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Subscribe to RSSService members committed suicide during 2012 at a record pace: more than 349 took their own lives across the four branches, or one every 25 hours, a Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed Monday.
The Army sustained the heaviest suicide toll at 182, a dark tally that — as NBC News reported Jan. 3 — marked another frightening first as soldier suicides last year outpaced the 176 Army members who were killed in combat while serving Operation Enduring Freedom, according to Pentagon officials.
During 2012, there also were 60 suicides among active-duty members of the Navy, 59 in the Air Force and 48 in the Marine Corps. Throughout the U.S. military, suicides increased by nearly 16 percent from 2011 to 2012, figures show. The Department of Defense has been issuing annual reports that track suicides since 2008, said spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith.
“We are deeply concerned about suicide in the military, which is one of the most urgent problems facing the department,” Smith said in a prepared news release. “Our most valuable resource within the department is our people. We are committed to taking care of our people, and that includes doing everything possible to prevent suicides in the military.”
The continuing rise in active-duty suicides coincides with a bevy of new initiatives and programs within the military aimed to stem the epidemic. For example, a crisis number has been launched for any active-duty member experiencing suicidal thoughts to dial, or for military family members to call if they spot a mental-health disaster looming within their home: 1-800-273-8255.
“This happens almost every month when they come out with the suicide numbers: (a flurry of media stories and public vows to immediately solve the problem), so I don’t want to get stuck on the number. But it’s too high and clearly it’s not a good trend,” said Kristina Kaufmann, executive director of Code of Support Foundation, an Alexandria, Va.-based nonprofit that advocates for needs of those in the military community, including military families.
“We have a lot of organizations both within the government and within the nonprofit sector that are trying (to curb the military-suicide rate) and people are really, intensively — finally — looking at this. But there’s a lot of damage in the pipeline and that’s the part we haven’t dealt with effectively,” Kaufmann added.
Advocates fear the military suicide rate will climb in coming years as more troops are drawn down in Afghanistan. They worry about a spike, in part, because military families — typically the first people to spot mental-health red flags in their returning loved ones — “are just not effectively integrated into suicide-prevention efforts,” she said.
“We’ve asked too much of too few for too long, and this is the conversation the country needs to have. This is not just a military issue,” she added. “Look at how most of us got through the 10 years of war and the multiple deployments. This is a very tough community, unbelievably resilient. But after everybody comes home, and is home for longer than six months to a year, and we’re all together again in a non-emergency situation, that’s when the cracks will show.
“When we’re finally all able to take a breath, people are going to have to start dealing with the challenging things we’ve all kind of pushed down (internally) for the past 10 years. Remember what works well in battle and in combat and the characteristics that make a good soldier or a good Marine are sometimes not successfully translated when you come home,” Kaufmann said. “That’s where it’s going to be tough for people to readjust.”
The figures confirmed Monday are preliminary suicide statistics and do not include 110 “pending” reported suicides among active-duty troop in 2012 that are still under investigation by medical examiners, Smith said.
Typically, those still-unconfirmed cases receive final rulings by late summer and the Department of Defense releases its annual report on the previous year’s suicides sometime in August. The Pentagon, Smith added, is expected to follow that same timetable in 2013.
NBC News' Courtney Kube and Jim Miklaszewski contributed to this report.
Related: The enemy within: Soldier suicides outpace combat deaths in 2012
Related: Some wounded vets shine on 'Alive Day,' others wear black
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Hey it just takes 24 months to get your benefits functioning/activated working in your behave.
Our government can't manage jack.
But this is acceptable to the Veterans Administration.
RIP Brothers
This is really sad statistic. RIP brothers and sisters. Whats causing this? Suicide is the number one cause of injury death now in the US. I wonder how many were on prescription drugs for depression etc? Like many of the mass shooters who were being treated with prescription drugs. I think its seriously time to research the link between suicide and mass murderers and prescription drugs. I wouldnt be suprised if you find one. Not banning any guns.
I have 17 years and counting in the army. When they send the same troops to war four five and even six times it becomes too much and they get to a point they can no longer deal with life. The messed up part is, they don't have to be deployed that many times because their are so many other troops with the exact skills who are not ever deployed. I have no idea who decides who goes and who doesn't.
Another thing is, I've been deployed and my chief complaint is very much the same as the majority of the complaints from other deployed soldiers. The command sections gets great joy in treating us like s**t when ever they get the chance.
They seem to get pleasure in micro managing, demeaning, embarrassing, and depriving soldiers. I've been accused to not doing my job without any reasoning behind the accusation. They like to throw all sorts of accusations at us without giving us a chance to prove our point before dismissing the meeting. They also lie then back peddle when you call them on it. It's not every command section but it seems so many soldiers I've spoken with has this same complaint. When you combine that with the everyday stresses of being deployed, it really pushes a lot of really good soldiers to the point to no return. Whether the command supports you or kicks you when you're down can really make all the difference in the world.
Personally. I've seen some of the more senior enlisted people abuse their power.
