Officials at Altus AFB, Okla., opened an Airman Resilience Center—the first of its kind on base—to support airmen and their families dealing with issues like deployments or new assignments, according to a base release. The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on July 11, states the following day’s release. “The ARC includes five classrooms for training use, a theater room, a game room and an electronic gaming area,” said TSgt. Jonathan Mathe, 97th Air Mobility Wing noncommissioned officer in charge of chapel operations. It also includes an interfaith chapel, religious education classrooms for students of all ages, and a newly renovated Airman’s Attic and food pantry, he said. “It is our hope that organizations and units across the base will want to utilize the ARC for social and training events,” said Mathe, who came up with the idea for the center, along with Maj. Trent Davis, wing chaplain, states the release. (Altus report by SrA. Kenneth W. Norman)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.