More US soldiers commit suicide than killed in action.

More US soldiers commit suicide than killed in action.

www.liveleak.com

Here is a shocking statistic that you won’t hear in most western news media: over the past nine years, more US military personnel have taken their own lives than have died in action in either the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan. These are official figures from the US Department of Defence, yet somehow they have not been deemed newsworthy to report. Last year alone, more than 330 serving members of the US armed forces committed suicide – more than the 320 killed in Afghanistan and the 150 who fell in Iraq (see wsws.org).

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 12-1-2010 by Hack28]

This is a real gut check, it has become that the bigger obstacle for US soldiers is the American system.
Whatever it is that is causing the high amount of suicides it is not being addressed, it is not being aknowledged, and the President should have to address why so many members of his standing Military are taking their own lives.

www.liveleak.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is clearly a bump, it is my hope that the moderators find it as saddening as I that peoples depression over not going to a fake planet is being more discussed than this.
Thankyou

Thank you for posting this.

Many soldiers have been over there far longer than they expected. It must take its toll, psychologically. People were not meant to live in prolonged combat conditions for years on end. Also, some may have ethical or political doubts about their mission, their role, and where their lives are going. How many GFs are going to wait 5 years for you back home? Constant violence or threat of violence unnaturally stresses the nervous and endocrine systems, causing profound depression. There are stories about some troops being given medicatons by the government to help them focus and combat -- I don't know if this is true or not, but if so, that, too, could take its psychological toll. It's a bad situation for everyone involved.

reply to post by silent thunder


Agreed!
The government tells us we are doing so much more than before in regards to taking care of soldiers upon their return and yet we have the same basic issues that have plagued soldiers from all wars.
Its almost become an accepted part of war which is not acceptable. Im going to try and compare statistics versus other countries.

If you can get them, the stats for service members killed in drunk driving accidents are even higher and have been for decades.

Also check this:
American War and Military Operations
Casualties: Lists and Statistics
www.fas.org...

reply to post by Hack28


You have to understand that many people are highly delusional and so fiction will be a priority while reality takes a back seat. I've yet to watch the video but I've read about similar claims before. The problem with these things are we don't truly know the numbers. On one hand they could say "X" died, but in reality it may be "XYZ" but in order to keep support and morale high, they rig the numbers. In saying that I'm not saying the info isn't true, I'm saying things could actually be far more worse then they are letting on.

I have done two different threads on this disturbing trend in the last six months and sadly where it comes to our troops people only seem to care about either rooting them on in gun ho patriotic ways, or blasting them for being involved personally in two unpopular and unjust wars.

When it comes to the politics of our soldiers people care.

When it comes to their well being not so much.

One of the threads I did was on bases closing for a couple days at a time and the troops standing down to do suicide watches/prevention.

Army post shuts down for suicide watch

The other was just the other day on suicide rates amongst veterans being up 26 percent.

Increase in suicide rates of vets

This is a real escalating tragedy that is getting little attention.

Starred and flagged.

The vast majority of 'world leaders' (those responsible for sending troops overseas to slaughter people they've never met, the majority of which are civilians) have NEVER even been in a half-decent slapping match !

Cheyney = multiple draft dodger

Bush junior = multiple draft dodger

Clinton = smirking and playing golf

Hilary = mouthing off/posing off before crowds and cameras, getting her hair styled

Obama = who knows ? He's the 'Enigmatic US Pres' with shrouded history. One thing's for sure, with hands like that, he's never done manual labour, let alone face off against even one enemy combatant .. not even an enemy grandmother

Gordon Brown = effete nobody put in power by indoorsy-type, old Rupert Murdoch

Tony Blair = see above for the Clintons and assorted lounge-lizards obsessed with their bank-accounts

Jack Straw = constipated looking creep who'd be shunned if he were a janitor. One harsh word and he'd probably threaten to tell his big brothers

Nixon = ambitious, money-hungry, chip on shoulder who liked watching war movies from the safety of a darkened room