Look this is the reasons why our members take their own lives. We go in and kill random civilians, women, children. We learn of the truth of what our true underlying goals are. We learn and know what the real reasons why we are here. With all this in mind, you would more than likely take your own life as well. Like the denial factor we live in, we want to believe we are doing the just and right no matter how wrong it obviously is. Like lance Armstrong, people couldn't take the truth and lived in denial. Most still do to this day. We are not doing whats right.
As more soldiers figure out what's really going on...
As more soldiers get the courage and conscience to speak out...
More "suicides" will occur.
Why is it we are giving millions of dollars to other countries; who hate us by the way, and not putting a greater effort into our military.
Because Obama wants to cut military funding. Why you say? That is a very good questions. Is it because he wants to cripple America? Is it because he wants to allow another country to attack us and we will not be able to defend ourselves? It is because he wants to put together a private army?
These are questions we need to be asking ourselves. We don't need to cut funding to the military, we need to cut the suicide rate.
Obama isnt telling you that he is cutting health insur. for the ret. military and the ones getting out because of the war. They arent telling the American people that they are raising the amt. ret. pay for their insur. If you live more than 40 miles from a base you now have to pay 25% of your bill. 300.00 ded. Little by little Obama is killing our military. Where are all these people gonna get jobs? he is bringing them home but they will have to get out of the military and do what? Obama hasnt made jobs for us civilians, how is he gonna handle 60,000.00 military coming home. He is cutting their ret. He is making some get out that are just short of ret. I wish America would open their eyes.. You better wake up fast or you are gonna find we have no military left.
The govt. will think of any thing not to have to pay the benefits to the service member.. People stay quiet because the will lose their ret. and healthcare all together if they speak out.. Obama is hated by the military, they have no trust in the man. He is cutting and cutting so he can spend more and more.. Where are the jobs? All he does is praise the people on welfare and food stamps.. These poor service people are dying for us.. He cant even say corpsman right in his speeches.. No respect..
You cant go any where as a military member or as a spouse with out being asked if you feel depressed. I know a number that did off themselves because they were pulled out of combat and told you have 3 months to find a job your fired as a pilot for the army.
I was with you Jim, until the last sentence.
Wow, this is incredibly sad. I sincerely hope something is done about this, and a more efficient form of help or prevention is offered to ALL military branches. Immediately. Most of them are going to end up with some form of psychological damage for the rest of their lives. We have NO idea unless we've been there ourselves. Sitting down and watching an intense war movie for 2 hours and going back to our regular lives doesn't cut it. These men and women are scarred for life. My dad fought in Vietnam and STILL HAS NIGHTMARES.
And for all you blaming Obama..just who the #@^& put us to war in the first place? And who ENDED IT???
R.I.P. at least you don't have to witness anymore of the destruction of our kind. I hope you find the rest we all so desperately crave. Until we meet again.
“We are deeply concerned about suicide in the military..." because it exposes us as the ineffective commanders we are.
How sad is this? Its time to recognize the Military who is protecting our rights so Wake Up! America....
Military Troops deserve the best but that doesn't seem to be the case so why? The President and family live like royality and all the other Fat Cats in DC live quite nicely also while the average American is struggling to make ends meet so why is this? Have they taken a cut in pay and benefits lately? We read how the VA hospital has used lots of money on conferences while Military troops have to WAIT for their needs so why is this? How many troops have lost a leg or both, an arm or both, had their faces blown off to return home to deal with this the best way they can? Go visit a VA hospital and talk to all the troops and give all a hug with a thank you. We heard the President and family went on a FOUR MILLION DOLLAR vacation so why? Four million dollars could have been spent doing good to lots of folks. How many people who sit in Congress ever served in the Military? How many of the Presidents have? If one has never wore a pair of combat boots then one can't relate, can't they? I was a military spouse so know the struggles and used to hear civilians make the comment nobody is forced to join which is true but if nobody joined who would be protecting our rights 24/7? Military earn their pay/benefits so deserve what was promised to them and our total respect so again Wake-Up! America.......its very sad to see a disable homeless VET!!!!!
Suicide in the military has always existed, the numbers change but that isn't because of the president. If it were then one would have to believe if we got the right man in the White House there would be no suicides.
I didn't understand it when I saw it first hand when I was in the USMC so I expect a lot to be written about it but no solution or reason. More Marines killed themselves in Viet Nam than stateside and we talked about why would they do that when in combat you still had a chance to live and go home but suicide eliminates that possibility. It was hard to take then and I'm sure just as hard to take now for those close to the victim. It just seemed like such a waste and I always wondered what they were thinking when they took their life.
President Obama: As Commander in chief these men are under your command. please do something about so many suicides instead of compaignng. samoli
This is really such a tragedy.That those who are willing to lay down their life so others may be safe, and have a better life, end up giving up their lives because they are overwhelmed and defeated in the end.
Not by some enemy who suddenly strikes them down with weapons they have been trained to anticipate and defeat.But by one which they have received no training for and whose causation is minimized by military authorities. Their fellow rank and file put down for revealing,careers ended for all intents and purposes if treated for depression, and considered damaged goods after serving their nations, by possible employers.
For truly, soldiers are angels and demons. Angels when they are needed, demons when they aren't.The few in a nation willing to serve and carry the burdens of wartime, scars seen and unseen, so others may live a life of peace.
