Why the Military Needs Sensitivity Training

Did you know the rate of suicides in the military is rising significantly? According to a recent article on the subject:

“The Army, with 128 suicides last year, already has 79 so far this year. The Navy had 41 last year and 28 this year. The Marines have 34, seven shy of last year, and the Air Force has recorded half its 40 suicides of 2008.”

So what can be attributed to the increase in suicides in all branches of the military? Various causes of course, but recently Private Keiffer Wilhelm, an Ohio soldier, took his own life after allegedly being bullied by his superiors.

In a workplace culture built on discipline and strict obedience to train new recruits, the military is a unique institution. But what happens when “discipline” goes too far or becomes bullying and harassment? When does troop control turn into abuse?

As much as I don’t like the term sensitivity training, because it seems so, well, old fashioned, I think the military could use a good dose of it.

Below is the account of what happened to Private Wilhelm before he took his own life:

“As they grieve the loss of Keiffer, their big-hearted boy who won’t be coming home from the Army he so proudly joined, Shane and Shelly Wilhelm must also imagine his last few days alive. That is its own kind of torture.

They’ve been told the upbeat, outgoing teen endured extreme exercises in the searing Iraq sun.
They’ve heard he was made to crawl in the sand until his legs bled.

They learned that four members of his platoon — all superiors — face charges for cruelty and mistreating subordinates, including their son, in the days before he killed himself Aug. 4 on a desert base 6,000 miles from home.

As they come to grips with the loss of a child, the Wilhelms ponder a nightmare: 19-year-old Keiffer Wilhelm may have been bullied to death — and by brothers in arms.”

Read the entire article

About the author: Melanie Sklarz is a partner with Legacy Business Cultures and the web content coordinator for the RespectfulWorkplace.com site, the lead blog writer, and a facilitator for Legacy's diversity and respect programs. She earned her MA in Women’s Studies from the Ohio State University. Author's Website