By Cliff Montgomery – Feb. 16th, 2010
Service-member suicides are “definitely” higher than official U.S. Army stats suggest, according to the Soldier’s Advocacy Group of Disposable Warriors, a G.I. activist group based at Fort Hood.
The group probably has a point.
Through October 2009, “the Army, which far and away leads the armed forces in suicides, reported 133 among active-duty soldiers,” according to a New York Times article published in November.
That number put the Army “on pace to surpass last year’s record, 140,” added the Times.
“The Marine Corps, which has the second-largest number, is also likely to have more suicides than last year, 42,” stated the Times.
And suicides among our nation’s military veterans grew by a frightening 26 percent just from 2005 to 2007, according to a January report released by the Veterans Affairs (VA) department.
In March 2009, a Senate Committee on Armed Services subpanel conducted a hearing into this growing problem. Below the American Spark provides quotes from the subcommittee’s chairman, Sen. Ben Nelson (D- NE):
“As the Personnel Subcommittee hearing comes to order, we meet today to receive testimony on the incidence of suicides among United States service-members and initiatives within the Services and the Department of Defense (DOD) to prevent military suicides. […]
“We’ve been alarmed, like the rest of the Country, at the rising rates of suicide by military service-members. Between 2007 and 2008, suicide rates per 100,000 personnel have increased in every Service: from 16.8 to an estimated 20.2 in the Army, from 11.1 to 11.6 in the Navy, from 16.5 to 19 in the Marine Corps, and from 10 to 11.5 in the Air Force. These numbers indicate that, despite the Services’ best efforts, there’s still much work to be done to prevent military suicides.
“Each of these deaths marks a life filled with potential but cut short by personal torment. Each marks a family confronted by loss and grief. Each marks the sad end of an American who nobly served our Country and preserved the freedoms we all cherish. Each marks the responsibility we all have to our men and women in uniform today to help those who are troubled so that they don’t become the tragedies of tomorrow.
“About a year ago, on February 27, 2008, we held a Personnel Subcommittee hearing where the issue of suicide was discussed. I raised several points that I felt needed further explanation, and I asked personnel leaders of the Service branches to discuss their suicide prevention programs, the challenges they face, and successes they had achieved. I was told that there was a focus on removing the stigma associated with seeking mental health support, and that there was no data tracking the high operations tempo with an increase in suicides.
“So, one purpose of this hearing is to find out where we stand on those issues, what progress has been made, if any, to reduce military suicides, what challenges remain, and to determine whether Congress needs to take any action to reduce these troubling incidents in the future.
“We know that more is needed, and it’s needed now. That’s why we’re here today because the suicide rates are going up, not down. The question is: What can we do right now to address this problem?
“There are several risk factors that experts say may increase a person’s risk of committing suicide, regardless of whether they’re military or civilian. Financial troubles, marital and relationship issues, and legal or disciplinary problems are all common factors to incidents of suicide.
“In addition to these common factors, military service adds unique stressors. Undoubtedly, repeated and extended deployments and the intensity of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are taking a toll on the mental health of our troops and their families.
“This hearing will help all of us understand what initiatives and programs each Service, as well as the DOD, has in place to prevent suicide among service-members, and what improvements can be made.
“We know there’s a shortage of mental health providers, that a stigma still lingers in the military—and in our culture, for that matter—against seeking mental health help, and that we’re not doing enough to treat overall force wellness.
“Approximately 2 years ago, the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury was created. I want to understand what we can do today to treat and care for our service-members to ensure the overall health and wellness of our Armed Forces. […]
“We look forward to learning what policies, programs, and initiatives each of the Services, as well as DOD, has implemented and identified to ensure that our service-members in both the Active Duty and Reserve components, and their families, remain resilient, and that our All-Volunteer Force can continue to perform its mission, with the help and support of the services that they need and deserve.”
