Why Army Suicides Continued to Rise in May, and What We Can Do
The news gets more and more troubling when it comes to Army suicides, which continue on a record pace, according to the latest report. March and April saw 13 suicides each. May saw 17 suicides.
The Army is taking the issue much more seriously, trying to stop the trend. Most notably, Fort Campbell ordered a three-day stand-down for suicide prevention training. And, the Pentagon is trying to offer better counseling for those soldiers who feel like they're going to break down. But, obviously, the military alone can't do everything.
While a lot of attention has been paid to increasing counseling even more, and removing the stigma that troops attach to depression as a weak trait, that's just treating the problem after the fact. The root causes of combat stress leading to suicide are three-fold, mostly out of the hands of our generals, and therefore must be addressed by the Federal government.
First, it isn't just the stress in the field, it's the stress of having to do multiple tours, with very little time at home.
Imagine that you're in the Army and you do a year in Iraq, come home for under a year, are redeployed for another year, come home for a short period, and are sent out again. It's like being in a revolving door moving at supersonic speed, and just when you think you're out and can relax, they throw you back in. Eventually, you don't know which way you're going, or how to make it all stop. For some, sadly, taking their own life becomes the answer.
That's why VoteVets.org long supported the Dwell-Time legislation in the Senate, originally introduced by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) and former Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE). That bill simply says that a servicemember gets as much time at home as he or she gets in the field. That has traditionally been how we rotate troops, but because we were faced with two wars and a smaller, all-volunteer force, we put an unreasonable deployment burden on our troops.
President Obama phasing out Stop Loss is a huge move, and will help, so troops aren't kept active, involuntarily, after their commitment. But the Dwell Time bill is crucial and it needs to be passed and signed, ASAP.
Secondly, we need to much better transition troops from war-life to civilian life, especially when they're in a position to have to redeploy.
More or less, you're on your own when you come home, but still in the military, specifically when you're in the National Guard or Reserves, when you essentially have six months off from any duty when you return from a mobilization. Yes, there is some counseling available, but there isn't any comprehensive program out there to help you with your transition back. And, while most Americans are extremely gracious to our troops, most don't know a person who served, personally. Therefore, they can't relate to what our troops go through as they come and go to and from war. They cannot help troops bridge that gap, mentally, from the field to the homefront (and the disorientation associated with it) no matter how much they care for our troops.
This isn't an area for a charity to handle -- full, comprehensive transitioning must have the full power of the Federal government behind it.
We especially need to focus on ensuring that military doctors and the VA properly diagnose and treat PTSD. VoteVets.org and the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) uncovered an extremely disturbing case of the VA Center in Temple, TX last year. In that case, there was talk of not giving veterans a proper PTSD diagnosis, because of the cost of having to pay disability to those veterans. Then, Mark Benjamin at Salon.com uncovered an extremely similar case involving doctors at Fort Carson, under pressure to deny soldiers PTSD. That needs to end.
Third, the band-aid of drugs is not an answer.
Last year, VoteVets.org worked with TIME magazine to break the story about our Medicated Army. One of our own members, Chris LeJeune, talked in frank detail about being given anti-depressants in the field, and how they're essentially given out like candy, so we can simply have as many bodies in the field as we need.
Anyone who knows anything about anti-depressants knows that they're supposed to be used for those with a legitimate chemical imbalance, or those in therapy who need a temporary bridge. They're not supposed to be used as happy pills for those dealing with PTSD who are constantly forced to reengage what sets off that PTSD. That may mask some symptoms, but inside the mind, it allows PTSD, stress, and depression to continue to grow, exponentially.
Again, the military is getting better at offering real counseling to those in the field. However, as we tragically saw just a short time ago with the killings at Camp Liberty, we have to do a better job at prevention. And, at the very least, if there is someone for which combat stress is a problem, we should not hesitate to send those troops home. Keeping them armed with a weapon, dealing with a 360 degree battlefield does not do our military well, or the civilians in the lands we're fighting well.
None of this is to say that the military is ignoring the issue, or that the blood of suicide victims lies on their hands. But, we have to do more. And, it cannot focus on only treating problems when they happen. Nor can we pretend that civilians in Washington don't bear some of the burden here, who still need to do more to lessen the burden we've placed on our men and women in uniform. We have to focus on giving the military and VA every tool we possibly can to help face the root causes of PTSD, combat stress, and depression, to prevent those things from fomenting.
I hope we do, and I hope that the string of bad news on this issue soon comes to an end.
Follow Jon Soltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jonsoltz
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Once again Jon, thank you. You bring to light issues that need to be much closer to the forefront than they are right now.
