U.S. Army Suicides Highest In 3 Decades

At Least 128 Soldiers Took Their Own Lives In 2008

(AP)  Suicides among U.S. Army troops rose again last year and are at a nearly three-decade high, senior defense officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

At least 128 soldiers killed themselves in 2008, said two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the data has not been formally released.

The final count likely will be considerably higher because more than a dozen other suspicious deaths are still being investigated and could also turn out to be self-inflicted.

The new figure of more than 128 compares to 115 in 2007 and 102 in 2006 - and is the highest since record keeping began in 1980.

It also calculates to a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers - which is higher than the adjusted civilian rate for the first time since the Vietnam War, officials said.

The Army plans to announce the figures at a news conference later Thursday.

Officials have said repeatedly that troops are under tremendous and unprecedented stress because of repeated and long tours of duty due to the simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Yearly increases in suicides have been recorded since 2004, when there were 64 - only about half the number now. And they've occurred despite increased training, prevention programs, increased psychiatric staff and other Army efforts to stem the rise.

Officials are expected to announce additional attempts to help soldiers at the news conference.

When studying individual cases, officials said they found that the most common factors for suicides were soldiers suffering problems with their personal relationships, legal or financial issues and problems on the job.

The previous number of suicides, combined, among the Army's active-duty soldiers and National Guard and Reserve troops also was the highest on record - 18.8 per 100,000. But the new pace of 20.2 suicides per 100,000 soldiers is startling because it for the first time surpasses the civilian number, when adjusted to reflect the Army's younger and male-heavy demographics.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the suicide rate for U.S. society overall was about 11 per 100,000 in 2004, the latest year for which the agency has figures. But the Army says the civilian rate is more like 19.5 per 100,000 when adjusted.

The new rate of 20.2 - which also will be higher if more suicides are confirmed - compares to 18.8 per 100,000 in 2007, 17.5 in 2006 and 9.8 in 2002 - the first full year after the start of the war in Afghanistan

The new Army report follows one earlier this month showing that the Marine Corps recorded more suicides last year than any year since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

That report said 41 Marines were possible or confirmed suicides in 2008, or 16.8 per 100,000 troops. The Marine rate remained unchanged because the Corps is increasing in size, officials said.

Marines and Army units have borne most of duty in the two wars, which have required more use of ground forces to fight the insurgencies.

But the numbers kept by the service branches do not show the whole picture of war-related suicides because they do not include deaths after people have left the military. The Department of Veterans Affairs tracks those numbers and says there were 144 suicides among the nearly 500,000 service members who left the military from 2002-2005 after fighting in at least one of the two ongoing wars.

The true incidence of suicide among veterans is not known, according to a report last year by the Congressional Research Service. Based on numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the VA estimates that 18 veterans a day - or 6,500 a year - take their own lives, but that number includes veteranss from all previous wars.

[wardoglrs]

Yes America go and join your military and Die for the Banks that own you control you.

If you think that the USA brings Freedom and Liberty you are a FOOL.

This is the country that dropped 2 Atom bombs on poor people YEA BABY that''s Freedom. These people that took their lives are drugged and full of "DU" they were dead long before they took there own life


Agent Orange brings back good memories to the Neo Cons in the White House when they deployed that chemical terror.

And don''t forget about your wonderful CIA that throws out sovereign governments and replaces them with theirs

Did I forget to mention the the US Gov are the Terrorist.

[wl7bzh]

You stupid liberals don''''t lecture us about the military when you long haired maggot infested dope smoking liberals are to chicken to even fight for your country screw you socialist thugs.

Posted by libwhacker at 09:59 PM : Jan 29, 2009

Been watching reruns of "Full Metal Jacket" slick?

Do the blogs a favor-if you''re going to do your little ego jurk-off about what a man you think you are. Do us a favor and do it in private.

[libwhacker]

You stupid liberals don''t lecture us about the military when you long haired maggot infested dope smoking liberals are to chicken to even fight for your country screw you socialist thugs.

[libwhacker]

You stupid liberals don''t lecture us about the military when you long haired maggot infested dope smoking liberals are to chicken to even fight for your country screw you socialist thugs.

[kansas1946]

What''s the problem?? I thought Bush and Co. supported the troops.

[evian_ycnan]

Through early morning fog I see

visions of the things to be

the pains that are withheld for me

I realize and I can see...

[REFRAIN]:

that suicide is painless

It brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please.

I try to find a way to make

all our little joys relate

without that ever-present hate

but now I know that it''s too late, and...

[REFRAIN]

The game of life is hard to play

I''m gonna lose it anyway

The losing card I''ll someday lay

so this is all I have to say.

[REFRAIN]

The only way to win is cheat

And lay it down before I''m beat

and to another give my seat

for that''s the only painless feat.

[REFRAIN]

The sword of time will pierce our skins

It doesn''t hurt when it begins

But as it works its way on in

The pain grows stronger...watch it grin, but...

