OSCAR Team
OSCAR is a Marine Corps program built around a simple idea: Marines take care of Marines.
The Operational Stress Control and Readiness (OSCAR) program helps Marines recognize, manage, and respond to stress before it becomes something bigger. OSCAR teams combine specially trained Marines with medical personnel, chaplain, and mental health professionals to help identify stress, provide peer support, and connect Marines with the right resources.
It isn't just about deployment.
It can be about the Marine who's suddenly not sleeping.
The Marine who's having a hard time adjusting.
The Marine who's dealing with problems at home.
The Marine who's drinking more than usual.
The Marine who's gone quiet.
Or the Marine who's simply thinking, "I don't know what the hell is going on with me."
You don't have to wait until you're in crisis.
WHAT DOES OSCAR ACTUALLY DO?
OSCAR focuses on preventing, identifying, and managing stress and stress reactions.
Depending on your unit and situation, OSCAR Can help with:
- Operational and everyday stress
- Stress rections
- Deployment related challenges
- Adjustment problems
- Building resilience
- Recognizing when another Marine may be struggling
- Peer support
- Connecting Marines with professional resources
- Reducing the stigma around asking for help
- Getting Marines connected with the appropiate medical, behavioral health, or chaplain resources.
Think of OSCAR as part of the network that helps Marines stay connected before a problem becomes a crisis.
WHO IS OSCAR FOR?
Marines.
Not just Marines who have been deployed.
Not just Marines who are having a mental health crisis.
Not just Marines who think they "need therapy."
OSCAR is designed around peer connection and early intervention. The Marine Corps describes the program as being "for Marines, by Marines."
Marine Corps Manpower Information System
Sometimes the first person you talk to doesn't need to be a therapist.
Sometimes you just need another Marine who knows what you're talking about.
WHAT IS AN OSCAR MARINE?
An OSCAR Marine is a Marine who receives specialized training to help support the OSCAR program within their unit.
OSCAR personnel can serve different roles, including peer support and mentoring functions, while working alongside medical and mental health professionals.
The important part:
You're not expected to be someone's therapist.
Your job is to recognize when something isn't right, provide appropriate peer support, and help connect your fellow Marine with the right resources.
The Marine Corps' OSCAR training specifically includes skills for recognizing stress reactions and making appropriate referrals.
HOW DO I FIND OSCAR?
This is where it gets important:
OSCAR is organized at the unit level, so your exact point of contact can vary by command or installation.
Start here:
- Ask your chain of command
Ask your:
NCO/Leadership.
You can simply say:
"Who is our OSCAR representative?"
You don't need to give them your entire life story just to find out who the OSCAR contact is.
- Ask your unit Corpsman
Your corpsman may be able to connect you with the appropriate OSCAR or behavioral health resources.
- Contact your unit Chaplain
If you want to talk to someone about personal, family, relationship, spiritual, or life issues, the chaplain is another place to start.
- Go through your installation's behavioral health resources
Your installation's medical treatment facility and Marine Corps Community Services resources can help direct you to the appropriate professional support.
- Ask your OSCAR coordinator
Some units have designated OSCAR personnel who coordinate training, peer support, and connections to the broader OSCAR team.
Don't know who yours is? Ask.
WANT TO BECOME PART OF OSCAR?
You don't have to be the loudest Marine in the platoon.
You don't have to have all the answers.
And you definitely don't have to be a mental health professional.
OSCAR relies on trained Marines who can recognize when another may be struggling, provide peer support, and help connect them with the right resources.
Training and roles are established through the Marine Corps OSCAR program, and current Marine Corps guidance includes OSCAR training, facilitator, master trainers, and unit level implementation. MARFORCOM
Interested?
Start with your:
NCO or Leadership
and ask:
"How can I become part of our OSCAR team?"
Your unit can tell you the current training and selection process.
ONE MARINE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE
You might be the person who notices.
The Marine who stopped showing up.
The friend who suddenly stopped talking.
The guy who isn't sleeping.
The person who jokes about everything but doesn't seem like himself anymore.
You don't have to diagnose him.
You don't have to fix him.
You just have to notice.
Asking for help isn't weakness.
It's taking care of the Marine next to you.
THE DEVIL DOG POST
Know your resources. Know your Marines.
This page is for informational purposes and is not an official Department of Defense or U.S. Marine Corps publication. Policies, personnel, and local resources can change. Verify current information with your command or installation.