USS Harry S. Truman launches Green Ribbon Program to strengthen Sailor support network
The program trains volunteer Sailors to serve as visible, approachable points of support across the command. Green Ribbon representatives and team leads will receive training in suicide prevention, stress management, self-care, peer support and recognizing warning signs. Program members will also wear a Green Ribbon patch identifying them as trained peer supporters.
“As a Green Ribbon representative or team lead, Sailors will wear a patch that tells the crew two things: this person is trained in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, and this person volunteered because they want to help,” said Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Drayton, Truman’s chaplain. “The patch is meant to give Sailors confidence that they are approaching someone who is trained, willing to listen and ready to connect them with the right support.”
The program is built around the idea that Sailors are often the first to notice when a shipmate is struggling. By creating a trained, visible network throughout the ship, Truman aims to make it easier for Sailors to start conversations, seek help early and connect one another with appropriate resources.
“This program is a safeguard for the crew, but it works because it is Sailors helping Sailors,” Drayton said. “A shipmate may notice a change before anyone else does. The Green Ribbon Program gives our Sailors a practical way to care for each other, communicate earlier and become better teammates.”
Truman is preparing for its upcoming Refueling and Complex Overhaul, a major shipyard period that will bring significant changes to the ship’s operating environment and daily routine. Command leaders emphasized that maintaining strong peer connections during that transition will be essential to the crew’s readiness and well-being.
“This is both needed and strategic, because people need people,” Drayton said. “The Green Ribbon Program helps us turn care into action. It strengthens the crew by building a healthier, safer and more connected community.”
Through the Green Ribbon Program, trained representatives and team leads will help strengthen the ship’s support network by making care more visible, more approachable and easier to access at the deckplate level. The program gives Sailors another trusted place to turn, while reinforcing the responsibility every Sailor has to know their shipmates, recognize when something is wrong and help connect them to support before challenges become crises.
Truman is in port at Naval Station Norfolk preparing for its Refueling and Complex Overhaul, a once-in-a-lifetime modernization period that will extend the carrier’s operational life and enhance its ability to meet future fleet requirements.
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