[REFRAIN]

A brave man once requested me

to answer questions that are key

is it to be or not to be

and I replied ''oh why ask me?''

[REFRAIN]

''Cause suicide is painless

it brings on many changes

and I can take or leave it if I please.

...and you can do the same thing if you please.

[nikosk11]

Let their blood be on Bush''s / Chenney''s heads

[harbinger09]

It''''s really a shame we don''''t treat our military better. Maybe more people will reconsider before voluntarily joining the military.

Posted by win4usa at 06:02 PM : Jan 29, 2009

With a bad economy, more people than ever will be joining the military--because when there are no jobs--even the military appears a safe bet and hey--no lay offs.

[win4usa]

It''s really a shame we don''t treat our military better. Maybe more people will reconsider before voluntarily joining the military.

[gce65]

Boy, it''s a good thing CBS is bringing us the really tragic news of SUPER BOWL SHORTAGE: CHICKEN WING WORRIES on the same page as this.

[nomealaska]

To cbscrash072 - If Clinton didn''t cut the military, the troops would have been ready. Ready for what? A war against people who didn''t provoke us? How do you prepare for an illegal war anyhow? Flushing your morals and ethics down the john? It''s just good to know that we have trained and armed over 100,000 Iraqis, and as occupiers we gave them more reason to dislike us. Hmmm... Don''t think that won''t bite us in the *** later. Good work!

[cbscrash072]

apple2pie: If Clinton had not cut the military so severely we would have had the troops. there is plenty of blame for everyone. Don''t be stingy.

[johnpatrick9]

Six thousand five hundred Veteran Suicides a year....tragic and one more note that War is indeed Hell to the mind and soul and body and should not be embarked upon lightly. God Bless our Soldiers and God *** the *** (NEO-CON REPUBLICAN SCUM) who so blithely send them into dead-end, duplistic wars and as that criminal Cheney said:"So what?" ....when they die. Tragic and a reminder to all the Yahoos out there who supported bush the worthless as to what they have done to our MILITARY/

[claydowner]

Psychologists have found that three combat tours is about the mental breaking point for many veterans. Many soldiers have served FOUR TOURS and most have served two or three tours in a combat zone. We can make better technology but the human factor seems to stay a constant. If we are going to abuse our military troops like we are in Iraq and Afghanistan we must accept the sad fact that suicides will go up dramatically. Military families are suffering from high rates of stress, financial problems, relationship problems, divorces, alcoholism, drug abuse and suicides. Many of these problems are caused by the alienation many veterans feel towards the civilian world. They know their platoon that becomes their pseudo-family and life support structure in a combat zone. The problems at home are often the most difficult battles the veteran has to fight because they are all alone. Combat veterans often feel like aliens on another planet even when in their hometowns. Civilians who have not been on active duty in a war zone do not understand what a combat soldier has to put up with each day and they never will. Civilians are totally clueless so the veteran has to fight his battles all alone.

[dredigga]

Unfortunately, the liquid gold of Iraqi oil so blinded Bush that he continued his crusade at the expense of our fine men and women in uniform. He should be hung for treason!

Posted by masterballs2


I second that. Write congress and urge them to do the right thing. Hold the crooks in the Bush White House accountable.

[nomealaska]

How many of these traumatized people will hurt or kill people when they return from this war? I think that many of them will not be fit for civilization after fighting an extensive, poorly justified and poorly managed war against a country that didn''t deserve it. The Vietnam veterans returning to an America which hated the war was difficult, and most Americans don''t support this war either.
I served in the Army and I support the troops, but this stupid war will make it difficult for everyone for a long long time to come.

[yellow651]

How does this rate compare to the general population? That is the only relevant measure here. As I understand it, even with the increase, the miliary is still well below the average.

[ballpen1]

I guess PTSD existed in all wars, WW1, WW2 and so on, since war must be terrible (never been a serviceman). But some wars are differnt then others. WW2 was "better" then Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq because there was an enemy you could see and attack and there was a goal everybody could understand.

I can only imagine how frightening and frustrating it must be for our soldiers to wait for the next IED or to see whole provinces return to Taliban rule. And nobody, not their commanders, not the politicians, not even their CIC can tell them what victory would look like, how to achieve it, who the enemy is (no uniforms...), how to win these two wars OF terror and AGAINST terror.

Maybe Nixon was right back then, declare victory and move out. Let them sort it out among themselfs. Our retreat from Vietnam has NOT led to a communist world, maybe our retreat from the middle east might lead to INCREASED stability, albeit on a lower civilisatory level, like, the stone age...

[ddaryl1]

what did anyone expect. Kepe good men and women from their famileis for years living in cess pool of violence and terror and then tell these same soldiers that when you return everything you did have wil be gone and you;ll have ot start all over with little or no help from the same government that sent you there...

[excoachken]

Bush considered this a good way to reduce Veteran''s benefits!