HILL AIR FORCE BASE — Tyler Adams can look you in the face and tell you that if it weren't for some caring co-workers, he wouldn't be here today.
And then he might look down at his soda bottle as that thought rings true for him.
Just over six months ago, Adams went through a heartbreaking divorce, and things got so bad that he contemplated suicide. Work on generators in the 526th Maintenance Squadron was slow, and he had too much time to think.
The self-described social butterfly began to clam up, didn't want to talk. He called in sick a lot. When asked, he told people he was fine and walked away.
"I hated that old me," he said. "I couldn't find Tyler. I was searching, but I couldn't find him."
About the time he was in the darkest of dark places — the time he didn't care who would be hurt if he killed himself — one of his co-workers suggested Adams talk to a wellness advocate on base. With nothing to lose, Adams made a phone call.
Things began to change after his first visit.
Wellness advocates are relatively new at Hill Air Force Base. They are a team of eight people who know how to listen and how to make people feel important.
And Adams could see that the wellness advocate he talked to wasn't just out to get a paycheck. He had already gone to counselors outside of the base. But this was different.
"They really do care about you," he said.
Adams called it a relief to unburden himself, and his outlook began to change.
"My job is worth me coming to work," he said. "I do make a difference. … They saved me, man."
One visit turned into many, and Adams doesn't hesitate to recommend the wellness advocates to his fellow airmen in the squadron. He knows he can't help everybody, but he doesn't want anyone to end up like he could have.
In that, he has an ally in Brig. Gen. John Cooper, who has had eight employees — one military and seven civilians — kill themselves since 2008. The rate is well above the suicide rate in Utah.
Since 2001, there have been seven military and 24 civilian suicides among employees of the 309th Maintenance Wing, where Cooper is the commander.
And Cooper wants to help, because suicide doesn't just destroy one life; it shakes families and rattles co-workers.
Cooper knows he has employees who have financial, relationship, medical, substance-abuse or emotional problems.
And Adams can vouch for that, too.
"Morale is down," Adams said, adding that employees sometimes fight among themselves.
So Cooper holds town hall-style meetings with employees without their bosses in the room to ask them questions about how his wing can improve.
He tells them about the Employee Assistance Program, which is a clearing house for getting various kinds of help.
And Cooper wants his employees to look out for each other as wingmen because he can't do it alone, he says. There are more than 7,000 employees and 1,500 contractors who work in his wing.
Being a wingman is what Adams is doing.
And he's doing it because someone did it for him, someone who was willing to help him make a call that he couldn't make for himself.
Help is available
For civilians: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free and confidential 24/7 service available to Civil Service employees, and their immediate family members. Information is available on the Web site at www.FOH4you.com or by calling 800-222-0634.
For military: Military OneSource is available for all active-duty, Guard, Reserve (regardless of activation status) and their families. Services are provided by the Department of Defense at no cost. Information is available at www.militaryonesource.com or by calling 800-342-9647.How to get help
For civilians: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a free and confidential 24/7 service available to civil service employees and their immediate family members. Information is available on the Web site at www.FOH4you.com or by calling 800-222-0634.
For military: Military OneSource is available for all active-duty, Guard, Reserve (regardless of activation status) and their families. Services are provided by the Department of Defense at no cost. Information is available at www.militaryonesource.com or by calling 800-342-9647.
E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com