmates. They will live not only with your pain, but their own. Statistically, that burden becomes too great for many family members, and they follow the same tragic path. I'm not telling you it's going to be easy to live. I'm telling you to find something to live for. Whether you know it or not, we all leave a legacy behind. Our country still needs you. Do not give up on yourself and the people around you. You were created and are here for a purpose. Let's win this fight together. I'm never above you, never below you. I'm always beside you. Semper Fi and Hoo-Yah.