This past September hit the 10th Mountain Division hard, with three members dying by suicide in three days.

It left the division — which has the lowest suicide rate in the Army — not only searching for answers, but asking critical questions.

“How distracted are we that we are not picking up on the issues that we have as it pertains to the situation at hand? Are we, ‘Hey, we have the lowest suicide in all the divisions?’ So maybe we had a bit of false security,” 10th Mountain Division Command Sergeant Major Mario Terenas said.

It’s a tragic reality that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand raised in a meeting with division officials, including the division’s commanding general, Gen. Milford Beagle, Jr., earlier this month.

“One of the best things General Beagle told me about is they are really training their service members to use their emotional intelligence to understand that they can prevent suicide by just being aware and being available to support fellow service members,” Gillibrand said.

However, Gillibrand knows that support must also come from Washington. She has been a supporter of a bill known as the "Brandon Act," named for Navy Officer Brandon Caserta, who died by suicide in 2018.

The bill, after being removed from the National Defense Authorization Act last year, has seen key provisions pass in this year’s version.

Its purpose is to not only provide increased services, but allow soldiers to feel comfortable reporting either their own or a colleague’s troubles and knowing that information will be kept private.

This act, Gillibrand said, is a major step.

Gillibrand added while she is happy to see the act’s provisions in the NDAA, she knows the fight against stigma and suicides is far from over.