Dear Difference Maker,

Veteran Suicides Jan 15, 2013 - The US Military's suicide rate grew a startling 15 percent in 2012. ... that Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans commit suicides because of PTSD, ...

The US Military's suicide rate grew a startling 15 percent in 2012. The Pentagon, which has put great effort into lowering military suicide rates, has acknowledged that battle casualties are no longer the primary reason for soldiers' deaths.

Modern US warfare is Internet-centric and relies heavily on drones and robots, which has helped bring combat losses to historic lows; suicide now accounts for more deaths of US soldiers than battlefield conflict.

The official website of the US Department of Defense has published preliminary reports of at least 177 potential active-duty suicides and 126 potential non-active-duty suicides in 2012. The report reveals a marked surge in suicides since 2011, when 165 confirmed active-duty and 118 non-active-duty suicides were registered.

In all, 349 servicemembers in all branches of the US Military committed suicide in 2012, up 15 percent from 301 suicides in the military in 2011, AP reported, citing a Pentagon source. The number of US Military suicides in 2012 exceeded the total combat fatalities in Afghanistan in 2012, which the AP calculated at 295 deaths.

Reports on US military suicides have revealed that the US Army, the largest body within the US military (around 562,000 personnel), has the highest number and rate of military suicides: Over 32 per 100,000 troops.

The US Marines Corps (over 202,000 personnel) was second with nearly 24 suicides per 100,000 troops. The US Navy (around 323,000 personnel) and US Air Force (around 330,000 personnel) have practically identical suicide rates of 18 per 100,000 troops.

US military suicide rate 2012

US Army - 182 suicides
US Marines Corps - 48 suicides
US Navy - 60 suicides
US Air Force - 59 suicides

The average suicide rate in the US military - 24 suicides per 100,000 soldiers - is lower than the civilian suicide rate for men aged 17 to 60 - 25 suicides per 100,000 in 2010.

It is also important to know that:

No single therapeutic approach is suitable for all people considering suicide or suicidal tendencies. The most common ways to treat underlying illnesses associated with suicide are with medication, talk therapy or a combination of the two.

PREVENTION is about bringing transformational programs into our schools, places of work and churches that effectively build skills and much needed understanding to create a sense of community and belonging. KNOWING that we are here to Make A Difference is essential!

While I have no direct way to bring MPDA Program into our military (unless you know someone I can talk to directly because Veteran's day is coming right up on November 11th), I bring up the statistics about our Veterans today because what I am proposing is taking it into each of our community's schools as a STARTING point.

MDPA IS an outreach program - meaning that the idea behind it is to BE acknowledged for the greatness that resides in each and every one of us and THEN take it out into our community at large where people are living lives of quiet desperation - from our returning military to today's business owners to all those people who are disenfranchised because no one has ever told them before that THEY MATTER - that Who they are Makes A DIFFERENCE!

Start in our schools with the MDPA Program, and it will reach out exponentially into our communities.

Today, statistics show that 30% of kids in America drop out of school before receiving their diplomas, largely because they feel alone and disconnected.

Adolescent suicide has increased four hundred percent in the past thirty years. Generation after generation, people are literally dying for their parents, spouse, family, friends, colleagues - anyone who will support their dreams and let them know they are valued.

Trillions of dollars have been poured into programs that attempt to stop drug and alcohol abuse, crime and violence, teen suicides, and child and spousal abuse. Yet each and every year this abuse continues to rise.

Our opportunity now is to build a bridge from resignation and mediocrity to purpose and possibility. This proactive paradigm creates confident, creative and successful people who are able to build a safer, healthier and more successful community, country and world.

Acknowledgement is a powerful and inexpensive way to reach this goal.

What actions would you take if you knew with absolute certainty that a simple action you could take every day with very little effort that would change your world, and the world at large, dramatically and profoundly for the better?

What if this ability is something every person on this planet possesses, yet few use much if at all?

