Sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) attended operational stress control (OSC) training which detailed policy, guidelines, procedures and responsibilities for stress management, April 24-28. As part of the Navy's 21st Century Sailor Office's Suicide Prevention Branch, the OSC program trains leaders to identify the sources and signs of stress, as well as the roles and actions leaders can take to help Sailors recover from stress injuries and strengthen Sailor resilience. "Leaders are expected to take care of their people," said Lt. Miguel Magsaysay Alampay, psychiatrist for Expeditionary Strike Group 7. "How senior leaders handle stress both sets an example for future leaders and is less likely to be pointed out by those below them." This training is important because stressful experiences can shape the kind of leaders Sailors will become, added Alampay. While Bonhomme Richard and the Navy as a whole have many resources to help Sailors cope with stress issues and heal from stress injuries, the engagement of knowledgeable leadership is expected to be the first response to stress-related problems. "When leaders, all leaders, of a command talk about what they see as stress-related issues and how course tools could be applied in their commands, OSC becomes more than a concept. It becomes a way of doing business every day," said Cmdr. Curtis Price, Bonhomme Richard's command chaplain. "Upon completion of a course, Sailors will return to their commands with the ability to identify stress issues early, both in themselves and in others, and have an understanding of their roles as leaders in preparing shipmates and families for the inevitable stressors of Navy life, especially deployment." More information about OSC background, policy, training and resources can be found on the Navy Personnel Command 21st Century Sailor webpage at http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/support/21st_Century_Sailor/suicide_prevention/command/Pages/Instructions.aspx For more information about Bonhomme Richard, visit our Facebook page at http://www.Facebook.com/ussbhr, or find us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LHD6BHR.