Fighting for soldier's lives

Fighting for soldier's lives
BJ Allen
Issue date: 11/17/08

Addressing the affects of war on all involved, Avila University hosted, "The War Within: An Exhibit Revealing the Veteran Suicide Epidemic and the Hidden Wounds of War" last Tuesday.

Key speakers at the forum included Army Infantry Sergeant Michael Pruitt, Army combat medic from 1992-2000 Amanda Cherry-Haus and Marine veteran Valarie Fletcher, but the floor was open for all to engage in the conversation.

The conversation centered around the affects of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars on veterans, the suicide epidemic that has ensued and how to provide medical care to veterans.

"The suicides and psychiatric mortality of this war (Iraq and Afghanistan) could trump the combat deaths," Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), said.

As of Nov. 13, 2008, the total number of soldiers lost to the war in Iraq was 4,196 and in Afghanistan, 555.

These numbers do not include the suicides of soldiers after returning home.

In 2007, there were a total of 2,100 attempts of suicide by active duty soldiers compared to 350 suicide attempts by the enlisted in 2002.

"The scope of the problem (the increasing suicide rate) is scary when you think about it," Vietnam veteran and retired police officer Nikk Thompson said.

Thompson, an MS Crisis Team Coordinator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, talked about a comrade he had spoken with on the phone upon his return from Vietnam. The comrade was distraught after returning from war and committed suicide shortly after their conversation.
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