My father served in the military for 22 years, and after his second tour in Iraq he was just not the same for a while. He was not properly treated for his PTSD, and I will never forget watching him spiral into a deep depression. After he and my mom separated, he finally asked for help (something he is not used to doing- he's as tough as they come) and thankfully received it. But it should not have gotten to the point it did. The effects on him and my family left lasting scars.
In summary, the treatment of veterans is an issue I hold close to my heart. Thank you.
The number of members in the 'Volunteer' military, would not dwindle if it were not for the for the taxpayer financed outfits like Halliburton/Kellog, Brown and Root (KBR) , Blackwater and other war profiteering enterprises.
The Pentagon turns out a good military and Congress funds private corporations to 'recruit' the professional, volunteer, GIs.
Members of congress accepting campaign funds from these corrupt corporations should be voted out.
The 'Volunteer' military is just a group of people soon to be hired by CEO's that have had "better things to do" when they were called to serve in war.
Well, if you folks really want to bring the troops home, you're going to have to do something about it-- such as turn off the the television sets and the computers and get thee out onto the streets.
Imagine coming home, knowing that Title 38 Section 3-340 is there waiting for you. You know that you will never earn less than $11,181 per year if you take your earned VA Pension. Know that when you fill out VA form 21-8940, you will move onto your VA Pension, and when your situation improves, you can move off your pension, but it will always be there when you need it. That is what America has done for its veterans.
So, how come no one speaks about this life saver? How come veterans have no clue this benefit exists? Why are there some 250,000 homeless veterans sleeping on our nation's streets on any given night? I call that crimes against veterans. What do you call it?
Jon I applaud your efforts but bottom line is this most in this country could care less about those who wear or have worn the uniform. They wave their flags and put "Support the troops" magnets on their cars and call it good. They don't care if we receive substandard care at the VA hospitals and we may have to wait month after month to get it. They don't care that Veterans are under compensated for their wounds and injuries that they received in defense of this nation. I live in Rhode Island and what this state offers its veterans is a joke, just look at their site for vets, http://www
Wolf58- that's not true, most people haven't got a clue about how to help, but all across the country people try - collecting phone cards, putting together care packages. It's not enough, but people just don't know. And the media is not telling them. It's amazing...
Might another factor be that civilian life in america is offering less and less for our soldiers.
Perhaps this is my own prejudice or problem, but I find what our society has become somewhat depressing itself these days… there is not much out there to “hang ones hat on”, so to speak.
They come back... but what have they got ?
I'm so sorry that young people are being used up and tossed away like this.
I'm a disabled Veteran of the Vietnam War, and sadly this has been going on for ever, In Vietnam we had a joke:
Marines are like toilet paper.
Use once then throw away.
Or to go back further, a Confederate Solider said:
"Rich man's war, poor man's fight!"
Bush, Cheney and all the Neo-cons who started this war avoided service in Vietnam, and made out like bandits, we poor dumb Bastards who did the fighting have been treated like sh*t
Amen. They just do not care. "Take care of #1" is their motto.
The serious ones we get are the PTSD soldiers who need more than is given in the field now before they kill themselves. The count also doesn't include our soldiers who kill themselves after being discharged due to PTSD. The whole system is a mess and I hope someone can come up with a real solution and not the bandaids. Too many of the soldiers we get with PTSD do not talk until it's critical and they do not want the drugs in the field as they don't want to lose the edge and they do not like the idea of the guy covering their back to be on meds either. The idea we are helping these soldiers is still not real/true as the guesswork at the hospital level on what to do and how to treat is still happening in our hospitals. Only a small handful of places truly are dedicated to PTSD and too many are allowed to stay quiet and not to talk about where they have been. Most do not talk to those they were deployed with to not have to hear what they can't or will not face. They are afraid of what they might not be able to control. This must change as I do not want anyone leaving our ward to kill themselves and I fear when I see them leave if they might.
Suicide is a horrible thing, even one case is not acceptable. Who is to say what drives us and what creates all the facets of the human condition, the stresses of war are certainly not an easy thing to deal with. The stresses of family, school, society are no picnic either. The politicization of this issue is a horrible thing. The politicization of this issue with false statistics is absolutely disgusting. The suicide rate in the military is comparable to the suicide rates of the same demographics among civilians. Civilians have MUCH higher suicide attempted rates. The author is presenting data in a misleading and incomplete fashion to push a political agenda, and that is sad when you consider how terrible suicide is, military or civilian. The author should be ashamed.
