Ft. Gordon taking steps to prevent suicide among soldiers

Ft. Gordon taking steps to prevent suicide among soldiers
By Ashley Campbell acampbell@nbcaugusta.com
Story Published: Sep 9, 2008 at 8:41 PM EDT

Story Updated: Sep 9, 2008 at 8:41 PM EDT

With suicide rates at an all-time high among the U.S. Military, Ft. Gordon is taking steps to keep its soldiers from becoming part of those statistics.

According to data collected by the U.S. Military in 2007, there were 117 confirmed suicides in the armed forces. That same year, 935 soldiers attempted to kill themselves.

Chaplin Mark Thompson with Ft. Gordon has created the ACE Suicide Intervention Program. It’s designed to let troops know where they can find help if they or someone they know shows signs of suicide.

Thompson said out of the 11 suicides he's dealt with, three were soldiers.

"We continue to be up-tempo, we've been asked to do more with less...all of those things increase a higher and higher stress level. So we need to be more sensitive to that," said Thompson.

Some warning signs Thompson tells his soldiers to look for in themselves and others are withdrawal, sadness, or lack of activity.

"The number one key is depression, that constantly being down; not being able to see your way out is one of the biggest factors," said Thompson.
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