Saginaw County first responders and officials take part in military culture training

Four sessions filled with those in the criminal justice system of Saginaw County were sitting, listening and learning to grasp a better understanding of military culture.

Led by SCCMHA Veteran and Military Family Navigator Matthew Clark, the intention of the Basic Military Culture Competency Training was to teach those in attendance about military life and how to interact with veterans in the community.

“Military life is very much its own culture,” Clark said. “It’s helpful for those in the county to acclimate to that culture to reduce challenges for veterans who may have difficulty asking for help.”

The sessions were attended by law enforcement officials from Saginaw City Police, Saginaw Township Police, Saginaw County Sheriff’s Department, Michigan State Police, some judges and employees in the prosecutor’s office of Saginaw County, among others.

“It was helpful when I had some veterans in the sessions who could provide context and anecdotes in their own viewpoints to what I was saying,” Clark said. “Being able to have that context helped them, but also helped reinforced the information with their colleagues.” 

The idea to conduct this training came from meetings between Clark and SCCMHA Mental Health Supervisor Nancy Johnson in their meetings with law enforcement to discuss Clark’s position and the programs he helps provide. Upon learning about the training, law enforcement took an interest in taking part in the sessions.

“There’s definitely a need for people to learn more about military culture,” Clark said. “It helps for people to have a basic baseline of that knowledge, so they know how to interact with veterans and break down more barriers for them.”