“Vivere est Vincere”
>>Resilience Is The Key<<
“Vivere est vincere” – To live is to conquer. By recognizing the unique challenges faced by our Special Operations warriors, Resilience Creed is dedicated to fostering resilience, unwavering commitment, and the development of mental fortitude that strengthens the resolve to live.
“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” – Dylan Thomas
Suicide Quick Reaction Force
The SQRF Mission
Suicide is a horrible tragedy! It is also one that dissproprotionately impacts the special operations community. The Suicide Quick Reaction Force (SQRF) was created to try a different tactic in attempting to prevent more tragedies.
Our mission is to shift your perspective from removing temptation to refusing to give into temptation.
Our objective is to ensure we all uphold the values that have defined our service: honor, integrity, dedication, and resilience. We are here to remind each other that giving up is not an option. Together, we will face the challenges, adapt, and overcome.
Suicide Quick Reaction Force
The SQRF Principals
Principle #1: Quitting isn’t an option.
To think about quitting is human. The temptation to ring that bell is powerful. Only the strongest and most elite resist its siren call and are entrusted with the greatest responsibilities and honor. How did you achieve that responsibility and honor when most others failed? You didn’t quit. You never quit. While enduring levels of pain that would take most people to their knees, you endured. While exhausted, hungry, and under immense stress – you didn’t take the easy path. You endured what few others could – and you did so for the mission and all those whose lives depended on you. You are not a quitter!
Principle #2: Shift from eliminating to overcoming.
As Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Ideally, no one would have suicidal temptations. Sometimes, that’s just not feasible. Yes, through good mental health therapy, it can be possible to eliminate such thoughts altogether. While you work towards that, however, it’s critical that you shift your mindset from “eliminating” those temptations to “overcoming” them, just as you overcame other temptations and fears in the past. You didn’t learn not to be afraid…you learned not to give into those fears. You overcome all temptations!
Principle #3: Do no harm
To harm yourself is to harm your brothers. To commit suicide is to dishonor those who gave their lives to save yours. To kill yourself is to become the destroyer of your brothers and loved ones. The havoc, pain, and sorrow bestowed on those left behind is life-altering and devastating. To think “they would be better off without me” is horribly wrong. You are loved, whether you know it or not. You are needed, whether you believe it or not. You’ve dedicated your life to defending and protecting those who can’t defend themselves. Pulling your own pin just takes you out of the fight, abandoning your team and leaving them to carry on to complete the mission alone – crippled by your shrapnel. You will not be the grenade!
