Soldiers Survive War, But Not Inner Demons

CBS Evening News: U.S. Army Battles Epidemic Of Suicides That Is Only Getting Worse

(CBS)  Spc. Carl McCoy survived two tours in Iraq only to take his own life - and shatter the life of his wife Maggie.

"He shot himself in the bathroom," she tells CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

According to Maggie, Carl was drinking and their marriage was in trouble. He knew he needed help and scheduled an appointment with a mental health counselor at Fort Campbell, Ky. But that morning…

"They called and cancelled," Maggie recalls. "They didn't have anybody to see him. That was the day before he killed himself."

Maggie was also a soldier, a sergeant with two tours in Iraq. She planned to stay in the Army - until she saw an e-mail written by her commander after Carl's suicide.

"I know Sgt. McCoy has a lot of problems but we need people who can deploy so get her out of the Army or get her out of my unit," the e-mail read.

That may sound callous, but it's the reality of life in an Army faced with the unrelenting pace of war and only beginning to come to grips with soldiers so stressed they're taking their own lives.

"We saw the numbers go up the last four years," says Gen. Pete Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff. "We should have been more proactive, all of us, including me, in attacking this problem."

Chiarelli has never seen anything like it.

"I've been doing this stuff for 36 years and I have never run into anything as difficult as this," Chiarelli says.

Carl McCoy was one of 140 known or suspected suicides in the Army last year - an all-time high. This year the numbers are even worse - 54 in the first three months. Here's another alarming statistic: each day on average three soldiers call a national suicide hotline run by the Department of Health and Human Services.

That means each day there are three soldiers out there thinking of killing themselves but who are afraid to ask for help within the Army.

"It's the stigma," Chiarelli says. "It's the soldier who wants to reach out to someone who's not in his chain of command because he feels that somehow if he does do that he's going to be thought of as a lesser soldier."

Chiarelli says Fort Campbell has the most aggressive suicide prevention program in the Army, but that has not stopped what he calls a horrible spike - 11 suicides at this one base since the first of the year. The fact that these are some of the Army's toughest soldiers, members of the 101st Airborne Division, doesn't protect them from inner demons.

Lt Col. Tom Kunk is the first to be notified whenever a suicide occurs.

"The one common thread is relationship problems," Kunk says.

Problems which set in after the honeymoon of the homecoming is over. Kunk is nearly at wit's end trying to prevent the suicides.

"We've got to figure it out, okay? It's gotta stop," he says.

But it hasn't. Last month every soldier was required to watch an interactive video on suicide prevention. Spc. Ken Attkisson watched it and the next day - in the middle of an argument with his wife - killed himself.

[LCutiepieH]

I think Your Army Personal needs to get his information correct before he goes on the news running their mouths! it could get them into a lot of trouble! Especially with me and my family!

[dagrandma]

hollysbaby: Disloyal F**cks don't get honorable discharges, do they? And Aldymac, I don't know what in the hell you're talking about. No doubt the two of you get big woodys when presented with the chance to go to war.

[meowmix2007]

Dear CBS. These soldiers are your soldiers, that you helped send to Iraq. CBS and all of the blood soaked Corporate Broadcast Media are responsible for being propagandists for the Bush Administration's illegal disgusting war based on lies, not merely "faulty intelligence", as the revisionist propaganda goes. I am still sickened by the memory of the flashy war graphics that all of the major networks and cable networks had ready for the big day of the invasion where the US military with the help of the Military Media Industrial Complex, mass murdered scores of innocent Iraqi civilians, and expended the first soldiers as a sacrifice to that sickening orgy of violence in the name of this and that, and then this again, and finally "freedom".

[mysteriousjz]

Innocent civilians have been bombed and maimed by the same soldiers... I do not see why there is sympathy for cold blood killers.... God will punish you for your sins.. one way or the other.... it is God's way of sending a message for what you have done unto others....

[tmwalsh4243]

In the report it stated 3 new members calling the suicide hot line daily. What about the 4th or 5th from this war or who are still hanging om from Desert Storm and Viet Nam.

