Marine Mom pleads for respect for families like her's after suicide

There are almost 500 families from last year alone with the same pain this Mom of a Marine had.

Military suicide victims deserve respect
I am a Gold Star mother. For those of you who do not know what that is, a Gold Star mother has a child who died in combat. There are many Gold Star mothers in the Lehigh Valley. Many of their children's names are engraved on military monuments, except for those who committed suicide. That means my son.

I am very upset that he gave his life to protect the USA and that this is how he is being treated. There have been more deaths among soldiers and Marines from suicide in the last year than fatalities in battle zones. What makes one death different from the other? My son did things and saw things that he should not have seen. He was buried with military honors. He deserves to be honored and acknowledged that his sacrifices stood for something. Marine Sgt. Christopher Scott Thomas was born Aug. 12, 1986, and died Dec. 15, 2008. How would you like to read your 22-year-old son's name instead of my son's name in that sentence?

Lynda Gehris
Springfield Township

Take a look at the numbers for last year for the Army, Army National Guards and Army Reserves.

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.

When the news reports came out, the National Guards and Reservists were not in the total of the numbers they released but I can assure you, the families included them.

Military Suicides Hit Record
During 2012, there also were 60 suicides among active-duty members of the Navy, 59 in the Air Force and 48 in the Marine Corps. Throughout the U.S. military, suicides increased by nearly 16 percent from 2011 to 2012, figures show. The Department of Defense has been issuing annual reports that track suicides since 2008, said spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith.