Counselling for the Force and Neal’s Family
Neal’s wife and daughter lived on Price Barracks while the major worked out of Camp Belisario in the west as the Commander for the Echo Company within the Belize Defense Force. The trauma from his death is felt by his immediate family as well as his B.D.F. family and friends. Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Velasquez says that counselling services and support is available for those who need it.
Lt. Col. Anthony Velasquez, Chief of Staff, B.D.F.
“As we speak we are talking to them and we are providing any services that they need to get through this time of grief. So definitely he and his family are our number one concern at this moment, our number one focus. We have our counselling team that any soldier can access whenever he or she feels the need to access them. So anyone who is deeply affected by this, everyone is deeply affected by this – some people deal with it in their own way – but whoever feels the need to talk to someone they can always come to any other soldier or officer and talk to them or access our counselling services.”