[Aldymac]

Oldpilot954, good post, you are right about the world we live in today. The liberals believe that weakness is the road to peace, they will be the first to learn the lesson that is coming. But they will sacrifice every person they can before they learn.

[Aldymac]

dagrandma, perhaps you would feel more comfortable fighting for it here at home? We didn't have the weapons they have to use now, but what we had left the same results, whether they were used on the enemy, or they used the same weapons on us. Gadgets and guns used for war have no feelings of remorse for what they do to the human body. Neither do the crowd we are fighting against today, you don't believe me? Why don't you offer yourself as a tester of what our enemy would like to do to you or any other American, when you have all the results you can come back and tell us that they don't really want to hurt anybody.

[dagrandma]

hollysbaby: I see you appear to doubt my service as a veteran of the United States Army, since you question it not once, but twice. Nothing else you have to say means anything to me and you can kiss my azz and kiss my DD-214.

[AE2Schane]

chasburf

?The subconscious knows that they are part of an evil act by their own government, but the conscious mind won't allow it to admit this is the case.?


OH please. This has top be the most BS statement I?ve read in a long time.

True story. !986, I was in the US Navy. Our shop Supervisor PO1 (E-6) was working a manager of an on base fast food restaurant as well as his full time Navy job.

He was doing this to support his wife and kids, apparently she was very demanding, high maintenance.

One night he took off early went home and found his wife was cheating on him.

The next day, in our shop, after we all went out to do our jobs on our birds, the PO1 took 2 zip-ties put them together, put them around his neck and pulled hard.

Fortunately, someone went back to the shop and found him near dead, cut the zip-ties, sounded alarms and they got him the PO1 to medical and saved his life.

NOW, please explain how Iraq

?they are part of an evil act by their own government?

caused that?

Please explain how the next highest year for military suicide was 1999!
We weren?t in Iraq in 1999!

Please explain how this incredibly high rate of military suicide is still half that of the general population of the same age group of the USA!

[dagrandma]

I always felt that the ones crying the most about military service were the last ones who would EVER lift a hand to serve.

Posted by hollysbaby at 10:05 AM : Apr 10, 2009

By the way hollysbaby, I'm a veteran.

[dagrandma]

Near as I can tell, if the Iraqi's wanted what we're selling the war would have been over long ago.

Keep believing that BS grandma
Posted by hollysbaby

Okay, please explain to me why it is BS.

[blog_fever2]

"ALL" libs are losers in life.

Posted by USA_is_back at 8:33 AM : Apr 10, 2009

agreed
Posted by jwind1 at 8:35 AM : Apr 10, 2009
*******************************************
This such a sad post. Who are you to judge anyone? If you find fault in your neighbor, pray for him, don't condemn them. You are no better than that person if you just judge and condemn them.

[dagrandma]

Is the war in Iraq a war for my freedom?
Posted by dagrandma

Not at this point. Nor was WWII at the point we entered and ended it. Back then many thought it was worth helping OTHERS gain their freedom. NOT JUST WHATS IN FOR ME!
Posted by hollysbaby at 9:49 AM : Apr 10, 2009

Near as I can tell, if the Iraqi's wanted what we're selling the war would have been over long ago. And I don't recall saying anything about wanting to go to war if there's only SOMETHING IN IT FOR ME!

[heavynne]

My son is Iraq right now, it's his third tour. I didn't want him to join the Army, because I was afraid of him going to war. He feels good about defending our rights over there. He, unlike a lot of us, me included, who have never served in the military, does not blame anyone for our demise over there. He is simply willing and able to go out on the front lines and protect our freedom. Of course he wants the issue resolved, but my point is, he is actually over there not knowing if he will ever see his family again. He came home for two weeks last month, but for me, each time I read about an American soldier being killed over there, I can't help but to think of my son and hope it's not him. All of this bickering about who's to blame means absolutely nothing, and most of the people bickering have never been in any war. Pray for our troops instead of blaming, if any of you instead, have a solution that can help the situation please tell us about that. We Americans who have never been to war complain more about than the soldiers who are actually over there losing and risking their lives everyday.