Reagan = words fail

Howard (ex-Oz PM) couldn't even look masculine when dressed for the cameras in 'gone bush' outfits

Rudd (current Oz PM) LOL. Looks and sounds as if he was a failed Barbie Doll prototype, binned because he was WAY too much like Barbie herself


And so on

Kissinger -- how many deaths is he responsible for over the decades. Look at him. His toughest day must have been counting his new millions and having to wait for a taxi to carry him and his cash-stuffed bags to the airport

Sarkozy -- unconvincing glove-puppet

Berlusconi --- reflection of Italians' shallowness and cluelessness

Merkel --- toss a mouse at it and watch it squeal

Medvedev -- another in the current mold of effete, minature glove-puppets safely indoors and surrounded by big, butch body-guards

Putin -- likes to pose semi-naked and glowering in a noticeably EMPTY landscape, stomach and breath held in -- big, butch body-guards just beyond camera-range. Oh ... and ponces around for the cameras in martial-arts outfits when not 'fighting' imported steaks in secure restaurants


The above and other 'world leaders' and their war-mongering advisors send unemployed kids into war zones --- tell them they're 'fighting for freedum' -- give them a snazzy uniform and teach them how to fire a gun -- tell them it's open season and they can be as psychopathic as they choose with a pension and cheap housing loan waiting for them at the end of their tour

The kids discover that the smell of explosing guts and screams of the dying are a little more 'real' than any computer game --- and that these are prone to revisiting the 'conquering heroes' after lights out

all takes it toll

death seems peaceful by comparison

Year Suicides Regular force Rate per 100,000
& reserves


2003 14 86,937 16.1
2004 17 90,772 18.7
2005 17 91,285 18.6
2006 20 96,318 20.7
2007 36 87,000 41.4

****These are the statistics from Canada
Total in 5 years = 104
Average over the 5= 20.8
In that span 74 Canadian soldiers were killed in action an average of 14.8.
This means that in Canada in these 5 years 178 soldiers lost their lives in some way, suicide being accountable for 58%.
** I do not have statistics for suicide rates post 2007, it should be known from 2008-present 64 Canadian soldiers were killed in action.

For the US in 9 years= 330
Average over the 9= 36.67
In this span 470 soldiers have been killed in both Iraq and Afghanistan an average of 52.2. This means 800 soldiers have lost their lives in some way and 41% of the time it was suicide.
(I hope it is not needed to point out that Canada has no stats for Iraq because we never went there)

As i just learned Canada has a higher percentage of military deaths by suicide. This is shocking to me.
I do not intend to lead people to believe i used 9 years for US and 5 for Canada to mislead, hence the percentages and Canadas is much higher.

reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler


Great for you, bringing this to attention so often!!!!
Pretty frustrating that i havent heard about this, im ashamed.

Originally posted by Hack28
reply to post by ProtoplasmicTraveler

 

Great for you, bringing this to attention so often!!!!
Pretty frustrating that i havent heard about this, im ashamed.

It's just something that doesn't get much mainstream press.

It's basically just the sites that cater to the military that publish the stories.

As far as the mainstream news media goes everything is mom, apple pies, and Chevrolets in the fantasy world they feed to the masses.

The troops are getting very poor support and care, mostly just meds to deal with their post traumatic stress. One poster whose a disabled vet who confided he is suicidal on another thread regarding this issue says that he can only see an actual VA pyschologist once every 49 days, and the rest of the time it's interns just perscribing meds and telling him to suck it up and learn to deal with it.

It's really a very shameful situation indeed.

320+150=470

470>330.

so how is that more suicides than KIA?

reply to post by Totalstranger


if your reffering to the title it considers both countries as seperate Wars. Which is ironic considering we are at War with idealogy not a country.
If you look at my numbers above i said that of the 1000 deaths in the Military 41% were suicides.

