Story by Heather Clark, Fort Campbell Courier
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. – When the number of suicides among Army Soldiers began its unfortunate incline, it was decided by the Army Center for Substance Abuse Programs that a program dealing specifically with prevention and awareness needed to be implemented. Incorporated into the Army Substance Abuse Program, the Suicide Prevention Program took root at Fort Campbell and has since grown into an Army-wide establishment.
Because the program is relatively new, it was not until this year that the ACSAP – governing body for ASAP – created an award to honor those who manage suicide prevention programs.
For the calendar year 2012, Joe Varney, Suicide Prevention Program manager for Fort Campbell, has been named the first-ever ASAP Suicide Prevention Manager of the Year.
“Mr. Varney was the first Department of the Army civilian hired to serve as Suicide Prevention Program Manager in the Army,” said Col. David “Buck” Dellinger in his memorandum of nomination, adding that Varney “is Fort Campbell’s most sought after expert on all aspects of suicide and suicide prevention … by both military and civilian populations.”
“Of course it’s an honor,” said Varney. “But it’s humbling as well. I know full well that it’s not reflective of my efforts alone. There is a great deal of people across the installation that do great work to draw attention to the high-risk activities and warning signs that somebody is contemplating suicide.”
The purpose of this collective effort, according to Varney, is to increase the level of awareness among Soldiers and Family members – awareness of the behaviors of suicidal individuals as well as the resources that are available to those in need of help.
To this end, Varney has worked through various avenues, including educational seminars for commanders, community outreach and Family-oriented events such as the Wellness Walk, which has drawn significant crowds for the past two years.
His dedication to the program was highlighted during a joint inspection by ACSAP and Installation Management Command, after which a brief was issued to Dellinger that named Fort Campbell’s Suicide Prevention Program the “best run, most innovated and best documented Suicide Prevention Program in ASAP.”
“I would say that it’s a tribute to the effort and dedication that a multitude of Fort Campbell professionals have put forward – to stay in front of developing trends and to educate our Soldiers and Family members, both on and off post,” said Varney. “So really, this is an installation award.”
For Varney, the best part about receiving the award is the continuation of awareness it generates – about the program and about the issue of suicide prevention itself.
“Any time we can create awareness about those plights, we are one step closer to preventing yet another suicide,” he explained. “It’s my hope that this recognition will be another venue to increase the awareness that it only takes one point of contact to save a life – and that point could be you or me; it could be anyone.”
In the wake of this honor, Varney plans to continue running the Suicide Prevention Program the way it’s always been run, and plans to keep his training and his messages active on both sides of the installation gates.
“Through community activism and community engagement,” he said, “through knowing about the resources, the better the chance a person has to be that point of contact.”