Service members facing behavioral health challenges should feel
comfortable asking for help, Defense Department leaders said this month.
Speaking during Suicide Prevention Month, senior leaders attending the
134th National Guard Association of the United States General Conference
urged a continued emphasis on a culture in which it is OK to seek help.Read More

The Army’s Master Fitness Training Course, discontinued in 2001, will
soon be back. The pilot course for the new Master Fitness Training
Course, or MFTC, which began Aug. 27, is underway at Fort Jackson, S.C.,
and the class of about 30 Soldiers will graduate Sept. 21.
Read More

The Honorable Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for
Installations, Energy and Environment, visited Stuttgart Sept. 7 as part
of a Europe-wide trip to learn about energy and cost-saving initiatives
across the theater.

During her visit, she took the opportunity
to speak to U.S. Army Africa Command staff and went on a walking tour of
Kelley Barracks with the U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart director of
Public Works. Read More

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, know that you are not alone.
Experiencing
a traumatic event is common among service members who deploy to hostile
environments around the globe. Everyone reacts to traumatic experiences
differently, and some service members may face emotional or
psychological challenges such as feelings of anger, isolation, anxiety
or guilt following the event or when they return home. These reactions,
among others, can be common responses to extraordinary events.Read More

As a military community, we are continuously reminded of the threat of a
terrorist attack — on television, on the radio, in newspapers and on
the web.
We hear, see and read public service announcements about
the need to remain vigilant almost every day, and every year, we —
service members, civilians, contractors, even dependents 14 years of age
and older — are required to take Antiterrorism Awareness training. Read More

Since the release of the Department of Defense July 2012 suicide report,
stories on suicide have been published almost daily. In the July 23
edition of Time Magazine, the article “The War on Suicide” said no
program, outreach or initiative has worked in reducing the upsurge in
Army suicides; Soldiers aren’t seeking care due to the stigma associated
with mental illness, and no one knows why nothing works. Read More

More than 60 local agencies and private organizations set up information tables inside the Exchange Shopping Mall during the USAG Stuttgart Community Activities, Registration and Education Fair Aug. 18. The annual fair offered newcomers the opportunity to learn about programs, services and organizations in one location.Read More

After serving the Mannheim, Heidelberg and Stuttgart military
communities for almost 20 years from Hammonds Barracks in Seckenheim,
then Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, the American Forces Network
Heidelberg station is scheduled to move to Robinson Barracks in
Stuttgart next year.Read More

Some people may think that a terrorist attack can’t occur in Stuttgart,
but terrorism remains a threat everywhere, even here. In 2007, the U.S.
intelligence interception of suspicious communications between Pakistan
and Stuttgart led to the arrest of three suspected Muslim militants
accused of plotting massive car bomb attacks against Americans. Read More