If you read about the rate of suicides and attempted suicides in the Army, you won't read the numbers from the Marines in the same piece very often and even less often are the numbers from the National Guards. If you read those numbers you won't be reminded of how many veterans are taking their own lives or trying to. What is the most disgusting part of any report I've read after all these years is this part;
"There are instances where a leader's lack of soldier accountability resulted in suicide victims not being found until they had been dead for three or four weeks," the report said. "In an organization that prides itself on never leaving a soldier behind, this sobering example speaks to the breakdown of leadership in garrison, which appears to be worsening as requirements of prolonged conflict slowly erode the essential attributes that have defined the Army for generations."
Yes, you read that right "Suicide victims not being found until they had been dead for three or four weeks" but pay attention to the other part of this. The warning that it is "worsening" even after all these years of combat. There will be 50,000 left in Iraq until next year. Some want to believe that they are out of harms way since their combat missions are essentially over but they are still at risk because of the combat they've already seen along with the bombs that still blow up in Iraq from insurgents. More troops have headed into Afghanistan and Lord only knows when they will come home for good. This warning should have everyone in the country screaming but so far, they've been oblivious unless they are a family member left behind after suicide caused another death.
Army General Chiarelli Tackles Issue of Soldier Suicide
Army Suicides in June Hit All-Time High
By JOSHUA MILLER
The number of army suicides hit an all-time high in June, with 32 servicemembers taking their own lives.
A startling 350-page U.S. Army report released last week was stark in its assessment of the growing tragedy: "Simply stated, we are often more dangerous to ourselves than the enemy."
"We have an army that's, for almost a decade, has been going very, very hard with our operational tempo," Army General Peter Chiarelli told Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview on 'This Week.' "[It has] our soldiers deployed for 12 months, home anywhere from 12 to 16 months, and back for another 12- or 15-month deployment."
Chiarelli, who commissioned the report, said there is not a direct connection between multiple deployments and increased risk of suicide. 60% of suicides are during the soldier's first term of enlistment, he told Amanpour. Even so, he emphasized that the growing strain on military leaders increased risky behavior in some soldiers and made monitoring at-risk soldiers harder.
read more here
This is why I get so angry and tired of hearing the leaders tell us they get it.
Mental Health Disorders Common in Returning Troops March 12, 2007
Researchers looked at more than 100,000 troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan treated at Veterans Affairs facilities between 2001 and 2005. They found that almost one-third suffered from a mental health problem.
September 28, 2007 the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Bill passed in the House. Three years ago. Since then the numbers have gone up.
Is anyone asking why so many have to reach that point in the first place?
Each month we read about the numbers going up in the branches of the military and we read about the suffering of so many veterans but the leaders in the military keep saying they get it, they are doing something about it but what they don't answer is why nothing they've done so far has worked.