Others will say, they have chosen such a life. But that does not mean they should have to carry such scars without getting the help needed to heal as much as possible. For of the freedoms others enjoy, including peace from such nightmares inflicted during battles ugly wounds, there needs to be compassion, mercy extended so healing can also be given, in thanks and appreciation.
Those in political positions, who have never endured the weariness, suffering and terrors of war, have no idea what it is like. Perhaps they would be more accommodating to veterans and soldiers, if they had.So many families who are losing their loved ones to suicide, need more support from their fellow citizens to let leaders know this is an important issue.
For if the people who are guarding the watch towers of freedom, protecting liberties and helping folks in the world achieve the same grow too weary, who will take their place?We truly can't afford to lose any of their gallant men and women.
The bravest of the brave need all the support possible, as they are willing to lay down their lives for you and I when we honestly need them in our time of need.Emotional trauma comes with their job, we must not allow any of them to be taken for granted. It is hard enough taking risks with their life when they are on the field of battle, no doubt. Not laying down their lives because they are overwhelmed in their times of greatest need, with no one there to heed their call.
Suicide in the military, does not surprise me one bit, sadly. As a former retired army person myself, the way people are treated daily with blatant disrespect because they volunteer to serve their country is disgusting. And the way that some of the wounded warriors are treated is even more sickening. I wish the media would expose how soldiers are really treated and the amount of crap they are forced to put up with daily as well as all the training and deployments away from family. Discipline is one thing but being hateful and malicious is another!
Ron I have 17 years in the military and I've seen the same exact thing you just described. I don't know what it is but they always throw that "well you volunteered" at you and use it as an excuse to treat you like crap. I volunteered to serve not to be abused. They should be grateful somebody volunteered. It's a hell of a lot better than drafting folks who are angry because they have no desire to be there.
One problem is they promote too quickly and ram too many people through leadership school without filtering out those who have no business leading troops. As long as you can marginally do your job and pass your PT test and meet height/weight standards, you're as good as there.
I experienced the same thing when I got home from the military. I was actually refused to be considered as a renter because I had 'no local rental references.'
This breaks my heart. I hate the way people treat our military personal, both active, and retired. They have never been given the full respect they need and deserve. Thank you for your service! My dad is lucky that he did not face the hate that so many have spoken of when I worked in the ER. It is truly disgusting.
The really sad thing is, if no one volunteered, people would start whining and belittling everyone else for not doing the right thing, which is serving in the military.
I wish things would change, but they most likely won't. It gets a little press, stays on a high for a few months to a year, then gets swept under the carpet.
RIP
All I can suggest Carolyn G., is that you do your best and hang in there. You have kept your boots on the ground long enough to know why they are treating you the way they are, they want to frustrate and demean you into backing away and leaving before you reach 20 years and become eligible to retire with a pension [however little it is]. My last four years were difficult, but fortunately … [if you can call being sent to England and then Iraq for the fun and games with the toughest branch of the US Military fortunate] … the powers that be in the attack circle around me backed off lest they would have been deployed in my place. While it wasn’t so at first, that ‘Other’ US Military branch came to respect my abilities, drive and willingness to give my all ... and they kept me for a long time. When I returned to my prior base … yeah the attack pack who never left the organization quickly gathered again and upped their BS factor, but I developed a hearing problem when deployed and they couldn’t get me to leave. I made it to twenty years and retired, which is more than a few of them were able to when they left or were required to leave the service. Odd as it may sound, I miss being in the military even now.
Reinstate the draft.
NO WAY! I don't want to serve next to a bunch of recent high school grads who are pissed off because they don't want to be there.
This all Volunteer Force is burnt out! I had an old PSG I deployed with 2011-2012 in Kandahar 3rd IBCT 10th MTN. that was his 6th deployment! Too many of our leaders think the military is expendable because they don't have loved ones or family serving. I say reinstate it cut the loop holes for deferment's. Then maybe it will bring more attention to the citizen's of this nation how foreign policy is carried out and use the Military less . Every body wants to ride in the wagon but very few wanna pull. Tired of seeing good men and women get used and then tossed out. because so many wanna use the argument you Volunteered!
@Carolyn---good that you missed the 60's. Couldn't even vote then.
I think 2 years military service should be manditory for everyone, no exceptions.
Since Barack became Commander in Chief military suicides are achieving new record levels. What did Barack change?
Nothing changed. Spout your political bull all you want, but it doesn't change the fact that our government denies the proper mental health help required for may that struggle to transition out of combat and into the civilian world again.
This has been a fact long before Obama became President.
Quite sad you would blame homosexuality as a cause for the suicides.
It couldn't have anything to do with being shot at, killing others, the horrors associated with combat, being away from home for a year at a time, or coming home to an unfaithful spouse, now could it?
You Americans are a sick bunch. You blame gays' and Barack Obama for a war that G W Bush started, why can't a gay person defend his/her country?.
These wars should not have happened, end of story.
Stephen Sargent.-
I am American AND I agree with you. G.W. Bush was HORRIBLE! But Obama gets all the blame. Good thing all those republicans are still trying to block everything Obama puts in front of them just because they don't like him. CHILDISH!!!