You have obviously have never been in combat. You should be ashamed for minimising this unnecessary tragedy, or better yet, join up, pull a tour in Iraq, and then come back and tell us all about it!
did you even read my post? i think EVERY case of suicide is a tragedy. I am no way minimizing it at all, quite the opposite. You are making assumptions that you know nothing about concerning what I may or may not have done. My point was that ALL suicides are a tragedy, and that politicizing the issue is wrong.
The troops are not the only ones being dispensed these drugs like candy. I find it so scary to see how are doctors are practicing medicine these days. All you do is tell them you are having a bad day and they whip out the medical pad. Truly truly scary
By the way, my friend and I wanted to send letters of support to the troops on active duty, maybe find pen pals, but I discovered it would have been easier to find a prison pen pal than it would be to contact the troops. There is something a bit twisted about that. I have found a number of places to donate money to send care packages which is a wonderful thing to do but it alienates those of us who can't really afford much more than the postage on the personal letters we want to send in this current economic climate. If anyone can help me out, if you know a site or somewhere that letters can be sent to be passed around to the troops (like when a school class sends the troops thank you letters) please help me out and I encourage everyone to support the troops and show them love for putting their lives at risk for our government and our country. I may not have been in favor of the war but I will alway support those fighting for us!
Thank you AnnaMay for your post. Very thoughtful.
"If anyone can help me out, if you know a site or somewhere that letters can be sent to be passed around to the troops (like when a school class sends the troops thank you letters) please help me out and I encourage everyone to support the troops and show them love for putting their lives at risk for our government and our country."
Wonderful idea. And I would like to participate.
Let's not forget just how important it is to let our troops know we care! Even for those of us that have been against the war, even for those of us who wish that war and violence never needed to be used to resolve conflict cannot deny that we care about troops and that what we really want is to have them home safely. It can do a world of good to helping morale just to know that we respect what they do for our country and we care about them. It's not everything, obviously professional psychological assistance is incredibly important but every bit we can to do support the men and women who support us abroad can do a world of good.
The best thing to do is get our troops out of Iraq.
You can't give honorable people a dishonorable mission where 100's of thousands of men, women and children are killed needlessly, and then expect medical or psychological treatment to be able to save them from their own demons.
The best treatment for psychological problems for molestation cases in children is to keep them from being molested in the first place. After that, there's always going to be a large number of victims who never seek treatment, never get it, or who aren't helped by it in time.
It's the same for our troops.
Get them out before they are ordered to kill someone who shouldn't have been killed, because once that happens, any decent person will be haunted by it for life.
That's the real tragedy of what we've done to our troops. You can't give honorable people a dishonorable mission and not expect massive numbers of psychological problems to be the result.
The same thing happened in Vietnam and that's why so many of our vets are on the streets. Medical care can't save them all.
Only wise war policy can do that.
Every body wants to be a hero, but then they are not.
Uh oh, so I'm over here fighting a war that most 14 year olds know is nothing but a mechanism for the transfer of wealth from taxpayers to private corporations and they aren't coming home heroes.
Man, that has got to be tough.
Stupid war
Stupider leaders
Stupid sand
I think that the suicide rate will only increase.
it is very much a command problem, what kind of general staff would do this to the troops, they were afraid of loosing a rank and knew if we went to war they would probably gain a star, these boy scouts did it for the money. . . at least we are safe now. . .
1. Be more selective in the recruitment process. It will cause some short term staffing problems but avoid longer term issues.
2. Change the deployment policy. Get the large number of military who are assigned desk jobs throughout the US and get them in the field. Many are officers who are trained to fight but are now doing essentially civilian jobs, fighting turf wars.
3. Decrease the size of troops deployed in Iraq, the time to change is long over due.
Training people not to commit suicide is totally absurd on par with giving people how to cure a hangover.
oldgeek1: I disagree on your comment refer: training: and suggest you check out the Inter Assn of Suicide Researrch. iasr.org: as well as remember that prevention, intervention and postvention have higher success ratios when training is applied as a methodology. Its ethics thats at war with one-self in many cases. Whatever its takes to keep a veteran out of isolation is the first step to success in prevention, intervention and postvention. And the cure for a hang-over.
Respectfully I don't need to check out the web site, I have had the training now twice and I understand a third round is planned.
The problems are even worse than they appear. The death of a solider cannot be hidden so that is a statistic that is hard to ignore. The other discipline and behavior problems are more difficult.
Away from home and family, being fired upon and living in harsh conditions for someone who was or is unprepared or not suited for the Military cannot be fixed with power point slides, talks and counseling in the field.
The statics speak for themselves and the current stress of being deployed is the problem
The current concern is not the suicide rate after discharged, the focus are those troops who are taking their lives while deployed. The issue of PTSD when home is truly of concern and counseling and training may help those, but the current crisis is with the soliders in the field
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