What are our soldiers seeing in Iraq?

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/02/01/military.suicides/

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Every day, five U.S. soldiers try to kill themselves. Before the Iraq war began, that figure was less than one suicide attempt a day.

The dramatic increase is revealed in new U.S. Army figures, which show 2,100 soldiers tried to commit suicide in 2007.

"Suicide attempts are rising and have risen over the last five years," said Col. Elspeth Cameron-Ritchie, an Army psychiatrist.

Concern over the rate of suicide attempts prompted Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, to introduce legislation Thursday to improve the military's suicide-prevention programs.


Maybe it is this?

http://images.google.com/images?svnum=100&hl=en&lr=&safe=off&rls=GGGL%2CGGGL%3A2006-22%2CGGGL%3Aen&q=iraq+blood&btnG=Search

[EFerrari]

1. What kind of joint is this that these young people would rather kill themselves

than buck the system to process out?

:shrug:

[tekisui]

8. Brainwashing and coercion.

They are indoctrinated and then have their precious "benefits" dangled in front of their faces.

[seemslikeadream]

2. Pentagon Cover Up *****15,000 OR MORE US DEATHS IN THE IRAQ WAR?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=2303879


http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney11172007.html

Pentagon Cover Up
15,000 or More US Deaths in Iraq War?


....

The Pentagon was covering up the real magnitude of the "suicide epidemic". Following an exhaustive investigation of veterans' suicide data collected from 45 states; CBS discovered that in 2005 alone "there were at least 6,256 among those who served in the armed forces. That's 120 each and every week in just one year."

That is not a typo. Active and retired military personnel, mostly young veterans between the ages of 20 to 24, are returning from combat and killing themselves in record numbers. We can assume that "multiple-tours of duty" in a war-zone have precipitated a mental health crisis of which the public is entirely unaware and which the Pentagon is in total denial.

If we add the 6,256 suicide victims from 2005 to the "official" 3,865 reported combat casualties; we get a sum of 10,121. Even a low-ball estimate of similar 2004 and 2006 suicide figures, would mean that the total number of US casualties from the Iraq war now exceed 15,000.

That's right; 15,000 dead US servicemen and women in a war that--as yet--has no legal or moral justification.

CBS interviewed Dr. Ira Katz, the head of mental health at the Department of Veteran Affairs. Katz attempted to minimize the surge in veteran suicides saying, "There is no epidemic of suicide in the VA, but suicide is a major problem."

[malaise]

4. My only question is when will Bush

commit suicide. How does that murderer sleep?

[King Coal]

6. Did you ever consider that Bush may be a pawn? He's not very bright, you know.

[King Coal]

7. It's the collateral victims that get to them. I can't stand to see the pictures of the little kids.

[libodem]

3. We had a young Marine

shoot himself in Caldwell a couple of weeks ago. He had done one tour and was being sent back. No personal details were aired to prying eyes. He was married and his parents live in Caldwell. He was home on leave. How long can the, Armed Services, expect these young kids, to look straight ahead, hold there mouths in a stiff line, and not think about anything, except to follow orders. You can't sew something shut and keep stuffing it full with out the seams coming apart somewhere. My dear tender nephew is serving his second tour in Iraq right now, with the Army. I pray night and day for his spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional safety. I pray for all our troops to come home now and get the help they need.

[mvccd1000]

5. Any is too many...

But I'm curious as to how the suicide rate stacks up against other generations, as well as how it stacks up against the civilian rate for the same demographic.

Basically, I'm wondering if this is a large surge in suicides, or just a large story at the moment.

I can remember reading stories like this nearly 20 years ago when I was in the Navy, too.