The idea begins to creep into the back of your mind over the weekend of drill. You push it down. It returns on the way home from Camp Rilea. You push it down again. Monday morning. Tuesday night. Wednesday afternoon. The idea is still in the mind.

I need some assistance. I'm not able to continue doing this.

Then the fear comes. The fear outweighs the need.

What will my unit say?

Will my commanding officer come to know?

Will I lose my clearance?

"Am I weak?"

You are not weak. You are a soldier. A soldier who was educated through his entire career that seeking assistance is a sign of inadequate performance. A soldier who has learned to move on, to suck it up, to drive on. Your life-saving training on duty is bringing your life down in peacetime.

There is a name for the fear. Stigma. Failure is not stigma. The stigma is the enemy's weapon.

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." — 2 Timothy 1:7

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THE DATA THE GUARD DOES NOT SHOW YOU

One in five. That is the number. 20% of the Oregon National Guard has mental health or substance use problems. Not a guess, but a fact. It comes from the official data of the Oregon National Guard R3SP Program.

There are more. Most do not report. Avoid reporting due to similar fear. The same anxiety that you feel right now.

The enemy would like to make you feel alone. The enemy is a deceiver.

Look left. Look right. It is evident that one of the 3 of you is having trouble. The difference is YOU are reading this. The difference is, you're ready to stop hiding.

Additional data about people who are having difficulties:

• 35.3% of Guard members have anxiety disorders
• 39.6% of people have mental health disorders
• 19% have PTSD
• 25.6% have sleep disorders
• 1 in 5 with issues do not get help because they do not want others to find out

You are not alone. You are not broken. You are not just a number; you're the rule. The enemy wants you to think that everyone else is all together. No one is in their right mind! Some people simply do a better job at hiding.

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WHAT VALOR ACTUALLY MEANS

You learned how to charge the machine gun nest—that's valor. A soldier being towed by Valor amidst a firefight. Valor will not give up.

Prior to going under, Valor is also letting you know that you are drowning.

The Oregon National Guard has buried way too many soldiers. They thought it was weak to ask for help, and they buried them. Buried them as they believed no one could understand. Buried them, for the enemy said, "Speak softly, and strength shall be yours.

The bravest member of your team is not the one who doesn't show his pain. The bravest man is the one that says, "I'm struggling, I need help, I need my brothers.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." — Galatians 6:2

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THE STIGMA BREAKER PROTOCOL

1.  Recognize the lie and confront it

The myth is that seeking assistance is a sign of weakness. The reality is, when you need help, you are a smart person. You've asked for assistance in the past. You asked for help in training. You requested assistance in the deployment. When you asked for help, you didn't know how to perform your job. You've gotten help before! You've asked before for help! It is the way you'll be healed.

2. Bypass Your Unit (The Confidential Path)

There is no need to contact the commander before. It's not necessary to use your chain of command. Confidential ways.

Please add verified Oregon resources here. For example, contact the Oregon National Guard R3SP Program, Oregon VA resources, Military OneSource, or local crisis lines.

3. Test the Water

It's not necessary to tell every detail of your story. It is NOT a requirement to confess everything. You may begin with one sentence. I feel like I am on the verge of breakdown; I don't know what to do. Who can you turn to for help?

There is no one you are required to share your medical history with. Don't share your diagnosis with anyone. You owe yourself the chance to get better.

4. In uniform

Your Spiritual Minded Military shirt isn't a brand. It's a statement. I'm a soldier, I'm in trouble, and I'm seeking assistance; I'm not skulking.

When the soldier wears a uniform, the enemy knows, "I see you; I am not afraid." The uniform says to your tribe, "You are not alone.

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THE ONE SENTENCE YOU NEED

You do not have to tell your whole story. You do not have to admit everything. You do not have to unload years of trauma on the first call.

You need one sentence.

"I am struggling. I do not know what to do. Can you point me to someone who can help?"

That is it. That is the hardest sentence you will ever say. That sentence is also the most important sentence you will ever say.

You owe no one your medical history. You owe no one your diagnosis. You owe no one the details of your nightmares. You owe yourself the chance to get better. One sentence. One call. One step.

"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you." — 1 Peter 5:7

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THE R3SP COORDINATOR

The Oregon National Guard has a full-time R3SP coordinator. Their job is to help soldiers like you. Their job is to reduce risk and prevent suicide. Their job is to connect you to resources. Their job is not to judge you. Their job is not to punish you. Their job is to help you.

Call the R3SP coordinator. Send an email. Ask for help. That is literally their job description.

You are not burdening them. You are giving them purpose. The R3SP program exists because soldiers are suffering. You are not the problem. You are the reason the program exists.

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WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU ASK

You ask for help. You make the call. You send the email. You talk to the chaplain.

What happens next?

• You will feel relief. Not immediately. Not the instant you hang up. But within hours, you will feel lighter. The secret is out. The weight is shared. The enemy has lost his weapon.
• You will get connected to care. Counseling. Medication. Peer support. Treatment. The system is slow. The system is frustrating. The system is better than suffering alone.
• You will get better. Not overnight. Not in a week. In months. In a year. But you will get better. You will sleep again. You will laugh again. You will feel again.

The only thing standing between you and getting better is the fear. The Stigma Breaker Protocol is how you walk through the fear.

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." — Isaiah 41:10

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Conclusion

Oregon Army National Guard, you asked why you are afraid to ask for help. The answer is stigma. Stigma is the enemy's weapon. Stigma is a liar.

The Stigma Breaker Protocol is the counter-attack. Acknowledge the lie. Name the lie out loud. Say the counters.

You are not weak. You are a soldier under siege. Asking for help is not surrender. Asking for help is calling for reinforcements.

The enemy wants you silent. The enemy wants you isolated. The enemy wants you alone.

Break the silence. Break the stigma. Break the enemy's weapon.

This is the Spiritual Minded Military Stigma Breaker Protocol for the Oregon Army National Guard. One in five. You are not alone. Break the silence. 

The Remnant does not transition. The Remnant re-enlists.

Spiritual Minded Military
We don't rank, we reign.

THE LITTLE GENERAL DOCTRINE

THIS IS NOT A SUGGESTION. IT IS A DIRECTIVE FOR THE ELITE 1%. [BY ORDER OF THE LITTLE GENERAL]

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