Look this is the reasons why our members take their own lives. We go in and kill random civilians, women, children. We learn of the truth of what our true underlying goals are. We learn and know what the real reasons why we are here. With all this in mind, you would more than likely take your own life as well. Like the denial factor we live in, we want to believe we are doing the just and right no matter how wrong it obviously is. Like lance Armstrong, people couldn't take the truth and lived in denial. Most still do to this day. We are not doing whats right.
NoCommi's: You are an idiot if you are going to blame Military Suicide rates on Homosexuals. The Gays do not force Military Soliders to comment suicide. Smh. Seriously pathetic and sick that you would judge in such away. You are completely wrong about that. I am not gay and I have nothing against gay people. I did have a close friend who was in the military commit suicide on Jan. 1st this year and it was NOT because of Homosexual soilders. It was due to not being able to handle the traumatic situations he had to deal with PTSD is very high in military and dealing with noting being able to handle it mentally and not getting the right help. So Maybe instead of Judging with childish immature information you'll learn to grow the @!$%# up and keep your stupid comments to yourself @!$%#. America needs to stop being so @!$%#ing pathetic and immature about @!$%#. Stop blaming @!$%# on Obama when the government was already @!$%#ed before he got elected the first term. Putting blame on him doesnt solve any problems. For @!$%# sake get a life and learn to deal with everything going on and stop pointing fingers. To whoever thinks that the government wasnt bad before Obama was elected you are @!$%#ing blind and retarded. The government sucks I agree but it get over it.
What really surprises me is that no one in the civilian world seems to notice or care that our soldiers are walking targets with no authority to defend themselves until after they are shot. Why does this not bother more people and how can you not understand that living with that kind of stress for extended periods of time would push almost anyone over the edge?
I don't want to even talk about anymore. There is absolutely no "obvious" reason on earth Americas men and women are dieing in that s**t hole. It leads me to believe there is a plan to burn our military out to the point they can't defend America. With the weapons seizures that will pretty much guarantee you'll be converting to muslim or die.
A lot of evasions here. The question is: Why are military suicides achieving record levels since Barack became commander in chief? Please address it directly. No evasions, no fillibusters.
You Stephan Sargent; need to get a clue! Iraq was 'GW Bush's mess!' Afghanistan was started by
Bill Clinton long before Iraq, and Prez Obama sent US Forces back there in record numbers after withdrawing us from Iraq to bolster his buddies so there would be someone there he could send those billions of dollars to that he was borrowing from China. You know, our Great, Great, Great grandchildren's tax money?
If they counted the veterans the VA is jacking around the numbers would even be higher.
I work with these guys every day and have for many years, and the one trait I see in almost all of them is a prior mental health history, either themselves or a strong family history. When the Gulf War was at its worst, the US military took anyone who could carry a weapon! The suicides will come down as we get more selective, screen our service members closer and get these men and women out of the service before we subject them to mental trauma that most of us can effectively deal with.
KansasBob - you make sense.
Stay in Kansas....Bob, when were any of these wars ever at their best?, most enlisted Veterans come from deprived backgrounds, was there a Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Reagan, Rice or Clinton on the enlisting records lately? or ever. NO.
THese wars will never be in a position to become selective for veterans, Afghanistan is a lost war, Iraq now has the largest American compound perched on it's deserts, inside the 'green zone' of course.
The original aim of invading Iraq was for oil.
America loses again.
Um right Kansas Bob, and the fact that these men and women see a friend blown up, or their commander dieing in the arms isn't going to break them and cause issues? You must be smoking something!
A perfectly sane man or woman, who has no past history of mental issues could enlist, go over, see people they have grown attached to die, along with innocent children and snap. We're not programmed to be emotionless. Some of them have seen the worse, more then you've probably seen!
YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND.
What needs to be done is offer more mental health facilities, extend the coverage. Don't just cut these men and women off shortly after they return. They do not get enough assistance offered to them. You cannot go into the military, and be deployed in an active war zone without seeing a death or trauma. It can take one traumatic event to break a person.
Oh yeah, prior mental health history so the VA can possibly deny them service connected disability benefits for PTSD or give them a lower rating. Many of these young soldiers are told to *suck it up* and given psychotropic drugs and opiates to dull their minds and spirits instead of receiving REAL mental health services. Not nearly enough staff to cope with the vast number of PTSD soldiers. Narcotics and psychotropic scripts: the solution to PTSD. The consequences: 349 suicides reported in 2012. Reported, but probably a much higher number.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can surface at any time in the transition from active duty in a war zone to after a service member has returned home. Symptoms can be delayed for as long as a year later. I believe a thorough screening for PTSD/suicidal ideations should be administered for every person returning home. Addressing the mental health needs for those who have served is an obligation that must be met. Out vets didn't turn their backs on us, we should not turn our backs on them.
RS1, Each Soldier returning home from a combat deployment receives a Post Deployment Health Re-Assessment (PDHRA), a comprehensive physical and mental health review which includes a personal interview with a health professional trained to spot possible depression and suicidal behaviors. This has been in place at least five years.
Well Jumper, if that is not enough then they need more. They need follow up monthly or bi-weekly for a year or two afterwards. If that is what it takes that is what should be happening. There is no higher act of citizenry than military service to this nation, so the nation ought to do the same in return as a fair exchange.