What if using it regularly would transform your relationship with your husband or wife?

What if doing it would make your colleagues at work not be able to do enough for you, and make the office atmosphere vibrant, productive and alive instead of lethargic, competitive, frustrated and bored?

All of this is possible, yet most people don't recognize this incredible tool or understand its power.

What all of us possess, but most of us don't use often enough, is the power of acknowledgment.

True story: www.AcknowledgmentMovie.com

Many of us have our reasons for not using it, but these are just excuses, rationalizations that hold us back from achieving powerful positive results wherever we are.

God brings us opportunities to shine our light … here is just one of the ways in which we can.

So... If you are at a place in your life where you are, or know someone who is, in a position to give back and help the schools in your community with the social emotional issues facing today's children, then NOW is the time to get on board with bringing my field tested program for Making A Difference with the Power of Acknowledgment UTrain® Program to your local schools.

By giving you my Train the Trainer overview of MDPA UTrain® Program I can help you bring the transforming impact of the "Who I am Makes a Difference" Acknowledgment Story into Your Community's classrooms THIS FALL, along with other momentum building stories / movies: The Teddy Stallard Story, The Simple Gesture and more.

The Make a Difference with the Power of Acknowledgment UTrain® Program is designed to inspire and equip educators with a revitalized educational philosophy and practical techniques that will give life to academic performance and requirements.

Each Lesson in the program comes with discussions and activities to bridge the gap between social emotional issues and their often dramatic, life-altering effects.

So ... I am offering you free training on the delivery of the program, and you can invite whoever will be delivering the program, if that's not you. In my VIRTUAL training, I will give you my BEST Exercise that gets everyone on the SAME PAGE - AND INVOLVED in delivering the program.

Plus, I will be walking you STEP-BY-STEP through exactly how to deliver this site-wide for the greatest results possible. It WILL make a self-sustaining and measurable difference to the entire school for the whole year.

MDPA UTrain® Program is specifically designed to:

==> create social connectedness
==> provide concrete support in times of need
==> teach social and emotional competence

Learn how to get Funding...
Go listen to last week's Fundraising with Corporate Sponsorship TeleCall at:
https://www.InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=43310577

Click Here to DOWNLOAD the WORKSHEETS you'll need as you listen.

Our very First school to receive the full program from donations is:

Pueblo City School District 60, Somerlid Elementary/Freed Middle
Their Kick-Off date was this fall. Congratulations to Nadine Garcia' Montoya, Literacy Coach/Specialist for stepping up to make this happen for her school.

"Wow what a fast paced year this has already been! I have been meaning to inform you of our awesome "Make a Difference" kickoff which was held on Friday, September 13. We rolled it out with Kinder-1st, 2nd-3rd, 4th-5th and 6th, 7th and 8th assemblies. The students and staff loved the messages! It is so amazing to see blue wristbands throughout the building! Please call anytime so that I may share more with you! Sincerest thanks to you and your program!" -Nadine Garcia' Montoya

CLICK HERE to listen to what Nadine had to say about how straightforward and flexible Make a Difference with the Power of Acknowledgment UTrain® Program was to deliver, to get teachers K-8 on board with and the community it has created with the students.

Here are just a few of the schools who are NEXT IN LINE waiting and ready to commit to doing the entire program THIS FALL ...with your help:

Parkview Elementary, Wyoming, MI
Warren E. Bow Elementary / Middle School, Detroit, MI
St. Stephen Elementary School, St, Stephen, SC
Bosco Home, Jhajjar District Headquarters, Northern India

Applications are coming in every day. Thank you in advance for your help.

Reaching out ...

Mary Robinson Reynolds
Author & Founder, Heart Productions & Publishing
MakeADifference.com/Acknowledge
UTrain® Program for Business, Churches, Organizations and Schools

PS ... Persistently Low Performing Schools Apply HERE.

Heart Productions & Publishing, Greater Boston Area, 800-639-8191