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Soldier suicides decline slightly at JBLM, first drop since 2007
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/01/17/2998862/soldier-suicides-decline-slightly.htmlSoldier suicides decline slightly at JBLM, first drop since 2007
By ADAM ASHTON
Staff writer
January 17, 2014
Joint Base Lewis-McChord recorded a small decline in soldier suicides in 2013, marking its first drop in self-inflicted deaths since 2007.
As many as 12 soldiers at the base took their own lives last year, down from 13 in each of the two previous years, according to the I Corps. Two of the deaths are confirmed as suicides and 10 remain under investigation.
While the numbers appear to have held fairly steady, Lewis-McChord’s stateside population grew dramatically between 2012 and 2013.
In 2012, all three of the base’s Stryker brigades deployed to Afghanistan at different times. Each took between 3,500 soldiers and 4,500 soldiers. By contrast, the base was full for most of 2013 with about 34,000 active-duty troops at home.