USO WRAPS-UP TOUR

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, hosts this year's final USO holiday tour show on behalf of the chairman at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, Dec. 17, 2012. DOD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

USO Wraps-up Annual Holiday Tour Show in Germany
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

STUTTGART, Germany, Dec. 18, 2012 - Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior advisor to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, hosted the final stop of this year's USO holiday tour show here yesterday on behalf of the chairman, the tour's sponsor.

Battaglia attended the show with his wife, Lisa.

Service members' wives, husbands, sons and daughters attended the event to see their favorite celebrities.

This year's USO holiday tour show featured Washington Nationals Major League Baseball players Ross Detwiler and Craig Stammen; Matt Hendricks from the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals; comedian Iliza Schlesinger, winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing and country music singer Kellie Pickler and her band.

And USO President Sloan D. Gibson and Shane Hudella of "Defending the Blue Line," an organization that donates hockey equipment to military families, accompanied the tour show.

"It was certainly a different sort of demographic, and dynamic [when compared] to the other shows that were more troop oriented because they were in-country, in Afghanistan," Battaglia said. "So, I think it provided the entertainers and athletes another side of their U.S. armed forces overseas, and [they saw] that protection and defense of the nation doesn't only come from the service member.

"It also comes from the sacrifice of the family, having to serve overseas and away from home as well," he added.
Lisa Battaglia, a former Marine herself enjoyed the family aspect of the final show.

"I liked it a lot, because most of the time we see the military members," she said. "I know they truly appreciate the USO, but [I enjoyed] being able to see these young kids out there, able to enjoy what's going to be a great holiday season ... [and] let their hair down and hang out with their friends.

"I think it was great, and a nice ending to the tour," she added.

The sergeant major deemed the USO tour a hit, with stops coming in Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and two stops in Germany -- Stuttgart and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.

"It was a great success," he said. "Just having the opportunity to witness troops across the [area of responsibility] -- Afghanistan and beyond -- with smiles on their faces especially around this time with Christmas.

"You know, with a comedian telling a joke, or singing a country song that may be one of their favorites, or a sports fanatic getting an autograph or a handshake from one of the athletes," he continued. "Just seeing a smile on their faces is pretty invaluable, and it accomplishes the USO's mission, writ large, with providing morale to the troops."

The USO holiday tour's entertainers came all the way from the U.S. and maintained a strenuous schedule, the sergeant major said.

"The [itinerary's] ruggedness was only driven by trying to get them to as many [bases] as we possibly can, even if we had to split them up to see as many troops as we could so they could have that face-to-face engagement," Battaglia said.

"Nobody wants to watch this on AFN," he added. "They want to see it in person -- that was the objective, that was the goal, and it was accomplished."

MILITARY'S TOP ENLISTED LEADER COMMENTS ON SUICIDE AWARENESS MONTH

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Battaglia Asks Leaders to Engage, Troubled Troops to Reach Out
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2012 - The military's top enlisted leader wants service members to use September's National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month as an opportunity to learn what to do when a fellow service member, family member or veteran reaches out for help.

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said service members who seek assistance -- and those who are in a position to offer it -- need to know that it's OK not to be OK.

"We can still operate and function as effective service members [and] effective family members within our armed forces, within life [and] as members within society and not be 100 percent fit," Battaglia said. "Like myself, for example. From some combat wounds and injuries over the years, I'm no longer 100 percent, and that's OK by me, because I understand that it's OK not to be OK."

Thanks to the resilience programs such as Total Force Fitness, Battaglia added, he has been able to better assess his fitness levels and return his mind, body and spirit to a new optimal level of performance.

"I believe each person has their own threshold of when they may need help or assistance," he said. "The moment that indicator lights up within yourself that [you] need some help and assistance or things are not right, ... it is time to reach out."

Service members, family members or veterans don't have to wait until they feel suicidal to take advantage of the services offered by the military and the Veterans Affairs Department, Battaglia said. And the need to reach out can revolve around any sort of adversity or challenge that arises in a person's life, he added.

But no matter what the situation may be, asking for assistance is the crucial first step, Battaglia said, and there are many places to turn to for help. Each service has specific programs shaped and tailored toward its service members and families, he said, and VA also has programs that provide for veterans.

The Defense Department's hotline -- 1-800-273-8255 -- is "one common denominator throughout the entire department," Battaglia said. Service members, family members and veterans in need of assistance, either for themselves or for a loved one, can call the number day or night to speak to someone.

"That someone, who will answer will be a medical health official ... with the background and expertise to make some immediate assessments," he said. "That phone call has complete confidentiality."

Battaglia said he uses the acronym "NOW" to educate service members about suicide prevention.

The N means "there's NO problem too big that should cause an individual to take his or her own life" he said. "If you have a problem that you can't solve, come to someone -- a leader, a chaplain, a commander -- and, by God, we can solve it together."

The O is for OUTREACH, he said. "Outreach is literally a fingertip away -- and that outreach can come from texting your team leader to knocking on your chaplain's door or even notifying an immediate family member," he explained, "but outreach is literally a fingertip away."

As importantly, he said, the W stands for WE care.

"As leaders, we understand and clearly recognize that as members of this professional organization, our men and women have committed to our nation and we are committed to them," he said. "This is an equal opportunity issue; it affects everyone. So whether it is junior leaders, senior leaders or nonleaders, anyone who comes abreast of a person who looks or appears like they may want to hurt themselves, it's time to engage and act, immediately."

Leaders have the added responsibility of dealing with the aftermath of a death by suicide, Battaglia said, which can further strip away at morale, cohesion and unit readiness if left untreated.

"As leaders, we are taught, molded and developed to be problem solvers," he said. "Problem solving is good, but a goal for all of us is to be the problem preventer. Our ultimate objective [in prevention] is essentially removing suicide out of one's decision making process or as a possible course of action in solving a troop's personal problem."

There's no one reason or indicator that leaders can rely upon, in capturing the "why" of suicide, Battaglia said. "However," he added, "active leadership engagement is an area where many leaders, specifically my peer group, believe we can improve."

Engaged leaders will be better able to detect and help troubled troops, Battaglia said.

"There's so much time spent together that leaders will better know their people and can pick up changes from one's normal disposition or behavior," he said.

And it's a year-round job, the sergeant major added.

"While September is officially designated as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, this issue is so important to the health of our force that we need to treat every month as suicide prevention and awareness month," he said.