38 suspected suicides in July may mark grim record for Army

I don't know what to say anymore. I don't know how to comfort the families anymore. How to tell them I still believe the DOD is doing everything possible to give these men and women hope that after they survived combat, their lives would not be worse than combat. What do I tell them?

What do I say? How do I comfort a Mom blaming herself because her son took his own life after surviving multiple deployments?

How to you comfort a young wife looking at an empty pillow every night and thinking about the fact her husband wanted to die instead of be with her?

I can tell them all the logical explanations possible and even get them from one day to another, but when all is said, someone they loved is still dead and they are blaming themselves.

38 suspected suicides in July may mark grim record for Army
By JENNIFER HLAD
Stars and Stripes
Published: August 16, 2012

WASHINGTON — In July, 38 soldiers, including 26 active-duty soldiers, are believed to have killed themselves, the Army said Thursday, setting what appears to be a grim record as the military struggles to address increasing numbers of suicides.

The number is the highest monthly number since the Army began keeping detailed records in 2009, and a significant jump from the 24 potential suicides in June. So far this year, 187 soldiers, 116 of them active duty, are believed to have died by suicide.

The Army had 283 confirmed suicides in 2011.
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