The highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years

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**sexiest_hero**

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ninety-nine U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year, the highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years of record-keeping.
Nearly a third of the soldiers who committed suicide did so while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to a report released Thursday. Iraq accounted for most of those — with 27 of the suicides coming from that conflict and three from Afghanistan. Also, there were 948 attempted suicides, officials said, adding that they didn't have a comparison for previous years.

The report said the 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers compares with 87 in 2005 and is the highest number since 102 were reported in 1991, the year of the Persian Gulf War, when there were more soldiers on active duty.

Investigations are still pending on two other deaths.

In a half million-person Army, last year's suicide toll translates to a rate of 17.3 per 100,000, the highest since the Army started counting in 1980, officials said. The rate has fluctuated over those years, with the low being 9.1 per 100,000 in 2001.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Afghanistan | Pentagon | Army | Persian Gulf War | Col. Elspeth Ritchie | Dear John | Dear Jane
Failed personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs were factors motivating the soldiers to commit suicide, according to the report. It also found a significant relationship between suicide attempts and the number of days deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan or nearby countries where troops were participating in the war effort.

There was "limited evidence" to back the suspicion that repeated deployments are putting more people at risk for suicide, the report said. With the Army stretched thin by years of fighting the two wars, the Pentagon has had to extend normal tours of duty this year to 15 months from 12 and has sent some troops back to the wars several times.

Officials found no direct link between suicide and deployments or exposure to combat except in how they affect a soldier's marriage or other close relationships, Col. Elspeth Ritchie, psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, said in a Pentagon press conference.

"Unfortunately, suicide is very often a compulsive act," she said, and the fact that soldiers are armed can make it harder to prevent.

"Very often a young soldier gets a 'Dear John' or 'Dear Jane' e-mail and then takes his weapon and shoots himself," she said.

Preliminary numbers for the first half of 2007 indicate the number of suicides could decline across the service but increase among troops serving in the wars, officials said.

The increases for 2006 came as Army officials worked to set up a number of new programs and strengthen old ones for providing mental health care to a force strained by the longer-than-expected conflict in Iraq and the global counterterrorism war entering its sixth year.

In a flurry of studies in recent months, officials found a system that might have been adequate for a peacetime military has been overwhelmed by troops coming home from war.

Some troop surveys in Iraq have shown that 20% of Army soldiers have signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress, which can cause flashbacks of traumatic combat experiences and other severe reactions. About 35% of soldiers are seeking some kind of mental health treatment a year after returning home under a program that screens returning troops for physical and mental health problems, officials have said.

The Army has sent medical teams annually to the battlefront in Iraq to survey troops, health care providers and chaplains about health, morale and other issues. It has revised training programs, bolstered suicide prevention, is adding some 25% more psychiatrists and other mental health professionals to its staff, and is in the midst of an extensive program to teach all soldiers how to recognize mental health problems in themselves and their comrades.

The Army also has been working to stem the stigma associated with getting therapy for mental problems, after officials found that troops are avoiding counseling out of fear it could harm their careers.

I remember right afterI got back home I spent the first 3 months thinking the guys that died over there were the lucky ones, Being over worked and mistreated and in some cases feeling like the bad guy instead of good, adding to the fact that things back home often go bad, crippling depression ends up being on most peoples shoulders.

**Kilkrazy**

Many civilians who oppose the war, are unable to separate condemnation of the policy, from condemnation of the troops fighting.

**ShumaGorath**

Anti insurgency warfare takes its toll in an awful way to the troops fighting. It just grinds people away. The military is at least finally beginning to recognize and treat mental trauma in service personnel though, it was something you had to hide just a few years ago.

**Ensis Ferrae**

even today, theres still the stigmata of weakness, should you, as a soldier seek mental help... they are running almost constant commercials on the TV you get in Iraq, urging soldiers to "be a hero, seek mental health"

i know that the things that i've seen out here this time 'round have forever altered the way i look at things. Naturally, some of them are purely point of view, but others come with repetitively seeing some things.

I'll let ya know how i feel in about 3 months, as im soon to be getting back to 'civilization' after 15 months in this hole.

**Phoenix**

Why is this a surprise to anyone? I mean really? War isn't fun and games. Soldiers have to be constantly vigilant. They could very well be talking to someone one moment and then trying to drag their mutilated corpses to cover the next moment after an ambush. They have to be paranoid for prolonged periods of time because if they slip up, they (or their friends) could very well end up dead. They also have to bear witness to some really gruesome and horrible things. Put anyone in those kinds of conditions for long enough and they are going to freak out in one way or another. The extended and multiple deployments they are being put though doesn't exactly help this either. Nor does the fact that while they are gone, stuff is still going on "back at home". Bills have to be paid and family, friends, and loved ones have to deal with the stress and worry of always wondering if the soldier is going to be coming home on their feet or in a box. Is it really any wonder that all this culminates in people deciding to just end it all?