People kill themselves, civilian or military, which is regrettable yet not 100% avoidable, but those stats are not acceptable and entirely preventable.
When their minds collapse from what they had to endure, which is very human being that killing others is not natural except in self defense, or not seeing your kids grow for years, the nation should be there.
This amounts to me to cost cutting as any business would do. It is morally wrong to let them down, knowingly.
I hope POTUS will address it like now.
Jumper your FOS. I have been on both sides of the PDHRA for years. I useless!!
Look this is the reasons why our members take their own lives. We go in and kill random civilians, women, children. We learn of the truth of what our true underlying goals are. We learn and know what the real reasons why we are here. With all this in mind, you would more than likely take your own life as well. Like the denial factor we live in, we want to believe we are doing the just and right no matter how wrong it obviously is. Like lance Armstrong, people couldn't take the truth and lived in denial. Most still do to this day. We are not doing whats right.
Jumper, I worked with a gentleman who was one of the people who made sure the guys were okay. They do not get enough time, and assistance. What is offered is not enough.
Jumper100 - thanks for your response. I'm aware there's an exit evaluation and but it is apparently not enough. I used the word "thorough" and attempted to make my post brief. I truly should have been more specific. A thorough screening should include followup checks, in my book, at least every three months. The vets that I've talked to feel as if they've been dropped off the face of the earth without a safety net. PTSD, which can lead to suicidal ideations, doesn't always show up right away. Family members are still adjusting to the soldier's return (and anticipating there is a period of adjustment for everyone), so it's difficult for them to always pinpoint what's going on.
The whole issue, event tho "discussed" in the media - is NOT being addressed appropriately. I am here to tell you as a first hand witness of soldiers, including my husband, who live with horrific PTSD only to be thrown under the bus by the military when they seek help. We've been at Ft. Bragg for 6 months - he's been back from Afghanistan for just over a year - and in this short time he's basically had 5 nervous breakdowns. The military tells the spouses to inform the Chain of Command - or as in this article, call a number - but it's a joke. I've notified the appropriate people NUMEROUS times to get help for my husband and what came of it? Seeing a therapist once every 3-4 weeks, lax monitoring of his medication (he voluntarily went off of his heavily prescribed anti-depressants on his own - and NO ONW KNEW) - emotional highs and lows, raging, isolation, anti-social behaviors, et al. Thats it? That's all, Uncle Sam? I'll make the call but you better answer your damn phone and do something about it.
I won't even get into a very close personal friend who suffered so desperately from PTSD that he began to self medicate with excessive drinking, just to cope with his nightmares. He KNEW it was a problem so he VOLUNTARILY sought help with the appropriate mental health professionals to avoid drinking problems personally and professionally. What became of him? Well, the "Army" sent him to ASAP (Alcohol and Substance Abuse Program) and then FLAGGED his medical records so he could not get the medication he needed to deal with his PTSD. How's that for a slap in the face? He ended up ASKING the Army for a mental health discharge - NOT MEDBOARD, just GET ME OUT CHAPTER, just so he could get the treatment he needed in the CIVILIAN WORLD.
So yes, I'm angry. It's no wonder these soliders are killing themselves. The truth of the matter is, if you live in this military world, you are LUCKY if you are taken seriously or get the help that you need. If the military is understaffed with medical professionals to deal with the stuff - hire more people. It's not like you don't know you've been sending all of these people to war for the last 10 + years. Where's your back up plan, Uncle Sam.
Thanks for nothing.
Why hasn't the federal government required the military to automatically require every returning serviceman to go through a psycological evaluation and follow up mental health assessment for a period of three to six months, depending on need, after returning from active duty status? This evaluation period and any necessary treatment deemed medically necessary should include family members. If every serviceman was required to do this, then the stigma would no longer exist as far as mental health services were concerned and these unnecessary suicides would decline. I can't believe it is 2013 and this is still going on. These men and women are needed to help fight wars entered into by our government, but when it comes down to their needs upon returning from war, where the hell is our government?
Reserves isnt much better. So you tell your chain of command you are having issues or feeling suicidal, they have you submit a discharge packet or if your full time reserve or guard they force you to resign.. so taking away a persons job if its part time of full time is going to make them feel less suicidal?? wt?? wow yea thanks.
Ft. Bragg Wife - I am so very sorry for what you are going thru. I thank your husband for his service and I thank you for your sacrifice. I pray that you and your family find help to find a way thru this. Since he served in Afghanistan, try contacting IAVA.org (Iraq & Afghanistan Vets of America). Founded by a prior special forces guy - he's been there and knows the struggle. It's a small non profit, but they are there as a resource for these vets. Don't stop fighting for your husband - he fought for us. God Speed.
Ft. Bragg Wife - sometimes there are services available on a sliding scale in the private sector. Ask around. If you reside near a university, many times services are available for next to nothing for upcoming professionals/doctors. This can at least provide some services to fill in the gap. Hang in there. I hope there will be a day when your family can feel the sunshine again. :)
I lost a veteran friend years ago to suicide. He was a wonderful, kind and patient young man who saw too much evil and destruction, and, in the line of duty, "did things" that tormented his mind and soul when he returned home. I think some people are not "warrior" by spirit and in temperament and their battle experiences are too much for them to bear. It saddens me greatly that those who protect us are not protected themselves when they return home.
