Those Who Pay the Price

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.