[dagrandma]

Aldymac: "Its to bad the American people no longer think the freedom they have is no longer worth fighting for..."

I'd be more than happy to fight for my freedom. Is the war in Iraq a war for my freedom?

[cacdb83]

After being a 12 year Army spouse, I find these statistics appalling but not surprising. The Army had a catchy litttle phrase several years ago of "Army of One". Well, when a soldier develops physical, mental or emotional problems, they truly become a "soldier of one". The top brass in the Army doesn't want to hear about any problems/weaknesses that their soldiers may be experiencing. Thus, we have to deal with these tragic situations. Being in the Army/military environment for so long, my ex-husband and I have mourned several useless suicides within the lower ranks. As far as I'm concerned, every bit of brass at the top needs to be court martialed and replaced. That goes double for those "fat cats" at the Pentagon too! My condolences to each and every soldier's family that had has to suffer through this unbearable tragedy.

[itgranny]

dmw1167: Are you really this stupid as the think they didn't change a whole bunch of long standing rules in order for our national guard to play such a big role in this Iraq BS? Do you think they'd have gotten enough volunteers in the regular army to fight their trumped up, BS war? The national guard is for when we get attacked, they are our first line of DEFENSE moron! Their purpose is NOT to go out looking for a fight but to defend us. Iraq did NOT attack us, we sent our guards to attack them.

Also, does 4000 deaths in this wrong war make it ok in your delusional, twisted head just because we lost more in other wars? Just because we have made improvements in intelligence, weaponry, and medical advancements doesn't make an illegal war ok.

Also asshhole, you seem to think your republican cronies did the right thing in declaring war with your spouting of statistics, were you one of the ones that went over there you fricken coward. My son did and was wounded. Do I blame the republicans? Dam right i do and posts like your's prove to me just how right I am.

[oldpilot954]

Being the age that I am I never served in the military. I was about a year too young to be drafted for Vietnam. I was raised by a WWII vet and have friends who fought in WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and both Middle East wars as well as a few covert operations in Central and South America. There were suicides from WWII and all of the other wars but they were not national news because there was not political advantage to reporting all of them. Some things that I observe which make the current generation of warfighters so vulnerable is the culture they come from. First, I think the support structure for veterans returning from WWII and Korea was subtly different in that a) the wars were considered the country's wars rather than a politician's war, and b) there was more familial support because the culture said that families were supposed to endure no matter how rough it got. Secondly, the young men like my father who fought WWII had just lived through the dog-eat-dog world of the depression, prohibition, etc. Their grandfathers and fathers had just finished fighting to carve a nation out of the North American continent. Therefore, fighting and sacrifice were part of their culture. Now we treat two little boys who get in a good-natured fist-fight as criminals with a "zero-tolerance" attitude. We do the same thing if they point their finger like a gun and pretend to have a gunfight. We emasculate them until they are in their upper teens then hand them a gun and send them to war. This is followed by bringing them back home and telling them to go back to the way they were before they went to war. All this takes place in a context of teaching that there is no basis for a moral absolute of right and wrong. No wonder they have problems!

[USA_is_back]

based on what? i am success today because i learned from my mistakes in life....libs are still failures because instead of trying to learn from their mistakes, they look to others to blame
Posted by jwind1 at 8:14 AM : Apr 10, 2009


Again, Jimmyboy - what "am you success" at????

[USA_is_back]

yea whatever, who do you blame for being a loser in life? all libs have that person they push it off on.....don't tell me it's Bush?
Posted by jwind1 at 8:29 AM : Apr 10, 2009


Ah yes - generalizations. "ALL" libs are losers in life. Too funny. You need to improve your reading comprehension skills. Where in ANY of my posts have i blamed anyone for anything? What do you consider success Jimmyboy?