US military still struggles with high suicide rate

The military spends a fortune on buying weapons so that more troops can come back home. They spend millions on discovering the latest ways to save the lives of troops blown up by IEDs to the point where the survival rate is, thankfully, astronomically high. They also spend millions a year on what does not work.

If they purchased equipment that failed, they would find a new contractor and buy different equipment from them. When they end up paying for programs to address the stresses the troops face on an emotional level, discover they are not working, you'd think they'd be smart enough to stop using them and find something that does work. Ten years after troops were sent into Afghanistan and almost 40 years after the last troops were killed in Vietnam, you'd think they would have defeated this enemy.

US military still struggles with high suicide rate
By Charley Keyes CNN Senior National Security Producer
November 19, 2011
WASHINGTON — New statistics released by the U.S. Army on Friday show that despite years of studies, programs and high-level attention, suicide continues to plague the military.

So far in 2011, the Army has recorded 246 cases of confirmed or potential suicides among active duty and reserve soldiers. That number appears to be below the 2010 level of 305 for the full 12 months, but above the second-highest year — 2009, which had 242 suicides. The Army reported 17 potential suicides among active duty soldiers last month, 16 of which remain under investigation.

Also in October, 12 potential suicides were recorded among reserve soldiers, not on active duty.
The U.S. Marines have recorded 28 confirmed suicides and 163 attempted suicides this year through October. Current numbers were not available for the U.S. Navy, Air Force and National Guard.
read more here

Every month I keep hoping the numbers go down enough so that there is progress being made on saving their lives. Every report I read about another suicide, I remember the days when I had to worry about my husband not coming home or getting up in the morning. I think of his nephew who took his own life because of PTSD. Then I think of the 27 years I've been married living on the other side of the darkness of PTSD, our friends with even longer marriages, and I can very, very sad. I want all of them to have better chances than wives like me had.

Back when Vietnam veterans came home there wasn't any support. The Internet wasn't in every home. Self help books were not filling the shelves and the only books you'd find on the military were history books. We didn't have much more than our parents had when troops came home from Korea, WWII and grandparents came home from WWI.

So what is it that the military has still failed to learn about the men and women serving today, risking their lives or what it takes to be within them from the start to be able to do it? They have failed to see into their souls.

After almost 30 years of researching PTSD the obvious answer is addressing the spiritual healing of the men and women sent into the hell of combat. Taking care of the whole person is vital. Their bodies need to learn how to relax again and in need of proper nutrition. Their minds usually need medication to level off the chemicals in their brains but not used as the only treatment. Medications are supposed to help therapy and not be the end of it yet we see them heavily medicated, usually redeployed with pills and no therapy. All the failures feed PTSD and PTSD wins. Unless the DOD uses what does work, which is addressing the spirituality of combat forces, they will continue to see suicides go up.

The Greeks use the word "trauma" for wound.

Origin of TRAUMA

Greek traumat-, trauma wound, alteration of trōma; akin to Greek titrōskein to wound, tetrainein to pierce — more at throw
First Known Use: circa 1693

Definition of TRAUMA

1
a : an injury (as a wound) to living tissue caused by an extrinsic agent
b : a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury
c : an emotional upset
2
: an agent, force, or mechanism that causes trauma

PTSD is caused by an outside force and not originating from within. After it strikes, people walk away either believing their lives were spared by divine intervention or was sent to them as punishment from God. Even the survivors believing they were saved can end up with survival guilt so they are not free of it either. This happens to everyone after a traumatic event but all at different levels. Some will say they got over it but you can see it in their expressions when they talk about it, even many years later, their claims of being over it are not the whole truth. There is no cure for life changing events but there is healing and most of the time the healing can make them stronger and even better than they were before.

This requires healing their souls. Ignoring that part of a person is deadly and that is why we see so many suicides after combat. This isn't about one religion over another, one branch of Christianity over another but it is about the connection between the person and God. If they believe God has abandoned them or worse, judged them and is punishing them, then that has to be addressed. Most of the time they discover that the only one judging them is them.

If they believe they are guilty of something while their families and friends are yelling at them or blaming them, then that feeds into the negative beliefs already there.

First heal the soul of veteran of combat and then help the families to know what it is. Then you heal them enough to save them. Otherwise the numbers will keep going in the wrong direction.