Fort Cavazos is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons, this time after sustaining three Soldier suicides in a two-week span.
The post, which is located in Texas and is home to the 1st Cavalry Division, recently lost three of its own to self-harm.
“This is a serious problem across the Army community, a nation-wide public health issue, and a problem here in our organization,” III Corps PAO LTC Tania Donovan said in a statement. “Even one Soldier is far too many. We grieve the loss of these valued members of our team, and our hearts go out to the families and teammates of these service members affected by these tragedies.”
Very few details were given in regards to the identities of the service members, or the circumstances of their suicides.
LTC Donovan stated that all three deaths are currently under investigation, but that steps are being taken to prevent further suicides.
“The 1st Cavalry Division conducted a Call-to-Action day on August 16, 2023 to provide Soldiers and leaders at every level dedicated time to discuss mental health, suicide prevention, warning signs, intervention protocols, and ensure our teams have the resources, awareness, and skills needed to change these trends,” Donovan said.
According to KDH News, Donovan admitted that the “Call-to-Action” is merely a reinforcement of mandatory training that usually takes place during in-processing.
“These efforts are critical as we continue working toward necessary change,” she said. “We are taking further concrete actions at Fort Cavazos and across the III Armored Corps to reduce suicide risks, including re-familiarizing all of our Soldiers, DA civilians, and families with the resources available to them during times of high stress,” Donovan said. “These resources include access to 24/7 Helplines, Behavioral Health care through embedded Behavioral Health teams, Military and Family Life Counselors, Chaplains, Military One Source non-medical counseling, and services in the Army’s Substance Abuse Program, Family Advocacy Program, and Department of Veterans Affairs mental health resources.”
Formerly Fort Hood, Fort Cavazos underwent a name rebranding to distance itself from the Confederate general the post was previously named after.
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