The U.S. Marine Corps assigns every Marine to one of four color-coded stress zones — green, yellow, orange or red — and the system exists to catch what it calls a "mental injury"

The U.S. Marine Corps fosters an environment that provides physical fitness training, elite morale, unit cohesion, valuable friendship and camaraderie, and a high level of selfless service and individual bravery. But the Marine Corps is not for the faint of heart. There is a high operational tempo and long deployments in geographic areas where the quality of life may not be optimal. The incidence of chronic stress is a concern among all facets of the Marine Corps. There are many hard challenges to address. The physical dimensions of service as a Marine are challenging, but the even more difficult emotional and psychological aspects of being a Marine are important to consider as well. There are times of mental duress after long periods of combat. Intellectual burnout is possible. Marines can have trouble sleeping and may even have difficulty maintaining a healthy pulse rate and optimal breathing. Thankfully, installations have the Marine Corps Family Team Building program. This allows Marines and their dependents to sign up for classes such as Basic Stress Management, Conflict Management, Attitude and Actions, Family Care Plan, Basic Anger Management, and Real Relationships. There is also the Combat and Operational Stress Control (COSC) and Operational Stress Control and Readiness (OSCAR) programs. COSC allows noncommissioned officers and unit leaders to recognize situations in which Marines are experiencing long-term stress and need assistance. Marines are encouraged to get plenty of rest and quality sleep, engage in physical fitness during downtime, and seek mentorship from more experienced Marines. The OSCAR program embeds mental health specialists with units to help Marines seek help with negative emotional and mental conditions before they become a serious matter that would need more psychological inpatient care. The Marine Corps also provides personnel and their families with a handbook on stress management. This is focused on unit leaders, to help them make the kinds of decisions and take the actions that can help a Marine deal with long periods of mental strain and emotional demands. “You, as leaders, are the key. It is important that each leader in our Corps learn to better recognize and manage combat and operational stress. Talk about it with your Marines. Set the example on how to deal with it. Let your Marines know that it’s okay to get help so that they can get back in the fight. Then help them to do so,” according to former Commandant of the Marine Corps General James F. Amos. There is stress from military life, such as physical moves to different locations, separation from friends and extended family, concerns about safety, and the need to handle personal affairs. Then there is stress from the job’s operational requirements. This can change physical or mental behavior. Stress from combat can lead to PTSD, substance abuse, and other maladies. Each Marine is assigned a “Zone” that denotes how well they are reacting to stress. The Green Zone Marine is coping well with stress and has no emotional or psychological symptoms. Marines in the Green Zone execute their jobs to the best of their ability and are physically fit and alert. They sleep well and have a strong sense of responsibility and morality. Yellow Zone Marines are reacting less well to stress. They feel anxious or fearful, sad, or angry. They worry, cut corners on the job, are short-tempered and mean, and act irritable and grouchy, the handbook explains. Orange Zone Marines are mentally “injured.” These Marines have “more severe and persistent forms of distress or loss of function, signaling some kind of damage to the mind, brain, or spirit,” according to the Marine Corps stress handbook. Red Zone Marines have illnesses that are clinical and chronic mental disorders that can only be addressed by mental health professionals. This is usually diagnosed as PTSD, but there could also be long-term depression and high anxiety that does not allow the Marine to function at their job or to take care of their families. Some Marines are on continuous alert and have conducted numerous combat deployments or intense training that create situations in which they cannot relax. The Marine Corps recommends that its personnel get enough sleep and contact health providers if they experience insomnia or nightmares. A good night’s sleep can reset the brain to allow the Marine to deal with life’s ups and downs. To help mental health and well-being, the Marine Corps recommends a high level of social activities and active recreation that does not include alcohol or drugs. This can be anything from visiting family and friends to taking art lessons. The Corps also recommends quiet relaxation, such as taking a sauna after a long gym workout or spending time with a dog or cat. Marine Corps leadership also recommends keeping a personal journal or diary. They also believe that improving interpersonal relationships and personal development through goal-setting and meeting objectives demonstrates that the Marine is succeeding in life. The Marine Corps seems to understand the challenges its personnel face. The different zones of Marine mental health are valuable to officers and noncommissioned officers for identifying emotional troubles in a classification program. This helps ensure each Marine has a chance to seek mental healthcare when needed. Marines are also given various approaches to improve sleep and other physical requirements for mental health. Marines are encouraged to improve their work-life balance through social activities that reduce stress. This handbook, if followed by all Marines, outlines how each person in the Corps can manage stress and thrive in combat and in peace. Identification of mental health problems early on is critical. And the individual Marine has a support network that can help them succeed despite mental health challenges. Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.