A Mounting Suicide Rate Prompts an Army Response

A Mounting Suicide Rate Prompts an Army Response

Read more: www.time.com...

Neither the U.S. military nor the American public would tolerate a conflict in which U.S. losses mounted for five straight years. Yet, that's what's happening in the Army's battle with suicides. The recently released figure for November show that 12 soldiers are suspected of taking their own lives, bringing to 147 the total suicides for 2009, the highest since the Army began keeping track in 1980. Last year the Army had 140 suicides.

Although Army officials don't blame the spike on repeated deployments to war zones, evidence is mounting to the contrary. Only about a third of Army suicides happen in war zones, officials note, and another third are among personnel who had never deployed. But that means two-thirds of Army suicides have deployed, many returning home with mental scars that make them prone to take their own lives, the Army's No. 2 officer said last week.

Read more: www.time.com...

What is going on over there? Why does repeated deployment to Iraq seem to cause a propensity to suicide? Eventually the truth will be known.

reply to post by whaaa


This was beginning to become a problem back when I was in the service.
In fact, at one point, I contemplated it myself and I was NEVER deployed to Iraq.

I blamed it on the whacked out drugs they had me on. Gabapentin Neurontin. Never authorized for use by the FDA it was later linked to suicide. Interesting huh?

So I'd say the truth is somewhere in between. They test drugs on soldiers as if they were guinea pigs (as if the soldiers hadn't already been through enough already... I got my drugs after two month-long visits to the hospital and ICU) and they send them to kill people for unjust reasons. In the end, the entire experience becomes very taxing on someone who feels they were only trying to do what was right for their country.

It is sad. And disgusting.
S&F

The thing that baffles me even more is the large reenlistment rate. When I was in the service almost nobody reenlisted, we hated it. My guess is that there must be some kind of hypnosis going on because it just doesn't make sense.

Originally posted by whaaa
What is going on over there? Why does repeated deployment to Iraq seem to cause a propensity to suicide? Eventually the truth will be known.

Young men and women are forced to kill people. Sometimes young children. They see death on a daily basis over there. Horrible things happen during wartime. Things that when seen cause severe mental problems.

If i was forced to kill a child or even an adult for that matter i would go crazy. Im not going to say that i would take my own life but i would seriously consider it.

I dont think it realy has anything to do with Iraq. I believe it has to do with the morals we are brought up with and seeing them shattered on a daily basis is too much for some people.

MessOnTheFED!

reply to post by factbeforefiction


I'm of the opinion that the reason so many reenlist is because they haven't saved any money and they are looking at the 20k bonus they'll get for doing so...

Just enough to go buy a new car and a bunch of booze.(of course they only get about 7 of that initially and the rest is spread out over the entirety of their contract so its really more like a 7k bonus and a pay raise.)

It is an economic trap.

I have talked to many who have been deployed, and it seems to be a perfectly horrible storm. The soldiers don't know exactly what they are fighting for, but they know it is not as represented. They are used as guinea pigs. They are expected to kill and somehow not care, but many are far too good people to not care. They know something big is going down, but they want to make sure they align with the right team. I have every faith and confidence in our service men and women. If any of you are contemplating suicide, do not. You are far too special, and anything you got mired in was not your fault. We need you, and we appreciate you.

reply to post by MessOnTheFED!


And something else that occurred to me.....

Americans glorify violence, strength, war, machismo etc. Look at our sports, our games, the shows on TV, movies; mostly very violent.

So joining the military is seen as romantic, macho, be all you can be, the few the proud, but when the awful reality of war is encountered with the dehumanization, chaos coupled with confusion as to the intent; even a moderately sensitive human being begins to question their existence and sometimes guilt and reality are just to much to bear.

What I find sad is that we seem to have billions to spend on developing new, faster, more efficient ways to kill people but precious little for the warriors when they return to society damaged, broken and insane.