Third suicide by Kitsap-based Navy sailor in 2023 part of rising number in service

Editor's Note: The story covers suicide in the military community. Service members and veterans who are having thoughts of suicide can call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat to contact the Veterans Crisis Line for confidential support.

A sailor assigned to the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier died by suicide on October 22, the third confirmed suicide by an active duty military member in Kitsap County this year and one of a recent increase in that branch of the service.

The Navy confirmed the identity of the sailor and Kitsap County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that the death was a suicide, agencies told the Kitsap Sun this week. The sailor, an airman stationed on the carrier, was found deceased at his off-base residence, according to a USS Nimitz official. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is conducting a thorough investigation into his death, NCIS spokesperson Jeff Houston said.

Chaplains, psychologists, counselors, and leaders are engaged with the ship crew and are available on board to provide appropriate support and counseling, the Nimitz official said. "We are here to support our shipmates and we encourage any sailor who is struggling to seek help and support."

In April, a petty officer and electronics technician assigned to Submarine Development Squadron (DEVRON) 5, located in Bangor, was found dead in Silverdale. As the lead investigation agency, Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office's spokesperson Kevin McCarty said detectives determined his death was a suicide. A Navy spokesperson at Commander, Submarine Force U.S. Pacific Fleet confirmed the service member's affiliation to the Navy.

In January, a USS Theodore Roosevelt sailor died by suicide at Naval Base Kitsap when the carrier was based in Bremerton. In 2022 and in 2021 after the ship transferred to Bremerton, two Theodore Roosevelt sailors died by suicide, Kitsap Sun previously reported.

Pentagon's latest actions in addressing suicide in the military

According to the Annual Report on Suicide in the Military: Calendar Year (CY) 2022 released by the Department of Defense on October 26, 71 active components in the Navy died by suicide in 2022, which is an increase compared with 59 people in 2021 and 65 people in 2020. The unadjusted suicide rate per 100,000 active components in the Navy is 20.6 in 2022, higher than 17 in 2021 and 19 in 2020. The report also pointed out that suicide rates for all services — Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force — gradually increased from 2011 to 2022.

"Even one suicide is too many," Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement regarding the report. "We have much more work to do to reduce suicide across our Force, and owe it to our service members and our military families to provide the best possible care; to identify risk factors and spot warning signs; and to eliminate the tired old stigmas around seeking help."

In September, Austin released a memo to direct a series of urgent actions to address suicide in the military.

The "New DoD Actions to Prevent Suicide in the Military" memo stated DOD's five lines of effort to address the issue — foster a supportive environment, improve the delivery of mental health care, address stigma and other barriers to care, revise suicide prevention training, and promote a culture of lethal means safety.

Some of the initiatives or recommendations to be implemented include expanding parental leave and dependent care benefits, universal pre-kindergarten programs at DOD Education Activity schools, and efforts to provide for professional licensure portability for military spouse; expanding training programs and actions to better recruit, support, and retain mental health providers; increasing appointment availability by revising mental health staffing models to ensure that mental health clinics have the administrative and case management support they need.

Others are expanding the availability of confidential services, including non-medical counseling for suicide prevention; expanding the availability of tele-health care and other digital tools; modernizing content, delivery, and dosage of suicide prevention training; training behavioral health technicians in evidence-based practices, integrating leaders at all levels into suicide prevention training, and centralizing the core suicide prevention training curriculum.

More regarding the storage of firearms involve offering funding incentives for safer ways to store firearms, providing additional on-base secure storage options for personal firearms, enforcing existing restrictions on private firearms in barracks, and making improvements to reducing risk in barracks and dormitories, according to the memo.

"Suicide prevention is a long-term effort. Change will not happen overnight, but we have no time to spare," the Secretary of Defense wrote in the memo. "I expect leaders at all levels across the Department to do the same and urge your support to embrace and execute these prevention efforts."

"Taking care of our people is a sacred obligation, and we will continue to undertake it with the resolve and moral clarity that our teammates deserve," Austin said in the September memo.

Resources for service members

• Service members and veterans who are having thoughts of suicide can call 988 and press 1, text 838255, or chat online at VeteransCrisisLine.net/Chat to contact the Veterans Crisis Line for confidential support.

• Those stationed outside of the U.S. can access the crisis line by: Calling 00800-1273-8255 or DSN 118 in Europe; Calling 080-855-5118 or DSN 118 in Japan and Korea; Dialing 1-800 273-8255 or DSN 111 in Afghanistan.

• DOD civilian employees can access resources, information, and confidential help by calling 1-866-580-9046.

• In the U.S., the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255. Crisis Text Line can be reached by texting HOME to 741741 (US) for free, available 24/7, and confidential support.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: USS Nimitz sailor died by suicide, as overall Navy numbers have risen