Saluting our Heroes: Breaking the Stigma

FORT GORDON, Ga. (WFXG) -  Being Army Strong is more about physical strength, it’s also about mental health. SFC Bennie Durham hopes to break the stigma and be a helping hand.

"I want to get out there and let them know that I’m here not just with a card, but also like physically we’re here to help you and be beside you.” said Sergeant First Class Bennie Durham, US Army Cyber Command. 

For 15 years, SFC Bennie Durham has worked in the Army’s behavioral health field. Today, you can find him in the Cyber Command. So far, he's worked in this role about 5-6 months.

"We do a lot of consultation with command teams as well as coaching and mentoring soldiers around Fort Gordon...It’s important to let our soldiers, our family members know that there’s people out there that care that have the credentials to help them regardless of stigmas that are sometimes out there when it comes to behavioral health; We all deal with mental health challenges on a daily basis.” said SFC Durham.

He calls it rewarding to help someone get to where they need to be.

"I love helping people. I love helping people, I love healthcare, I love the military, I love the country. So, this is just doing my small part in that.” said SFC Durham.

He also wants people to feel more at ease about asking for help.

"I hope they leave feeling more empowered, stronger and ultimately just a better warrior in general.” said SFC Durham.

Ultimately, he wishes to build upon existing programs and reach as many people as possible.

"I would like to do more outreach and definitely more what I like to call walkabouts, getting out there and physically interacting with the soldiers, interacting with the leadership that’s out there.” said SFC Durham.