**Ensis Ferrae**

the army has said, that it realizes the problems that 15 month tours cause for soldiers, so they are backing them back down to 12 month rotations. IMO, the problem isnt necessarily the length of the tour, ok 15 months is excessively long, but rather the problem is the time back "home". for the 12 months i was home inbetween my last deployment, and this current one i am on now, i was able to spend roughly 6 of that with my GF/ now wife. the rest of that 6 months was spent training to be out in iraq. really, they need to extend the length in garrison to at least 18 months, if no adjustments to training duration are made. They preach that they are all about supporting families, but they fail to put that preaching to practice, and give guys actual, decent quality time with their loved ones.

of course, this article doesnt go into details on all the accidental, non-suicides that happen shortly after tours as well. Especially where automobiles are involved. Not including alcohol, there are dozens of accidents that involve soldiers from a unit that has returned from deployment 3 months or less previously... Over here, you drive a completely different way than you do in the states, or in Europe, or other "civilized" lands, and as a result, you take a Joe, who has just spent 15 months driving a certain way, may not be used to paying attention to traffic signals, or go into extreme road rage (because we literally rule the road, Iraqis get out of the way, even if we are waving them around, telling them to pass us) when other drivers dont get out of his/her way.

Folks today who are thinking of joining the military really need to take a hard look at what they're really getting themselves into. The programs in place to help soldiers, marines, and other service members cope with sites/sounds, and general stressors from the battlefield are all well and good, but they won't be effective, so long as the soldier getting the help will just be thrown right back into it within the year.

**dienekes96**

I'd be interested in seeing how those numbers translate to police officers, teachers, firemen, lawyers, etc.

Is 17.3/100,000 particularly high, slightly high, average?

I don't know. It's a data point without comparative data.

**Ensis Ferrae**

not sure about the suicide rates among other professions, but i know that military divorce rates cause the country's overall divorce rate to jump way up.. i think we account for well over half the divorces in the nation....

some of these will, i would be naive NOT to say, lead to suicides among some soldiers.

**reds8n**

What happens to the families of the poor soldiers who do this then ?

Forgive me if I'm wrong but I believe if you are killed in action ( or is it whilst on duty ? I assume there must be some difference atwixt the two) the families get X amount of $. Does anyone know if this still happens if they commit suicide ?

Oh, and over here it's common for soldiers to have their homes provided-- assuming this is the same stateside what happens after a death ?

**Ensis Ferrae**

the Jury is out on the money side of the house, but we generally have a form of life insurance that covers death in the line of duty, but is pretty much null and void if you kill yourself purposefully.

by home, reds8n, do you mean housing?? because if thats the case, then generally speaking yes housing is provided. single soldiers all live in the barracks, up to a certain rank space permitting, and married folks either live on base, or they can be allowed to seek off-post housing, and use their housing allowance to pay for that housing...if a soldier dies in the line of duty, the family/next of kin receives the death gratuity (burial money) and life insurance, and are basically sent about their lives.

but the reference to home in this case, was more the broader sense that the US, as a country is home, and Iraq/afghanistan arent "home" so, if you are having GF/wife, or other family troubles while in these combat zones, it brings more unneeded stress into your life.

**reds8n**

Yeah, sorry I meant housing. Sounds very similar to what happens over here.

Some consolation for the crappy pay I guess !

So-- and I'm not casting aspertions here on the army/soldiers-- do you think there might in fact be a few suicides that are...well. covered up makes it seem more sinister ... perhaps misclassified or wrongly identified so as to not only not upset the family but also to make sure that the poor guys ( or girls in these crazy days I hasten to, add) family get some compensation at least.

I've heard a few whispers as such over here-- which I have no problem with if I'm honest.

**Ensis Ferrae**

if you look back, about this time last year, there was a death listed as a "training accident in Sadr City" you should be able to guess that it is a unit cover up...of course, what the media is told, and what the family gets in this case were two separate things. (i know this one was in the newspapers, because my father in law asked me bout it)

the army is desperate for the numbers that deploying units need to deploy, and so sometimes, people who have severe mental issues that shouldnt deploy to a warzone are still deployed.

**reds8n**

I've heard similar stories from current/ex servicemen, hell of a thing to have to do but it's the right thing I think.