How many of these people were being 'treated' with anti depressants - when are we going to take an honest look at what these drugs may be causing in the military and in the general population - they may not only increase suicidal thoughts - they may very well be increasing homicidal and violent thoughts as well- wake up America - a magic pill isn't the answer to depression
Wow! Another feather in Obama's cap. Since he's been Commander in Chief, not only are there a record number of suicides, the number 1 crime problem in the military is male on male sexual assault. That's right, man rape. As if our soldiers don't have enough pressures fighting the enemy, Mr. Obama made sure their lives would be more difficult with his homosexual agenda. No wonder our soldiers are depressed. May God grant us repentance and saving from this wicked administration.
YOU are such a loser! What did Jesus say(I am sure that he was thinking directly of you)? Pull the "log" out of your own a$$ before commenting on your lame theory of male on male sexual assault. You are asking that God accept our request for repentance(as a nation)? Who are you? A runaway turd in someones toilet?
fc.....your thinking is not only unkind and judgmental, it is incorrect. Male on male assault in the military is not a problem.....your homophobia is a problem for yourself. Do some research, re-educate your "junk bible" understanding, and get a grip on your own spirituality.
Holy Jesus. How do you attribute man rape to the current POTUS is beyond me, but since I spent 8.5 yrs active and 1.5 yrs Reserves at the times of two totally different Presidents, I'm going to say that sexual assault reports have improved so that victims feel more comfortable reporting incidents to authorities based on policy? I know this because I sat through the briefings. If you sat through the briefings as well, we can discuss some things. I appreciate how non-military citizens empathize with the issues of military men and women. But, it is hard for some people to have credibility when they have never spent day one in the military, and know nothing about who these people are. And, women are overwhelmingly overlooked when it comes to issues of sexual assault or mental health issues. This is coming from a Veteran who worked in a VA women's health clinic, as well as a call center and clinic for non-gender specific Vets. This isn't like the Vietnam era where we ignore our Vets. No, The VA wants Vets to sign up for healthcare for the moolah. But, then they have a 60 day waiting period before that Vet can see a primary care provider. And, you can't see a mental health specialist without an initial visit to your PCM. Then, you have the jaded VA people who don't give a damn about Vets, but just care about their next pay check. So, they may not go through the extra steps to see if the Vet needs immediate help. The whole process is @!$%#ed, and few people in Washington DC care. So, until public opinion changes and the direction in the vote in people who actually care about Vets, this suicide prob won't get solved. Not to mention many employers discriminate against Vets because of PTSD or TBI or whatever. Like I said, it ain't like Vietnam, but things are still not as good as they should be. Take a well-educated Veteran and an Harvard grad both equally qualified for a job, the company will take the civilian because they feel the Vet is a liability. Even though the military produces some of the best leaders and workers in existence. If you think all this is cray, write your government representative and make difference.
According to a recently retired army senior officer, male sexual assault in the miitary has become widespread. Nothing is done when young service members are raped and they report the assault. They are put in a situation where suicide seems like the only way out. Thank you OBama and thank you Mr. St. Clair who wrote a book about his sexual relations with OBama in Chicago.
Let's be honest, war is stressful. Hence, the suicides are not necessarily a result of mental illness. It could be the result of living in tents, eating meals-ready-to-enjoy (MRE), and doing the thankless job of risking their lives for people who don't want them in their country, and who wish they were dead.
Add to that the fact that they are away from their families - wives, children, parents - and it could be just the right mix to push them to take their life.
Well then I wonder how many suicides there were due to the Vietnam war. They did not get 3 meals a day, no showers, no beds. My husband ate WWII rations he had to scrape the mold off of before he could eat. One Christmas he got a can of corn he ate out in the field. Those soldiers got absolutely no mental health treatment when they came back. Not to mention that Vietnam was fought face to face, up close and personal. Then upon their return from a war they were drafted into, they were spit on.
Nam combat tours 12 months, OEF/OIF combat tour 18 months (or longer). You are comparing apples to oranges... U.S. Civil War veterans (on both sides) would scoff at WWII veteran hardships using your logic...
When I was in the Marines in 1968, my staff NCO committed suicide. It gives you a weird feeling. He served in Viet Nam. PST, agent orange aside, when he came back he had a horrible car accident in which his son was killed and they attribute that to his suicide. Still, he was an alcholic so I often wondered.
Before enlistment, is there a screening done for mental fitness (any psychiatric issues beforehand)?
Also, there is the issue of divorce which can put anyone into a downward spiral; if someone didn't have psychiatric or drinking problem before, this can do it.
Even if so, witnessing or being part of an "event" can change the hardest person in an instant. There is no fail-safe/in-depth MH screening prior to enlistment...
Mission preparation and focus, counseling, family, friend, chain of command, community and veteran groups support are the best defenses IMO.
Susan, sadly it does not matter what they truly find. If a person is medically cleared as sane, and has no past history, nor family history this does not mean that at some point during deployment they are going to see something so horrific, that it is going to change their lives. It's going to cause a part of them to break, whether they want to admit it or not. Some try to stay strong, and some turn away helping hands when offered. It's hard.
