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Air Force to take one-day pause in operations after 78 suicides in 2019 so far

The Air Force said there have been 78 suicides so far this year, which is 28 more than this time last year.

WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The video above is from another story on Jan. 27, 2019.

78 airmen have taken their own lives in 2019 so far, leading the Air Force to have a one-day pause in operations.

This is 28 more suicides than this time last year, according to the United States Air Force.

"We lose more airmen to suicide than any other single enemy," said CMSgt. Kaleth O. Wright in a video published to the USAF Facebook page.

"If we don't do something, we could lose up to 150... 160 airmen in 2019," said CMSgt. Wright. "We can't let this keep happening."

CMSgt. Wright went on to talk about building stronger airmen and taking time to focus on airmen and their well being.

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The call for the pause in operations, or resilience tactical pause, was called on by Gen. David L. Goldfein.

"Now, this is not a one-day effort to check a box," said CMSgt. Wright. "This is the beginning of a much-needed dialogue between airmen, command teams, helping agencies and frankly our entire Air Force."

The pause in operations will be for one day over the next 45 days to allow commanders to discuss mental health and make sure their airmen are well.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide you can get help by reaching out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

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