From The Voice of America:
The U.S. Army said the number of soldiers who committed suicide last year has increased for a fourth straight year. Army officials said despite an increase in funding for programs to help soldiers, they are having a hard time fighting the stigma attached to seeking professional help. At least 128 soldiers committed suicide in 2008, an increase from 2007 when a total of 115 suicides were recorded among active duty and those in the Army Reserve and National Guard. Officials said the number may go even higher pending the examination of 15 additional cases that could be self-inflicted.
Highest Suicide Rate Since Vietnam War
This is the first time since the Vietnam War that the rate of suicide in the Army, about 20 deaths per 100,000 soldiers, has surpassed the civilian suicide rate.
Original story here:
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-01-30-voa59.cfm
Other news sources reporting this story point out the number of multiple deployments that these young people have endured, and the longterm effects of repeated exposure to combat and other stressors. My cousin has been deployed several times to the middle east, and the stress of these deployments have cost him a marriage and given his young children an absent father.
I also wonder about the other soldiers who return from their deployments. Are they receiving enough care and support to help them make a successful transition to civilian life? Is there really an effective way to help someone erase the horrors of combat that many of them have experienced?
I have nothing but respect and admiration for those who serve our country. Before we send these young people to fight, we, as a country, should be damn sure we are asking them to fight a battle that is truly worth fighting. That it is a real threat to our national security, or that of our allies. That it is a just war, a right war. That there is verifiable proof that the war is justified.
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It’s interesting how some names for the same thing change and get longer over time. In Civil War times the lasting effects of combat was called “soldiers’ heart.” It later became “shell shock,” “battle fatigue,” and now “post-traumatic stress disorder.”
ReplyDeleteNot to minimize the plight of your cousin and all others who are affected by combat but this is a by-product of all war. Knowing this, the military should screen and help all soldiers who are affected. Unfortunately a beaurocracy allows some to fall through the cracks.
All Presidents know before they’re elected that they may have to make a difficult decision to take the country to war. It’s interesting that Presidents who were veterans have been more judicious in the decision-making process than those that weren’t. They know that war means long deployments and casualties. I cannot fathom a President leading the country to war without considering theses consequences. Evidently you can.
You’re implying that the Iraq war was not justified and not worth fighting. I disagree. George Bush clearly spelled out many reasons for invading Iraq and removing Saddam Hussein including the mass murder of Iraqi citizens, the sponsoring of terror in Israel, the weapons of mass destruction program and the seeking of nuclear material. Iraq also threatened the oil supply of the entire region which could have harmed the world economy. This list often gets dumbed down to “War for Oil.” Because of our efforts, over 50 million people are free in Iraq and Afghanistan and we may have long-term allies instead of enemies.
There was an intense debate that many on the left must have missed. This was our first attempt at nation building in the Middle East and was a preemptive attack. After studying the issue I leaned toward supporting the war, as did the Democrat-majority Senate and the UN. I find it incredible that so many Democrats changed their opinion on the war:
http://www.reasons-for-war-with-iraq.info/