At best, there needs to be more services available to our men, and women who serve in the military. They are doing their best, we should have their back and do the best we can to be there for them when they need us.
If Biden and Obama put half as much effort into this tragect problem as they are putting into gun control maybe something good will come to help our active duty and Vets service folks.
Yeah. Never mind Chicken Hawk Cheney or how Bush relates to all fo this.
Rob99,
Ok, tell me, how do Bush and Cheney relate to this now?
Rob I'll reply for you if you don't mind.
NC: Bush and Cheney relate to this now because gun control, vets and Obama are related as well. I don't know, maybe the President thingy.
B.S. Iraq invasion coupled with the "do more with less" vision did not help with some of these stats...
I was medivaced from Iraq to Walter Reed when I was wounded had surgery to ate after the surgery I was discharged. Then it took 18 months to get into the system I had to gt 6 certified letters from six different individuls that saw me in Iraq before I saw the first of 6 comp and pen Doctors. Plus I had to get someone to help with the paper work since my TBI was moderate you would think that you go from combat to surgery you would get into the system it is a joke and I lost my house my truck was repoed on christmass eve my wife left me and I lost 80% of my income I would like to see Ohbama survive of course he would not fight for our rights anyways he is takening them away. Then they give you a 1.7% yearly raise come on you can pay Iraqi prisoners 5 mill and an American solider just enough to not qualify for food stamps what does america do to help them /us want to live NOTHING.
Kelly, I'm so sorry to hear that. This country is so screwed up anymore. Instead of cutting foreign aid and corporate welfare, they got after Social Security recipients, even though Social Security has been raided for years. Basically, nobody cares anymore and it's so sad. I wish you well and will include you in my prayers that things will pick for you for the better. My nephew, a very smart guy and an Army Ranger has had problems finding jobs here in the states even with all his skills and smarts. Doesn't matter. As soon as he got home from Afghanistan, his car slid on the ice and the cops wanted to arrest him for suspected DUI! Welcome home soldier! He had not been drinking at all.
That is BS. Kelly you need to write your congressman and more. I am sorry and ashamed you have been mistreated like this.
Kelly thanks for telling it how it is. I hope things improve for you and thankyou for your service. You do not deserve that type of treatment.
:( Dang Kelly, I'm sorry man. That's awful. I wish this country would do more for our servicemen and women. I remember working in the ER, asked someone for insurance and they broke down. It killed me because they were military, and I mean were but no longer and their benefits were stripped.
I cannot believe the sacrifice we ask you, and other servicemen and women to make and then treat you like crap. Our country has its priorities backwards. Military personal, volunteered or drafted should receive more then what they do.
This past summer, my daughter's ex-fiance committed suicide because he did not want to go to Court Martial for what he had done to my daughter. He was two weeks away from being sent to prison. Then the Air Force gave him a full military Honors Burial after he admitted to stealing 2 bricks of C-4 from his unit and blew himself up. This young man should have been watched by his commander because he was a ticking time bomb. He was scared, confused and needed help and no one would give him the help he needed. He was an Alcoholic who needed help from this. His alcohol use was the reason why he did the things to my daughter and tried to kill her that night 1 year ago. This was not his first attempt at hurting her. He admitted in his suicide letter everything he did to my daughter and that he was guilty of stealing from the Air Force, and the Military still gave him an honor burial. I understand Mental Illness and PTSD but this was not justified. This crime by this soldier was never justified and my daughter will never have closure because this young man made sure that she was the last one he talked to seconds before he blew himself up. This was a tragedy and I am so so very sorry for his family. I never wanted this young man to take his life. We just wanted justice for my daughter and were never given any and then when he was buried with honors in a military cemetery it was a Slap In The Face for her. I questioned the Air Force before leaving the base after the article 32 hearing if they would relieve him of duties because of his job and they said NO.. I saw this young man as he ran past us that day when he knew he was guilty. He was crying for his actions and having to look at all the evidence of what he did to my daughter. I knew then he was going to kill himself and I told this to the authorities. They thought I was being over dramatic but as a mother and of a child who tried to kill himself, I knew. The military is just brushing this epidemic under the table and it needs to be addressed. This suicide should have never happened. This young man should be alive today. Yes he screwed up, but you admit your mistakes, take your punishment and move on. He felt he had no way out. Suicide is not a way out. You are just leaving all of your problems for someone else to deal with and try to understand. This was the Cowards way out of the situation. I believe that the Military Commanders are trying to be "Too Politically Correct" and not Doing their Jobs. They are not protecting these service men and looking out for their well beings. They don't care that they are Creating Ticking Time Bombs. Wake Up!!!! See what you are doing to our Nation and our Children. Put yourself in someone else' shoes for a change. Put yourself in their shoes and walk their paths and find a Solution not a QUICK FIX!!!
Most politicians refer to it as "falling through the cracks". Er, I want to murder you! I really do, you smug puck (metaphorically...for the dream police of course).
Look, "falling through the cracks" is a term you use for high school kids who are really smart but they never make it to college, or when they finally do, at age 30, they ace it.
