Today, the Army will release a report showing that suicide rates among the Army is its highest in 28 years. It is at all time high among Marines. I had previously posted about this issue in September 2008.
Link
Army Suicides at a 28 year high
CNN
Statistics obtained by CNN show that the Army will report 128 confirmed suicides last year and an additional 15 suspected suicides in cases under investigation among active-duty soldiers and activated National Guard and reserves.
The confirmed rate of suicides was 20.2 per 100,000. Army officials were reviewing the suspected suicides Wednesday. If any of them are confirmed, the rate will rise.
Suicides for Marines were also up in 2008. Marines had 41 suicides in 2008, up from 33 in 2007 and 25 in 2006, according to a Marines report.
Marine Suicides in 2008 were are at a all time high
LA Times
Forty-one Marines are listed as possible or confirmed suicides in 2008, or 16.8 per 100,000 troops, the Marine Corps report said. Nearly all were enlisted and under 24, and about two-thirds had deployed overseas.
MSNBC
Of the 41 marines who took their own lives, seven committed suicide while deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan. Twenty-eight had been deployed the war zone at least once, and 13 had never been deployed..Suicide is now the third leading cause of deaths in the Marine Corps, with hostile actions as the main killer, and accidents as the second most prevalent cause of death.
USA Today
There were 115 suicides among U.S. soldiers in 2007, 102 in 2006, and 64 in 2004. The 2008 figure of 128 is the highest since record-keeping began in 1980 and works out to a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers. That means the suicide rate among soldiers is higher than the adjusted civilian rate for the first time since the Vietnam War, the AP reported.
Pfc. Jason Scheuerman
My San Antonio
If just "one good person" had helped him, Pfc. Jason Scheuerman might still be alive, the soldier's father told hundreds of military and civilian professionals in San Antonio at the largest suicide prevention conference ever focused on war stress.
"The only one who was ever found culpable for Jason's death was Jason," Christopher Scheuerman said as the audience saw a photo of him with his son projected onto a screen.
Scheuerman, who testified before a House Armed Services subcommittee in March, said his 20-year-old son was ridiculed by others in his unit before he shot himself in his barracks in Iraq. He called for the military to adopt a "zero-tolerance" policy against supervisors who ignore pleas for help.
Army Recruiter Suicides Prompt Investigations
Aron Andersson
NPR
Aron Andersson was diagnosed with PTSD and depression, prescribed medication, and returned to recruiting duty. His unit was advised to keep an eye on him, and six months later, he took his life.
Staff Sgt. Larry Flores
On Aug. 9, Staff Sgt. Larry Flores, an Iraq veteran, hanged himself in his garage with an extension cord. Fellow recruiters told the Houston Chronicle that a week earlier, Flores had been yelled at and threatened with firing for failing to meet the goal of two recruits each month. He was also having trouble with his wife.
Sgt. First Class Patrick Henderson
Two weeks later, Sgt. First Class Patrick Henderson, also an Iraq veteran in the same recruiting company with Flores, hanged himself in the garage behind his home. Like Aron Andersson, Henderson had earlier called his wife, Amanda, from his pickup, saying he was going to kill himself.
Josh Barber
USA Today
Josh Barber, former combat soldier, parked outside the Army hospital here one morning last August armed for war.
A cook at the dining facility, Barber sat in his truck wearing battle fatigues, earplugs and a camouflage hood on his head. He had an arsenal: seven loaded guns, nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition, knives in his pockets. On the front seat, an AK-47 had a bullet in the chamber.
The "smell of death" he experienced in Iraq continued to haunt him, his wife says. He was embittered about the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that crippled him, the Army's failure to treat it, and the strains the disorder put on his marriage.
Despite the firepower he brought with him, Barber, 31, took only one life that day. He killed himself with a shot to the head.
Why am I posting these stories? I want people to know that these servicemen and women are real people. Their families are the ones left to suffer after a serviceperson kills themselves.
How did this happen? One of the things I am noticing over and over again is that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a major factor in most of these cases.
In 2007,
"Estimates of the rate of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans returning from Iraq range from 12% to 20%. With deployment topping 1.5 million this summer, and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) having treated more than 52,000 persons."
The official 17 symptoms of PTSD can be placed into 3 broad groups.
• Reexperiencing: intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, triggered distress;
• Avoidance: isolation, withdrawal, emotional numbing, detachment, memory gaps; and
• Hyperarousal: insomnia, irritability, anger outbursts, poor concentration, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle
http://www.helpguide.org/...
What can you do? If you are suicidal or know someone who is contact your local Chaplin if you are still in the service. If you are not comfortable call VA’s Suicide Prevention Hot Line. The toll-free hot line number is 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or go to www.mentalhealth.va.gov/
Here are several links and phone numbers for current service members and veterans:
Vet Centers - www.vetcenter.va.gov
Vet Medical Centers - wwww.va.gov
Army G-1, Army Well Being Liaison Office - 1-800-833-6622
Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline - 1-800-984-8523
Emergency - 911
www.armyfamiliesonline.org - 1-800-833-6622
www.militaryonesource.com - 1-800-342-9647
National Suicide Hotline - 1-800-SUICIDE
www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org - 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Suicide is a cry for help. There are folks out there who can help. No Solider, Sailor, Airman or Marine is alone. There is no shame in asking for help. Please get help.