For many, post-war life can be more deadly than combat

‘Suicide epidemic’ hits veterans
For many, post-war life can be more deadly than combat
By Peter Korn

The Portland Tribune, Aug 21, 2008, Updated Aug 21, 2008


Nobody seems surprised. Not the physicians and therapists who treat returning veterans. Not the veterans themselves.

When told of recent data that appears to show that Oregon troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are more likely to die of suicide than in combat, they nod their heads, as if saying they’ve known all along.

And they have.

“More often than not, the veterans I have spoken to all say they know somebody who has attempted suicide,” says Portland State University professor and suicide researcher Mark Kaplan.

The numbers are stark, and staggering:

• In 2005, the last year for which complete Oregon data has been compiled, 19 Oregon soldiers died in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. That same year, 153 Oregon veterans of all ages, serving in various wars, committed suicide.

• The rate of suicide among Oregon men who are veterans is more than double that of Oregon men in general — 46 suicides out of every 100,000 compared to 22 out of 100,000 — according to the Oregon Department of Human Services Center for Health Statistics.

• Nearly one in three Oregon suicides, according to Kaplan, is a veteran.

Medford resident Stacy Bannerman, whose husband, Lorin, is expecting to be deployed soon for a second tour of duty in Iraq, has become an outspoken advocate for military families. She says she has heard from more than 100 families whose veterans have attempted suicide.

“Based on what we’re seeing already, this country hasn’t seen anything yet in terms of the severity of combat trauma and veteran suicide rates,” Bannerman says.

The reasons, she says, are simple. “It’s about what happens there and how long they spend there,” she says.
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