A more appropriate term for a military veteran experiencing similar garbage could be called "falling into a canyon". These men and women put their lives on the line for you. All they ask for in return...it's not college...a degree is worth the same as toilet tissue until someone says it isn't....Military people ask for something much simpler...opportunity. All they ask for is opportunity. The VA refers to it as gainful employment.
Let's explore gainful employment. My first paycheck as an E1 in boot (in boot, they divide pay up into paychecks every two weeks so as to accomodate paying for your own boot gear...not the normal once a month). Anyway, my first paycheck in boot paid more than I had ever been paid by any job in Florida...and I had worked under the table, hanging drywall, in the summers in high school, and worked legitimate full time jobs (one was for two years as a certified nursing assistant) for nearly four years prior to enlistment. That was minimum wage...and if I was not living in my mothers trailer I wouldn't have been able to make it. So I guess that means minimum wage is NOT gainful employment...no matter how much crack a politician wants to smoke.
What other options do military veterans have? Well some are lucky enough to qualify for disability of some kind...because no one...and I mean NO ONE...no one cares.
However, do you think a disability paycheck is really what a military person wants...always at the mercy of some jack wagon extolling "entitlements" and refusing to budge on debt ceiling issues? I think you know the answer. If a veteran has the desire to work, but is FORCED into disability nihlism, he/she has fallen into a canyon, and society should feel shame for having failed in any sense of moral responsibility.
I'm not reading any comments about the actual EXPERIENCE of war in the land of rocks and caves, what american young men and women see and experience, and how that affects them. WAR is the tragedy, our kids are not raised (generally speaking) to be hard core warriors, in fact most are raised in our culture to respect life and others' lives. People need to be QUALIFIED to kill imho.
Being qualified to kill does help a lot.
Suicide has been a special problem in the U.S.A. for a very long time. The United States has a suicide rate as a nation about twice that of most other industrialized countries. The only country that outpaces our suicide rate is Japan which has about double what we have. In Japan there is actually a culturally accepted suicide ritual, so it is no wonder that Japan has a higher rate.
Military life differs from civilian life in many important ways. One is that a member of the military swears to be subject to all of the lawful orders of his superiors, including the ones that may put his life in jeopardy. A member of the military gives up some of his constitutional rights, and is subject to the Uniform Code Of Military Justice. The stresses put upon a soldier in peace time are bad enough, but the stress of war can easily put permanent scars upon the mind and heart of a man or woman who is not mentally tough and mentally tempered such as General George S. Patton.
Have you ever seen the movie about General Patton? Did you see the scene where the Army doctors bring a man suffering from "shell shock" to General Patton? The scene is one of the most ugly things I have ever seen, and yet it is an accurate portrayal of military realities. War is Hell. And General Patton understood that the side that gave the most hell to the other side would win. He understood that it is much better to let the enemy die for his country, than visa-versa. War is an ugly, hellish business, and the military is all about making hell for the enemies of our country. In order to accomplish that mission, the young soldiers are hardened in many ways, and some of the men crack because they are, after all, only human.
When I got out of the service 20 years ago it was a token 10% PTSD rating and if you wanted they could hook you on the latest antidepressants. Today they have come a long way to helping these guys deal with PTSD and it is MUCH better than it was 20 years ago as just now I am back at the VA finally getting help for it. The problem is that these guys are coming home to a crappy economy, spent way too much time in combat and had their hands tied the entire time. We should not be fighting wars like we do. If you mess with us we should level your cities and clean up the floor with our enemies. If we are not going to do that then stay out of the fight. These guys attack one minute and kill your friend and the next hop back into their village and you can't do anything about it? In WWII we leveled entire cities for a lot less. Did we not learn a damned thing from Vietnam? I guess we did and that is how to prolong war...I guess it means more money for someone. Shame
It should be unthinkable for any country to want to go to war with us. We would have a lot less problems if it was and a lot less wars.
This sorry government of ours sends our best and brightest to die doing nation building when they should only fight to protect this sovereign nation. They have pissed away lives and treasure for way to long and we need to put a stop to their foolishness. We take are young patriots and put them harms way for some fat cat, when will we stop sending our brave young to hell and back for no good reason. They go see carnage that no one should ever have to bear, lose their famllies while they are gone, go bankrupt, come home to a bad economy, with health issues and this congress with no heart doesn't tend to their needs. Mr. President the buck stops with you save our young from the cut throat actions of our congress.
The cure for this kind of war is we get all the old farts out of the senate and the huse of representatives and their little lackies and put them all on a plane to the Afgan region drop them out in the desert with a months supply of food water ammo and tell them protect that spot no matter what and while they are there do all they can to make friends with their enemies.
I second that motion.
I say when it's time for war, let the "leaders" go to war themselves.
About 90% of them would be clueless and would probably faint from heat stress heat stroke. A lot of them of them are old which is another case for term limits but that is a different argument all together. I would still like to see it though and some of there bitching not feeling good too fukking bad take some Motrin and STFU!
NS.....I am politically active, and I am so TIRED of these old men ruining other peoples' lives......time for so many of them to move on. Term limits??? YES. Required retirement age? YES. They get too damn comfortable for too long and forget why they are there.....