Is there recruitment/deployment situation that bad for you guys then ? Or is more a question of the right sort of people ? Not long after the war started I remembering reading some interviews with people who'd signed up but never actually expected to fight or be deployed, they just wanted the training/education etc etc, and many of them seemed quite put out at the fact they were going to actually, you know, do what the job really is.

Slightly mixed levels of sympathy for them if you follow.

There's people in the armed forces without mental issues !

(

)

**Ensis Ferrae**

I think that the recruitment isnt so much of an issue anymore, as the re-enlistment numbers seem to be right where the army wants them to be.

just before a deployment, a unit can expect a significant rise in "profiles" (basically its a doctors note excusing someone from specific activity due to injury or illness) due to some people trying to get out of going.

Of course, i've seen some of those interviews with people just returning from early war, and in many of those cases, i hold the opinion that they shouldnt have been soldiers in the first place.

and of course, the bent on media coverage of war has a direct and significant impact on the soldiers..as well as an indirect, but just as significant one through family/friends/ random people on the street.

**reds8n**

The media coverage thing is odd, and- without sounding patronising here I hope-- I think the British soldiers have a tougher time here than the American guys.

Like Mr. Frazzled said ..err..... somewhere recently.. a lot of people seem to have trouble separating disdain for the war with disdain for the soldiers. And in the UK this I think is much more extreme than in the USA.

see here

and here

stupid cow

That said don't get me wrong -- there are people here who do "get it" and I was actually quite proud recently when we had a beautiful and very moving parade in one of the military towns in honour of their dead.

But there's nowhere near the same level of....hmm..... don't think me rude here.."fawning" here over military personnel that we see over the pond. No discounts for service personnel or similar over here.

Some of that to be fair is the somewhat thuggish stereotype the average "squaddie" has been labelled with-- it's very common in a garrison town for most of the pubs to have a ban on army guys due to past trouble. But generally I think that is-- as ever-- a small minority spoiling it for everyone else.

And I also suspect it might be a hangover from the longstanding distrust of the armed forces in the UK due to our somewhat violent history. Soldiers realistically being akin more to what we would see as mercenaries in the past than patriots.

**Ensis Ferrae**

reds8n wrote:
That said don't get me wrong -- there are people here who do "get it" and I was actually quite proud recently when we had a beautiful and very moving parade in one of the military towns in honour of their dead.

But there's nowhere near the same level of....hmm..... don't think me rude here.."fawning" here over military personnel that we see over the pond. No discounts for service personnel or similar over here.

the thing is, the US has alot of landmass, and so our military is quite spread out. so, i think you'll see more "fawning" in some regions, and less in others. I know that there are NO discounts to be had when i go home, in fact my home town isnt much better than San Fransisco, as far as general hatred of the military goes. Only difference is, my home town wont go so far as to try and pass laws against the military, and only back down when Uncle Sam himself comes down and threatens funding to various funded institutions.

of course, when im home i keep my job to myself, and only mention it in very small groups, once ive gauged the character of the group. If they "get it" i might mention what i do, if they dont.... well, my mouth stays shut, i may mention a generalized statement of what im supposed to do, just not who i do it for

**Ghetto_Fight**

Kilkrazy wrote:Many civilians who oppose the war, are unable to separate condemnation of the policy, from condemnation of the troops fighting.

That is pretty bull to be honest, no one forced them to joined the army. Sure all the atrocities commited by them the war isn't because they are inherently evil and sadistic, but rather it's created by the horror of the enviroment. But in the end... feth THEM! They aren't the civilians being shot and having their entire community destroyed. I am sure victims in Afghanistan and Iraq would cheer at those grunts offing themselves.

I don't see many people crying over German or Japanese soldiers who killed themselves after WW2.

**dogma**

Ghetto_Fight wrote:
That is pretty bull to be honest, no one forced them to joined the army. Sure all the atrocities commited by them the war isn't because they are inherently evil and sadistic, but rather it's created by the horror of the enviroment. But in the end... feth THEM! They aren't the civilians being shot and having their entire community destroyed.

Ah, the absolutism that can only come from the mouth of one who is very young...

Wait, I'm very young. I guess that means there must be something else at work here. Ah, yes, that's it, a lack of knowledge.

Ghetto_Fight wrote:
I am sure victims in Afghanistan and Iraq would cheer at those grunts offing themselves.

I don't see many people crying over German or Japanese soldiers who killed themselves after WW2.

See, this is unnecessary. Soldiers are people too....

Now I have to go kill myself for uttering that ridiculous cliche.

**Ghetto_Fight**

oh wow... explain how I am lacking in Knowledge?

Ha, your a Yank, can hardly expect you to defend the flag no matter how much evil your "fake country" dishes out to other nations.

