Army's largest base reeling from four apparent suicides in one weekend

[whopis01]

Source: CNN

Four soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas died over the week. In all four cases, it appears the soldiers, all decorated veterans from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, took their own lives, according to Christopher Haug, a Fort Hood spokesman.

If confirmed as suicides, it would be on top of 14 other suicides on the base this year. Base officials called a news conference for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the problem of suicides at the huge base in central Texas.

"Every one of these is tragic," said Maj. Gen. William Grimsley, the post commander. "It's personally and professionally frustrating as a leader."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/29/texas.fort.hood.deaths/index.html?hpt=T2

[Solly Mack]

1. k&r

[Hell Hath No Fury]

2. These are the war casualties --

they don't like to talk much about.

[Demoiselle]

3. Exactly right. This is utterly heartbreaking.

[aquart]

10. Agreed.

[Xenotime]

4. This is why Obama needs to deliver on his promise to end the wars

[saigon68]

19. Nope he's captive to Corporate Bullying

Almost $2 Trillion dollars spent on propping up thug puppets of Capitalism around the world.

This November is going to open a lot of eyes

[greiner3]

5. "It's personally and professionally frustrating as a leader."

At least we get an honest opinion. When the Guantanimo Bay prisoner committed suicide he was called a terrorist for killing himself. This is not a quote but I remember a news briefing on this topic.

[laurel46]

6. Our military is incompetent and more should say this.

Outrageous amounts of money and the most advanced technology but still, the military has been a complete failure. Why are we paying so many taxes with this type of out come. Half of our taxes are going to driving our own young men and women to suicide and killing massive numbers of foreign civilians in order to go after a negligible number of enemies. I wish I had the courage to stop paying half of my taxes and I am sure that if the citizens of the usa could organize, most of us would refuse to pay for this incompetent and corrupt industry that kills us and spies on us and others.

Do our military leaders have no shame or humanity left?

[Moonbat2]

7. make cupcakes

not war:hippie:

[defendandprotect]

12. But purpose is not to win this immoral/illegal war ... the purpose is perpetual war .... !!!

[ixion]

8. The effect of Endless War on a standing Army

it's not like it should come as a surprise.

[Supersedeas]

17. the war is multi-dimensional...and conceiving any real justice in it, whether you are a public

school teacher (ie. S.F. teacher who committed suicide) or a soldier...the current appreciation allocated to working class people for their sacrifice is utterly lacking...it is sad really.

[harun]

9. Obama should give our service members the same time off rules the UK gets.

[defendandprotect]

11. Drug/Alcohol abuse in ranks -- Sexual Assaults tripled -- Suicides tripled .... !!!

In Iraq, for example, from a report filed by McClatchy’s Washington Bureau on September 17th:

•Drug and alcohol abuse in the ranks, and the associated misdemeanor offenses, have risen alarmingly
in the nine-year course of the war. "Drug and alcohol abuse is a significant health problem in the Army," stated a 350-page report the Army released in July.

•Sexual assault tripled in the period 2001-2009; and most telling:

•So did suicide. There were 148 Army suicides in the first six months of this year and the toll is expected to surpass last year’s grim total of 160.

Moreover, record numbers of veterans from both wars “broken,” dysfunctional, unable to work, to stay in relationships, or out of jail.

[bertman]

13. So tragic and sad. Yet today I read that Def Sec Gates says we need to

cut pay and benefits for our military personnel due to the deficit.

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!! Cut the goddam wars. Close the frickin' overseas bases that are just pissing off the locals. Stop funding corporate giveaways in the BILLIONS of dollars, but DON'T CUT THE PAY AND BENEFITS.

This just shows the absolutely arrogant and heartless nature of those who are considered our leaders.

[MadMaddie]

14. If Gates said that he should be gone

what a disgrace. These soldiars barely make enough to live off of base which many are forced to because there is never enough base housing. We have thousands of military families on welfare....that is a fucking travesty.

I never liked Gates.

[flyarm]

15. Gates was a fucking joke and pig when Bush brought him in!

[COLGATE4]

16. These poor kids are coming back from Iraq/Afghanistan

more fucked up than their counterparts from Nam. The Army and VA need to get it in gear to deal with which seems to be a burgeoning problem.

[Crowman1979]

18. And to make matters worse, they get stuck at Fort Hood!

Which is a shithole from what I hear.