Prince Harry has been very active in military causes, especially through the Invictus Games. He has also been a mental health advocate and is working on a mental health series with Oprah for Apple TV that was supposed to be released this year.
Now Harry’s worlds are coming together in an initiative that he has been working on for years. The British military is now implementing mental health training in conjunction with the Royal Foundation’s HeadFit program. This is a huge undertaking as the initiative aims to ensure not only the physical fitness of soldiers and veterans but their mental health fitness. Below are a few details from People:
“This is an amazing step forward for the British military and furthers the global leadership of our Armed Forces,” the Duke of Sussex, 35, said. “There should be no difference between how we view our physical fitness and mental fitness — and training both will help our servicemen and women excel, as well as being best prepared for what they may face, in any situation.
“Over the years it has been an honour to work alongside the service chiefs and the Ministry of Defence on projects such as HeadFIT, and I am delighted to see such a significant step to protect and strengthen the potential and resilience of our military.
“Thanks especially to Johnny Mercer and to the teams of people who work tirelessly to protect and support our troops and their families’ health and wellbeing. Mental fitness will become a daily practice adopted by all of us as a means to unlock potential in every aspect of our lives.”
This initiative makes me so excited. As a veteran I understand that mental health is vitally important to the overall health of those currently serving and veterans, especially for those who have served in combat. I look forward to seeing how this initiative works out. I hope that Harry will work with veterans in the U.S. to have a similar program implemented, as I haven’t been able to find anything like this being provided in the U.S. Armed Forces.
When I worked at a non-profit that helped homeless veterans, the one thing that was clear was many of the veterans suffering from housing insecurity were battling mental health issues. I feel that the Veteran’s Affairs Administration hasn’t put much thought into the mental wellbeing of those coming home from wars. The V.A. does provide mental health services but it is difficult to get an appointment in a timely manner. I believe that the proactive approach of making mental health fitness a part of initial training would be better for everyone in the long-term.
I will forever love Prince Harry for using his platform to spotlight veterans and for serving ten years with two deployments in Afghanistan. Despite the tabloid lies about how Harry has abandoned the military community, for which he is suing Mail on Sunday publications, he continues to prove his dedication to military causes. I am here for whatever Harry does next. Hopefully, I’ll get to attend an Invictus Games in the future.
Photos credit: Avalon.red, WENN and Backgrid
Another impactful leap from a cause Harry has close to his heart. And this is long overdue.
Regardless of what the media, ex-military honchos, paid by the press, accuse Harry of and despite the Royal Family attempts to punish him by taking him away his ties to the military, the work continues and his commitment to the military remains.
Yes, Harry is most definitely committed to the military and have been truly consistent in his efforts to support veterans. I am appalled at the attempts by the family to undermine his commitment in this area and hopefully the military will continue to see his support for them and not fall for the ongoing propaganda by the British media.
An actual tangible impact and result from an initiative without all the ridiculous “most prestigious, landmark, unrivaled” nonsense like the others. Harry just does the work and look what he’s accomplished. When you’re doing something truly important, you don’t have to hype it up; the project will stand on its own. Well done.
Tin-foil hat theory: This announcement happened during the superspreader train trip. Is it just possible they threw that tour together because they knew the announcement was coming out and wanted to overshadow it with their tomfoolery because this is yet another example of the tangible impact of Harry’s work? Surely the RF would be aware that their Defense Department was making this huge change and announcement.
Excellent work Harry. I loved how his work on this was so under the radar and we first heard of it – what, a year ago? And now its being rolled out and its going to make a big difference I think.
Thank you for your service, Oya. Well done, Harry, and I agree that this is desperately needed in the US as well.
As the wife of a USMC veteran, the “mental health services” that the VA provides are a complete joke. So many of the Marines my husband served with are doing …not great but the stigma surrounding even trying to get help is so toxic that most don’t. And for those brave enough to try, the VA’s default is to just prescribe a brain-melting amount of medication and push you out the door. My husband had to basically annoy the VA constantly before they let him speak to an actual therapist instead of just prescribing him literally like 20 different medications to zombify the PTSD out of him.
This initiative will save lives. Harry should be so proud.
My thoughts are with your husband and his fellow veterans (and Oya!). I have PTSD but it’s milder (and came from a series of head injuries and the attendant damage, not from living through anything truly traumatizing) and it’s still terrible.
You are correct that the VA efforts are not great and very cumbersome in terms of navigating ones way through getting benefit.
Not only that, but they are punished down the road for seeking that help. My brother suffered from depression and saw an Army doctor, was prescribed antidepressants, and then when he applied for a transfer to a more elite unit he was turned down solely because of his mental health history.
Did he appeal? This is illegal and not permitted under the ADA, but require a challenge which they know most people won’t pursue.
That’s an important connection between mental health issues and housing insecurity. In my community, most of those who are homeless are people with drug addiction or mental health struggles. No doubt families find it hard to cope when one of their members suffer from mental health illness and the resources available are limited or nonexistent. The introduction of mental health training as part of the training programme is promising, but I hope that there’s also continuity and access to key services post-military. Harry is so exemplary and I’ve become such a fan from reading about him over the past three years.
I definitely feel like Hatry will do work with Veterans and armed services in the states and wouldn’t be surprised if he does something with the Department of Defense or new First Lady Dr. Biden. When he was here in the US in the past he not only attended the Warrior Games but he visited Walter Reed Hospital and did some events with Jill Biden and Michelle Obama for their Joining Forces initiative which supported veterans. He’s also been supportive of Bob Woodward’s Fischer Foundation who he did that televised spot for the other week, ans which also donates to the Invictus Foundation.
I’m really glad to see Harry sticking to his guns continuing the work he’s passionate about and not letting the palace’s petty Remembrance Day stunt and smears the last few months on his military connections deter him.
Thank you, Oya. Great job, Harry.
I’m confused by what training means here. Are they training therapists to treat the specific needs of the military community? Or training all individuals in the military in practices to maintain their mental health? Both?
It wasn’t clear but from what I’ve read they are training military personnel on how to maintain their mental health. Great questioN!
This is excellent. I work at a university and in that capacity work with students with disabilities. We have an increasing population of veterans seeking accommodations. Generally, they are reluctant at first and only identify after years of struggling to succeed on their own. We’ve had to create programs that targets this population to encourage them to seek help and only after sustained effort on our part have there been a significant increase in the military numbers. This needs to be discussed at the highest level, anyone who can bring awareness to the need for veterans mental health is doing good in my book, so good on you Harry. Veterans so need the help and are deserving of all our combined efforts to reach out and help them manage their mental health. Anyone deserves this, but especially those who have served their countries at the cost of their mental health. I really look forward to see more from Harry in the future in this area especially if he becomes involve in veterans mental health in the US.
“mental fitness” as a daily practice is something I completely agree with. I try to take time to prioritize my emotional wellness. I can’t do it everyday but I try to do it every week. It’s so important, especially with the stress of our current climate.