**Kilkrazy**

Ghetto_Fight wrote:
Kilkrazy wrote:Many civilians who oppose the war, are unable to separate condemnation of the policy, from condemnation of the troops fighting.

That is pretty bull to be honest, no one forced them to joined the army. Sure all the atrocities commited by them the war isn't because they are inherently evil and sadistic, but rather it's created by the horror of the enviroment. But in the end... feth THEM! They aren't the civilians being shot and having their entire community destroyed. I am sure victims in Afghanistan and Iraq would cheer at those grunts offing themselves.

I don't see many people crying over German or Japanese soldiers who killed themselves after WW2.

Many soldiers joined the army before Afghanistan and Iraq started, so they can't be blamed for choosing to go there. BTW, recruitment is right down since the start of those wars because they are unpopular.

Also, the British Army takes its duty of fighting under international law seriously, and made a point of having the Solicitor General write a legal statement that the law was legal, as protection to soldiers who might be accused of joining an illegal war.

**dogma**

Ghetto_Fight wrote:oh wow... explain how I am lacking in Knowledge?

You decided it would be a good idea to, without substantiation, deride soldiers. That's a pretty strong indicator of ignorance.

Ghetto_Fight wrote:
Ha, your a Yank, can hardly expect you to defend the flag no matter how much evil your "fake country" dishes out to other nations.

What flag? What 'fake country'? What are you talking about?

**Ensis Ferrae**

dogma, i wouldn't worry about this one, as clearly the level of knowledge on the issues is not even worth the bandwidth you're paying for.

there are millions of reasons why people join the military, even while there is a very unpopular war going on. As such, i will not play these games with people like that, as i dont justify my work and life to others anymore than they do to me.

last time i saw, the "People's Republic" was being looked at more than the "evil fake country" for human rights violations....

**sebster**

Ghetto_Fight wrote:oh wow... explain how I am lacking in Knowledge?

Ha, your a Yank, can hardly expect you to defend the flag no matter how much evil your "fake country" dishes out to other nations.

I'm Australian like you and I have no idea what you're talking about. No-one is defending any flag, just pointing out that a soldier's life is a hard one, and sometimes leads young men to take their own lives and that its a tragedy.

**Frazzled**

Ignore Ghetto. He's been suspended.

I and Sebster/Dogma disagree often, but they are correct. You can disagree with policies as an American/Aussie, while supporting the troops and military itself. They are separate.

**LuciusAR**

Out of interest has anyone got any statistics about the levels of suicide in combat troops prior to Vietnam?

I've read some shocking statistics regarding this I believe the number of suicides amongst veterans of the Falklands War is actually higher than the number of casualties actually sustained in the war. Considering that was a war which lasted a matter of weeks I can only imagine what it must have been amongst troops who spent 4 years in the trenches or 3 years on the eastern front.

Bust I've yet to hear anything about suicide amongst veterans of WW1 or 2 or even before that, is this a relatively new phenomenon?

**Ensis Ferrae**

while i am sure that there were some suicides in WW1 and 2, i think that they would have been a much smaller number, because even though many were drafted into service, they still viewed the job as a highly patriotic thing, and there was great honor in it.

i think that part of the reason for the rise in military suicides, is that folks are now protesting, basically the military's existence, or at least the military doing what it was trained to do.

of course, this is all my own conjecture, and not really based on hard numbers, so i could be way off the mark here.

**Kilkrazy**

Your theory makes common sense. I would caution that common sense is sometimes wrong in these kind of complex situations.

There was huge popular opposition to the Vietnam War. The Falklands War, however, was very popular in the UK and the soldiers were very well treated when they got back. At least until they left the army and got unemployed in the late 80s/early 90s.

**namegoeshere**

Wow if Ghetto was suspended for this. Way ott. If it's something else then ignore my comment.

There might not actually be a rise, it might just be that suicide was under-recorded before.

I wonder if people in the army/navy etc who don't have to literally face the people they shoot have a lower rate of suicide?

**Ensis Ferrae**

From personal experience, with some people in my brigade who have killed themselves during this deployment, most of those were in support positions. ie. truck drivers, medics, and those sorts of jobs.

namegoeshere, the suicide rate wasnt recorded 27 years ago, so most of the USs conflicts happened before this was reported. There could very well be a large amount of veterans from WW1 and 2, and the Korean conflict who indeed killed themselves, either during the war, or shortly after getting out. But, we'll never know because it just wasnt recorded, or tracked by the army prior to the beginning reports, in the OP.

**chaplaingrabthar**

I would think that combat Medics would be the branch with the highest suicide rates, just a gut instinct in that they have to deal with the aftermath of conflict in a more up close and personal way than many others do.