Air Force, Space Force Offer New Mental Health Referrals Under Brandon Act. Seeing UFOs/UAPs/XYZs and little green or gray men not covered. Subby has only one question: how did Biden get his Dark Name on this? [Spiffy]

Biden had been putting out signs though, to get credit for infrastructure projects that Republicans are taking credit for but voted against. Clovercat’s wife suggested he do this in a letter to the White House some time ago. So she’s thinks he is still using her ideas.

/so if you want to pass on any suggestions,

Now, just look at the red light and tell me about it…

A good step in the right direction, the real challenge is going to be getting leadership to correctly respond and not just do the minimum required by the law.

It will take time as does all culture change, but in 10 to 20 years when the E-1s and O-1s are starting to come into real positions of power and a policy like this is all they have known, instead of something they have had to learn, you will see the real positive impact.

It’s a great step. I hope it works in practice. The Military Command Exemption can supersede HIPAA. There’s a long history of even the inquiry about mental health counseling preventing promotion.

Yes, Debbie Downer, I know.

hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

I suspect that a fair number of them just live in the delusion that it is just a videogame. The temptation to do so would be irresistible.

This is a Very Good Thing. Getting military mental health into the hands of medical professionals and out of the hands of chaplains is a long-overdue change.

“So what are people going to do in a war zone? Go to their therapist?” Well, yeah. I watched Spider Man 3 on its release date in a war zone. Sure, it was a camcorder copy of the film, and every so often you’d see a silhouette in the front rows get up for a popcorn run, but still- if we can do that, we can let the servicemembers clear their heads without Jesus, and without talking to someone who reports to the same chain of command.

FTA- “The act was signed into law in December 2021 after a 21-year-old sailor died from suicide.”

but yeah Subby, let’s make as many jokes about it as possible.

Natalie Portmanteau: TIL people in the space force are called “guardians”.
So, you have a solider, a marine, a seaman, an airman, and a guardian? I guess spaceman would be silly.

They are called Guardians because they are guarding the space around Earth. The term Spaceman is reserved for the Deep Space Star Guard volunteers who shipped out on the Rangolinian space battleships in route to the Rangolin home world located in the Draco sector. It’s a totally separate service.

I’m surprised you don’t know this.

Harlee: The term Spaceman is reserved for the Deep Space Star Guard volunteers who shipped out on the Rangolinian space battleships in route to the Rangolin home world located in the Draco sector.

Space 

Ranger.

Gonz: Harlee: The term Spaceman is reserved for the Deep Space Star Guard volunteers who shipped out on the Rangolinian space battleships in route to the Rangolin home world located in the Draco sector.

Shhh, we don’t talk about them.

hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

Do they ? I got 22 years of service and besides normal branch vs branch and pog vs grunt stuff. I have never seen anyone actually disrespect drone teams and what they do.

All American Commenter: hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

/ADAF

hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

It’s not because they do a highly critical job that we mock them.  Most understand that drone/space operators are in new ground where you’re at war during your shift then return to your home.  That’s unknown ground, psychologically.

Most of us mock them for wanting commiserate decorations to those actually putting their physical bodies on the line to accomplish the mish.  These operators are not getting shot it.  Potentially paying the ultimate price is not an daily expectation.

That’s not to devalue what they do.  That’s just trying to ensure the integrity of the decoration is maintained.  How would a drone operator prove valor in a firefight when the risk to his own person is fairly minimal?

/they still need the Mental Health support

Summoner101: hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

So shall we ignore bomber crews, artillery crews, etc?  Death by proxy is nothing new, and knowingly taking a life because it is your duty can be just as damaging to the psyche.

Of course, people who mock those with mental health issues is nothing new in America either.

Armchair_Invective: Summoner101: hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

Bomber crews still fly in to the AOR.  Artillery still has to be so close to the fight, not half way around the world.  Should a Gunner get a Combat Action Medal when they never took enemy fire?

I’m not flossing over the mental health piece.  The mental health piece is very unique to remote operators.  How do you square firing a payload at a high value target, change shift, and go home to your family within hours?

Traditional deployments at least give you the transit time to get somewhat right with what happened.  Maybe even some additional time at a transition center.

Remote operators get nothing though many of those units, to my knowledge, have Mental Health imbedded for that very reason.

hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

You know we specifically made a Knife hellfire missile just to assassinate people. Think about that for a minute…

Decorus: hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

Carpet bombing has steadily fallen out of favor over the years.

clovercat: Biden had been putting out signs though, to get credit for infrastructure projects that Republicans are taking credit for but voted against. Clovercat’s wife suggested he do this in a letter to the White House some time ago. So she’s thinks he is still using her ideas.

can’t they just shorten it to:

Funded by President Joe Biden’s BIL?

Unlike other mental health referrals, the new policy under the Brandon Act is initiated by the service member versus having a mandatory referral initiated by superiors, giving the rank and file some control over their situation.

Self-referred, free, confidential counseling for servicemembers and dependents have been available for years.  This statement from TFA is misleading.

https://www.militaryonesource.mil/non-medical-counseling/

Raptop: Unlike other mental health referrals, the new policy under the Brandon Act is initiated by the service member versus having a mandatory referral initiated by superiors, giving the rank and file some control over their situation.

Yes and No,

Military One Source is an option but your sessions are limited to 12 and whatever you are dealing with cannot be diagnosed. So you have to play a game when being assesed of being sad but not depressed or having anxiety but not PTSD.

The Vet Center program can see active duty that have been deployed or experienced MST and it is free, no time limit on services and can do evidence based therapys like EMDR for PTSD without diagnosing someone.

Armchair_Invective: Summoner101: hardinparamedic: Just a reminder that the majority of the service still mocks and ridicules  the people operating drones and satellites who literally watched people, children, and innocent bystanders be turned into pink mist in real time and with a view in the whites of their eyes while doing it – and that they need to just man up rather than ask for help

only two groups In the military can know without a doubt, 100%, that they just ended a life.

Snipers and drone operators.

Snipers because they scope them and know where and how they hit. Drone operators because optics are damn good.

/everything else has plausible self denial.