One service member commits suicide every two days, attempts every two hours

Think about this,

"One service member commits suicide every two days, and one service member attempts every two hours"

My husband's nephew should have been thinking about his 60th birthday this year, but he didn't make it for his 50th. He committed suicide. He was as much of a casualty of Vietnam as anyone. Both of these blood relatives entered into service right out of high school and served the same years at the same age. My husband's sister was a lot older than him so uncle and nephew grew up together. They suffered for doing it together and carried the burden of PTSD.

I remember when we got the phone call that his body was found in a local motel room back home in Massachusetts. He locked up the room and injected enough heroin to kill ten men. While some saw his death as just a "drug addict" gone, they didn't know anything about him. According to the military, his unit never existed and that's the news that ended up killing him. He had finally received his disability from the VA and was getting his life back together, so he wanted to finally read his records to refresh his memory and make peace with the past. He knew what caused his PTSD. He blames himself for two of his friends being blown up right in front of his eyes. He stopped to tie his boot and they walked up ahead of him and were blown up. He knew if he didn't stop to tie his boot, he would have died with them. When the military reply came it was more than he could take.

I've read too many reports after that horrible day and more than enough to have learned that none of these deaths need to happen. The picture below says military suicides are 100% preventable and that is the truth but that is also the saddest part of all. We can't stop bullets and bombs from killing them but we can stop their own hands from doing it.

The years and wars are different but the truth is, the basic design of "man" has not changed any more than the results of wars have changed. Wars kill humans and human eyes see it but their souls feel it. After 40 years of researching PTSD experts should have learned enough by now to be able to come up with the right message to remove the stigma, diagnose early, treat early and prevent these combat causalities from happening. After all these years why are we still reading these kind of statistics? As bad as they seem, they are in reality higher. The VA keeps their own figures at 18 veterans a day committing suicide on top of what you'll read below. Even putting these numbers together, you still won't know how many more because if they have been discharged from the military, they are no longer counted by them and if they are not in the VA system, they are not counted by them either. There are many more we'll never really know about just like my husband's nephew.

9/14/2011 By Photo Illustration By Lance Cpl. Michelle S. Mattei
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

As of August 2011, there have been 23 reported suicides, and 125 reported attempts in the Marine Corps, according to the Marine Corps Family Program Suicide Prevention Program, compared to 52 total suspected suicides in 2009, and 37 in 2010.

Pendleton recognizes Suicide Awarenes Month

9/14/2011 By Scout Staff
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — One service member commits suicide every two days, and one service member attempts every two hours, according to Camp Pendleton, Calif. Proclamation 2011 Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

This proclamation also states that suicide is the second leading cause of death among both Marines and sailors, and the tenth leading cause of death in California.

The statistics are shocking, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research has shown that through education and public awareness, suicide can be prevented.

The U.S. military recognizes September as Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month to increase awareness of the warning signs and how to help someone experiencing a crisis.

As of August 2011, there have been 23 reported suicides, and 125 reported attempts in the Marine Corps, according to the Marine Corps Family Program Suicide Prevention Program, compared to 52 total suspected suicides in 2009, and 37 in 2010.
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