Amazing Stats and thank you for posting Stars and Flags for you, but, considering that the current US Vet has received two things that my Viet Nam Era Vet buddies did not get and I am amazed that the Stats are that horrific. But then when the lights go out the nightmares begin for anyone who has been put into harms way by the cowards of Washington.

1) We had no history that our government was immoral and who in the end would turn their back on us, along with the American people. Many of us served in the "Viet Nam Vets Against the War" and tired our best to warn future generations of this fact and I guess we failed. If we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.

2) The backing of the American people. I was in my home town not less than 10 minutes before being spat upon. Many of us had difficulties like not getting our protected jobs back and then if lucky to get a new job then having bosses who were hippies whilst we served who made us suffer by their management since they advanced while we marched time. The last time I visited the States was three years ago and was overwhelmed by the support of the American people for the current era vets. I told everyone who gushed with respect for the troops to remember and honour the Vets if this war becomes unpopular like the Viet Nam war became.

It would be nice if someone remembered the 60 - 70's generation Viet Nam era Vets and did a comparison Stats between each era Vets like the above Stats! I remember a Viet Nam Vet in Texas at a VA hospital who shot up the VA hospital with an AR-15 and he had a circle of bayonets around him. For you who do not know what a circle of bayonets represents I will try and explain! It is when all hope has been lost. That is when you are about to be over runned by the enemy and the bayonets are from your fallen friends so when all things hit the fan everywhere he turned was another knife to defend his soon to be extinguished life. Must have been a nightmare for that Viet Nam Vet!

At least the current generation was warned.... and I have not heard in any news that a current era Vet having lost it like the above story and there were many other just as horrific storys back then. May be it has not been long enough for those Stats to hit the press.

In case this sounds like I am bitter I got so fed up with fellow Americans attitudes and treatment that I left America over 26 years ago. I had to go to University to receive a degree as my Union did not protect my old job and I did get an excellent job before leaving but it was harder work than it should have been considering Two Honourable Discharges and a medal for being stupid. I just got tired of being looked at sideways like a war criminal or someone who is about to explode with PTSD. And for my efforts in the "Viet Nam Vets Against the War" I now have the dreaded "SSSS" on my plane tickets when I fly back and forth to visit aged family in the States.... For those who do not know what this means read the excellent book by Naomi Wolf "End of America" and I thank her as from reading it explained why I receive extra attention and extra time being seached in the International section of the airport. I and my fellow members tried to warn the future generation. We did our best. I am more proud of marching with the VVAW than in my old unit in full uniform! Such a price for Freedom to be watched by the cowards of Washington!

[edit on 1/14/2010 by IceHappy]

That's so messed up. More proof that we really need to bring our people home. This fighting is ridiculous and is only helping a very small few and there are definitely more ways to resolve conflicts.

reply to post by Shakesbeer


Totally agree.

Illegal wars, both of them, however, I do support the troops who will suffer the rest of their lives for those unhonourable men and women of Washington and the power brokers who profits from these wars. Long term wars are what "they" are after. Any signs of when we will leave Iraq or Afgan countries? Are there any exit plans? I have not heard of any, just pledges to send more troops and more money for the war efforts. I thought the new president campaign promise was like Nixons a pledge to bring our soldiers home. Both Presidents winning their elections by banking on the support of the families of those who are serving in harms way, desires of having their young people home walking off the plane and not in a box.

American people please continue to support our vets as it is wonderful to see! Its bad enough to do, as a vet, what they have done and to have lived in fear as they have done and for as long as they have, only when coming home to suffer rejection from the people they were led to believe they were protecting. That is a pain too far.

When the wars are over the American people need to pressure the government not to withdraw government support for the VA hospitals as they did after the Viet Nam war. Our heroes need our support and all of the benefits promised after they served, but, most of all, the respect by their people in home towns, schools and jobs. They should never have to apologize for having served.

I can't imagine what some soldiers go through. It must be hard seeing people you trained with, maybe even grew up with killed in action. It must be hard knowing you have to kill, or be killed. It's a shame that many can't cope with it, and hopefully they can find the help they deserve in the future.