I began working with the DoD in 2014, and have had a variety of government roles and positions since then.
Below is a piece I wrote during my time with the Recruitment Office at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, as their Recruitment Communications Program Manager.
The article was first posted to my LinkedIn on August 28, 2020, and the original piece can be found on here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/22-nga-veteran-suicide-awareness-brittany-l-reid/
22 for 22: NGA and Veteran Suicide Awareness
Written by Brittany L. Reid, Program Manager for Recruitment Communications
NGA Talent Acquisition Center
While the COVID-19 pandemic remains at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it has not overshadowed other crucial societal issues that continue to plague people around the world. Instead, it has only served to exacerbate those concerns.
For instance, did you know that on average, 22 veterans commit suicide a day? That is 1 veteran every 65 minutes. According to militaryveteranproject.org, the Veteran Administration statistics confirm that 22 veterans a day lose their battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (and that number may actually be higher).
The struggle of veterans suffering from PTSD only continues to grow every passing moment that research and treatments are inaccessible or unavailable. Needless to say, the weighted impact of COVID-19 has drastically affected this issue. The Coronavirus has only served to amplify veterans’ mental and spiritual stress, and it has greatly restricted their ability to find resources that can help them cope.
This issue did not go unnoticed by Vice Admiral Robert D. Sharp, the Director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence agency. Over the past few weeks, VADM Sharp leveraged his ability to connect with the NGA workforce to highlight the severity of this issue. He stressed the fact that people must continue to raise awareness about the problem so that we can navigate around obstacles like COVID-19 and help those in need.
With this in mind, VADM Sharp took the opportunity to invite the workforce along in his journey to participate in the “22 Push-Up Challenge.” Throughout the month of August, VADM Sharp concluded his agency-wide operational briefings and virtual town halls by doing 22 push-ups every day for 22 days. Employees were able to tune in and join him, whether they were in the office or working remotely from home.
VADM Sharp’s actions and calls for compassion stretched across and beyond the walls of the NGA. As employees watched his broadcasts with their loved ones, word spread like wildfire and soon colleagues, relatives, and friends outside of NGA were taking part in the challenge of doing 22 push-ups for 22 days. Some people even captured their own journey on social media.
“I saw a lot of people doing the challenge on Facebook,” said Eleanor Kotler, a long-time employee at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. “I also saw the Director of NGA taking part in the challenge during the daily town-halls. Not much later, I had some encouragement from my friends and colleagues, particularly Susan Kalweit.” Eleanor went on to explain that Kalweit gave her some tips on the best ways to get started with the push-up challenge. “Her advice helped me to really work my muscles while doing the push-ups. As of now I’m on Day 11, and I’ve nominated 12 people to do the challenge with me.”
This particular challenge has garnered a lot of traction in recent years, especially for military personnel. Below are a few videos of past participants in this challenge, including a few celebrities:
However, the “22 Push-Up Challenge” is not the only means of raising awareness for this issue. Many people across the U.S. and around the world participate in a variety of activities to shed light on the number ‘22’ and why it is so significant. According to militaryveteranproject.org, other ideas include:
- Donating $22.00 (or more) to an associated cause
- Standing on your head for 22 seconds
- Running 22 miles
- Shooting 22 baskets in a row
- Eating 22 cupcakes
- Gathering a group of 22 friends and dance for 22 minutes
- And more!
In addition, there are several websites dedicated to this cause. These sites supply multiple programs and resources to help wounded veterans as they adjust to life after service. For instance, according to the Misson22 website, “Mission 22 provides treatment programs to veterans for Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and other issues they might be facing.” (https://mission22.com/home)
“I’ve been having a lot of fun, and I’ve made sure to record my push-ups every day. I’m even sharing my progress on Facebook!” said Kotler. “I’ve also learned a lot from this experience. For instance, I learned that American Veterans are committing suicide at twice the rate of other groups across the country. Any time that we can intervene to stop someone who may be showing symptoms of having a hard time, it’s worth it. Just always keep the National Suicide Prevention hotline on hand, 1-800-273-8255. You never know when you may need it to save a life.”
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has taken particular care to provide accommodations for service members who may be undergoing hardship via the agency’s Wounded Warrior Program. Upon navigating to https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/NGA/ngadiversity.html, you will find details about the program which, provides wounded, sick, ill and injured service members with meaningful work experiences intended to assist with their recuperation and transition into the workforce through NGA-wide internship opportunities. The agency proudly hosts fellowships for wounded warriors interested in gaining experience in our agency's mission. Service members can take on temporary or voluntary work assignments during their ongoing treatment as a formal means of transition back into the workforce.
NGA is dedicated to providing a safe and secure work environment for all of our employees. That said, we warmly welcome wounded warriors and strongly encourage them to share their skillsets with our agency. We appreciate every member of the NGA family and fully embrace what they can bring to the team.
To learn more about the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s Wounded Warrior program, email PWDReferrals@nga.mil.
Finally, if you have read this article, I tag you to help us raise awareness on this issue. Can you do 22 push-ups for 22 days? If so, do the challenge and share a video with the hashtag, #NGA22for22.
Alternatively, if you’d like to do something else, please feel free, and share how you helped shine a bright spotlight on this cause!
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