General "foresees" end to rise in Army suicides?

WOW what a day this has been. If you've been tracking this post, your head must be throbbing. Different sources had different totals and it dawned on me that if reporters don't know what the total is, then how can we know? Ok, so now that I think I have all of this worked out it looks as if yet again, National Guards and Reservists were left off.

Associated Press reporter Robert Burns did not do this report justice simply because he did not ask the one question that has not been answered yet. WHAT ARE THEY DOING ABOUT IT?

Austin is scheduled to take over at Central Command's headquarters in Tampa, Fla., this month.

They have been saying everything and anything when reporters interview them but not once have they said what they learned and what they are changing. None of what General Austin said is new. Nothing. Hundreds of millions have been "invested" in this but when the results have been more suicides, they fail to end what has not worked in over 5 years. Resilience Training is the biggest part of the rise in suicides. When will they open their eyes? When will reporters finally do their jobs and actually ask for accountability?

General Foresees End to Rise in Army Suicides
Mar 07, 2013
Associated Press
by Robert Burns

WASHINGTON - Army suicides are still increasing, but the four-star general who has been at the forefront of seeking solutions, Lloyd J. Austin III, says he thinks a turnaround is in sight.

"The trends are not going in the direction that we want them to go - they haven't been for some time," Austin told The Associated Press in his last interview as the Army's vice chief of staff. He nonetheless spoke optimistically of "doing the right things to begin to turn this around," despite the suicide rate worsening during his 13-month watch.

Austin was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday to succeed Marine Gen. James Mattis as commander of Central Command, in charge of U.S. military operations in the greater Middle East, including Afghanistan.

Last year the Army, and the military as a whole, suffered the highest number of suicides ever recorded, prompting then-Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to declare it an epidemic.

The Army had 183 suicides among active-duty soldiers, up from 167 in 2011, and the military as a whole had 350, up from 301 the year before. This year began on an even worse note, with the Army reporting 19 suicides among active-duty soldiers in January, up from 16 the previous January, in addition to 14 among those in the National Guard and Reserve, up from six in January 2012.

Austin, 59, who took over as the Army's No. 2 general on Jan. 31, 2012, said his background enabled him to quickly grasp the severity and complexity of the problem. He holds a master's degree in counselor education from Auburn University. Minding the day-to-day operations of the Army is Austin's responsibility as the vice chief of staff, but he also has focused on what he calls "health of the force" issues - mainly suicide and other behavioral problems that have grown in severity during the nation's long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Austin said the Army has laid the foundation for reversing the suicide trend by convincing leaders across the service that this is an Army-wide problem and that individual commanders at every level should recognize signs of trouble and ensure soldiers know they can get help without risking their careers. He said that in his monthly reviews of the suicide problem with senior Army leaders around the globe he is hearing more anecdotal evidence that timely intervention by commanders is saving lives.
read more here

Burns couldn't even get the suicide numbers right. Here they are.

Army Releases January 2013 Suicide Information
The Army released suicide data today for the month of January 2013. During January, among active-duty soldiers, there were 19 potential suicides: two have been confirmed as suicides and 17 remain under investigation.

For December 2012, the Army reported seven potential suicides among active-duty soldiers; however, subsequent to the report, another case was added bringing December’s total to eight: five have been confirmed as suicides and three are under investigation.

During January, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 14 potential suicides (six Army National Guard and eight Army Reserve): One has been confirmed and 13 are still under investigation. For December 2012, among that same group, the Army reported 15 potential suicides; since the release of that report, one case has been added for a total of 16 (11 Army National Guard and five Army Reserve): nine have been confirmed and seven cases remain under investigation.

They added two more for the 2012 total. (revised for new info)

Army Releases December 2012 and Calendar Year 2012 Suicide Information
The Army released suicide data today for the month of December and calendar year 2012. During December, among active-duty soldiers, there were seven potential suicides: three have been confirmed as suicides and four remain under investigation. For November, the Army reported 12 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers: four have been confirmed as suicides and eight remain under investigation. For 2012, there have been 182 potential active-duty suicides: 130 have been confirmed as suicides and 52 remain under investigation. Active-duty suicide number for 2011: 165 confirmed as suicides and no cases under investigation.

During December, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 15 potential suicides (10 Army National Guard and five Army Reserve): four have been confirmed as suicides and 11 remain under investigation. For November, among that same group, the Army reported 15 potential suicides (12 Army National Guard and three Army Reserve): 10 have been confirmed as suicides and five remain under investigation. For 2012, there have been 143 potential not on active-duty suicides (96 Army National Guard and 47 Army Reserve): 117 have been confirmed as suicides and 26 remain under investigation. Not on active-duty suicide numbers for 2011: 118 (82 Army National Guard and 36 Army Reserve) confirmed as suicides and no cases under investigation.

So now you have

USA Today put the total number at 349 182 Soldiers figure released did not include 96 Army National Guardsmen, 47 Army Reservists.

The Army, by far the largest of the military services, had the highest number of suicides among active-duty troops last year at 182, but the Marine Corps, whose suicide numbers had declined for two years, had the largest percentage increase — a 50 percent jump to 48. The Marines' worst year was 2009's 52 suicides.

The Air Force recorded 59 suicides, up 16 percent from the previous year, and the Navy had 60, up 15 percent.