At Least 17 U.S. Troops Commit Suicide Since April

Since April, the military says, at least 17 Americans -- 15 Army soldiers and two Marines -- have taken their own lives in Iraq. The true number is almost certainly higher. At least two dozen non-combat deaths, some of them possible suicides, are under investigation according to an AP review of Army casualty reports.

Whether the suicide rate among the troops should be considered high is impossible to say because there is nothing to compare it with, experts say.

Rudd said that by the Army's calculations, its suicide rate in Iraq is roughly 12 per 100,000 -- well below the civilian suicide rate for U.S. men of 17.5 suicides per 100,000. The comparison is misleading, however.

The civilian rate is an annual figure, and the Iraq figure covers only about seven months. Furthermore, the troops have not yet spent their first holiday season in Iraq -- a time when the risk of suicide is traditionally at its highest.

In all, 422 U.S. troops have died in Iraq. The military has characterized 129 of the deaths as "non-hostile," including 105 since President Bush officially declared major hostilities over on May 1. Most if not all the confirmed suicides occurred after May 1, according to the military. According to an AP analysis of military reports, non-combat deaths include 13 caused by a weapons discharge, two from drowning, one from breathing difficulties and one described only as "medical." An additional 13 are listed with no cause given.

For Rebecca Suell and many of the families of soldiers who are believed to have killed themselves in Iraq, answers are as hard to come by as sleep.

......So what is she supposed to tell Jada, Rebecca Suell said, the next time she asks: "When is my daddy coming home?"


www.kare11.com...


this is sad....very sad...

Gosh...astounding....I wonder what the suicide rate was for the evil-US when they were in Vietnam?
Sad...so sad....


regards
seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
Gosh...astounding....I wonder what the suicide rate was for the evil-US when they were in Vietnam?

Sad...so sad....


regards
seekerof

was for the evil-US

what???

I tried to check for suicide rates during the vietnam war..but it says they did not record them...that does not sound good...

Alarmed by the number of suicides among soldiers in Iraq, the Army has asked a team of doctors to determine whether the stress of combat and long deployments is contributing to the deaths.

"The number of suicides has caused the Army to be concerned," said Lt. Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, a psychiatrist at the Army's Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. Ritchie is helping to investigate the suicides in Iraq. "Is there something different going on in Iraq that we really need to pay attention to?"

In the past seven months, at least 11 soldiers and three Marines have committed suicide in Iraq, military officials say. That is an annual rate of 17 per 100,000. The Navy also is investigating one possible suicide. And about a dozen other Army deaths are under investigation and could include suicides.

The numbers suggest the rate in Iraq is above normal.

"They are ... looking at the stresses on the troops, how well the troops are coping and how well the basic principles of battlefield psychiatry are working," Ritchie said.

Most of the suicides have occurred since May 1, after major combat operations were declared ended.

The Army has sent 478 soldiers home from Iraq for mental-health issues.

The Army responded to a 26% increase in active-duty suicides from 1997 to 1999

sorry forgot the link to the post......


www.usatoday.com...

In Chuck Deans' book, Nam Vet., printed in 1990 by Multnomah Press, Portland, Oregon, 97226, the author states that "Fifty-eight thousand plus died in the Vietnam War. Over 150,000 have committed suicide since the war ended".

The horror does not end when the war does!!!!

"Fifty-eight thousand plus died in the Vietnam War. Over 150,000 have committed suicide since the war ended".

If the estimate of over 150,000 veterans of the Vietnam War having committed suicide since returning home is true, the figure would be almost three times the number killed in the war. When these deaths are added to the 50,000 plus Vietnam War casualties, the number approaches the 292,000 American casualties of World War II.

www.suicidewall.com...

calm down kids...flame for the sake of flames only makes you look like a butt.

Alarmed by the number of suicides among soldiers in Iraq, the Army has asked a team of doctors to determine whether the stress of combat and long deployments is contributing to the deaths.

they don't need to bring in doctors for that. You would think in the thousands of years humans have been warring they would already know the causes...DUH!

Yes, I have about this..it is unfortunate and sad. I believe that the morale needs to be extremely higher if the U.S. plans on making this a long time relationship with Iraq. Unfortunately, I doubt this will happen in peace

-wD

What's the point of this?

When I was in Germany during the "Cold War" (Sorry, but I had hot lead thrown at me, I don't consider that "Cold") kids far from home committed suicide then, too. Did you hear of it then? Of course not, where would be the political edge?
On more than one occasion I heard the sound of a gunshot, and it would be Klause blowing his brain to bits over a Dear Fritz letter, and he was only 4 hours from home, instead of across the darned pond!

Play right into the political game, why don't you?

I tidied up this thread, it was either that or trash it. Any more abuse of members may result in a posting ban.

Too late, Netty. A ban has already occured. A member lost what mind he had.

Rats!
I wanted to get an abusive utu to, so I could ban him ....
I always miss out on the fun...

This is an extremely interesting article sirCyco.
A dear John letter could be devastating to anyone, but more so, under those circumstances. (I would think). My uncles best friend committed suicide in Vietnam. I believe he deliberately stepped on a land mine. My uncle witnessed the whole thing. That's right.... the war isn't over....when the wars over.
I would hope that the military would encourage the troops to talk to someone when they experienced something traumatic. I've seen some horrible things when I was an EMT. If a call was a really bad one we all met at the bay and talked and talked. You never get use to it. I believe if you do...than something is wrong

MountainStar, one of the many things a sergeant does is watch his soldiers for any changes in mental/emotional status. After all, you are talking about kids, still immature and far away from home, no matter how disciplined and trained they are. NCO's go out of their way for their people to make things as comfortable as possible, especially during the holiday season. We made sure that every soldier was not in the barracks by themselves, but in our homes, eating well, drinking well, generally having a good time. For the ones that were on duty, we made sure they were fed well as well. Sure, it was extra work, but our wives were always more than willing to go the extra mile to help out. It is a family. But, as with any family, the unfortunate can happen, and after someone does something stupid, we are all left wondering if we could have done more, or what sign did we miss.