New Report: Military Losing the Battle Against Suicide - 18 veteran suicides a day

[1776Forever]

New Report: Military Losing the Battle Against Suicide
Nov 2, 2011 6:00am

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/11/new-report-military-losing-the-battle-against-suicide/

Between 2005 to 2010, a U.S. service member took his or her own life every 36 hours, according to a new report by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).

“Although only 1 percent of Americans have served in the military, former service members represent 20 percent of suicides in the United States,” the report stated.

Military suicide has risen over the past 10 years, with an estimated 18 veteran suicides a day. However, the report’s authors say the true number is unknown.

“As more American troops return home from war, this issue will require increasingly urgent attention,” the report summary warned.

(more at link)

.................

This is a disgrace!

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. Unacceptable.

[lonestarnot]

7. Totally unacceptable!

[MedleyMisty]

2. The psychopaths need to be taken out of power

I came pretty close to suicide when I worked in fast food. I barely got to see my husband, I never knew what my schedule was going to be week to week, and it ate at my soul. I tried to switch shifts so I could just see my husband for a few hours, and I got called in to work anyway. I was crying and screaming and throwing things around while I was getting into my uniform, and my husband told me to just go ahead and quit, that we'd make it somehow and it wasn't worth that.

I imagine the military is like that, only a billion times worse. And the way that our government has used them and stretched them and kept them deployed for years - I think I read about someone who had been on 14 deployments recently! - it makes sense.

Here's an idea. If you know a veteran, encourage them to stop by an Occupy camp or to check out what their branch of the military is doing in Occupy. Pretty much all the branches have an Occupy twitter account - OccupyMarines, OccupyArmy, etc., which could be a place to start. Maybe the sense of community and the feeling of working for change will help them out.

[sammytko]

6. Not really, some like going

Granted I was air force, but we had regular deployment slots we had to fill. You were assigned to a rotation and you might or might not have to go.

I went twice in 18 months.i also got to decide who went. People would beg me to let them go out of cycle. There was only one guy that did everything he could to get out of going, other than hurt himself in some way. Everybody else just went.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Disgraceful, but not new. A similar article two or three years ago says the same thing.

I posted about it in July 2008:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6499809#6499828

18/day.

Sad beyond words.

K/R

[sammytko]

4. How can it be 18 a day when it's one every 36 hours?

Did they mean 18 a month?

[1776Forever]

5. Here's the full report this was based on - it may give you the answer......

Losing the Battle: The Challenge of Military SuicideAuthors: Dr. Margaret C. Harrell, Nancy Berglass
Type of Publication: Policy Brief
Date: 10/31/2011

http://www.cnas.org/losingthebattle

[azul]

8. 18 veterans/day, 1 service member per 1 1/2 days.

Though total unknown.

Loss of the will to live is the worst illness known to man: hopelessness.

Sadness