War’s Hidden Death Toll: After Service, Veteran Deaths & Suicides Surge

[EFerrari]

As of this month, over 5,700 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. That count does not include those veterans who commit suicide or die from war-related issues after returning home from military service. Well, a new investigation into California veterans and active service members reveals that three times as many veterans are dying soon after returning home than those being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. According to the report published in the Bay Citizen and the New York Times, more than 1,000 California veterans under 35 died between 2005 and 2008.

Guest:
Aaron Glantz, reporter with the Bay Citizen. His article 'After Service, Veteran Deaths Surge' appeared in the New York Times. He is the author of three books, most recently, The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle against America’s Veterans.

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/10/18/wars_hidden_death_toll_after_service

Video, audio, transcript at link.

[G_j]

1. the ripples of suffering from the illegal wars

will span generations. There is no way to measure the damage done.

[EFerrari]

2. This reporter said that there may be more suicides among Viet Nam vets

than there are names on the wall but that nobody knows yet because they haven't been counted.

[G_j]

4. it's like an iceberg

we are just seeing the very tip of it.


damn...my rec just dissappeared.. :mad:

[pinboy3niner]

8. That statement has been used for decades

But nobody was collecting data to actually determine the number of suicides among VN vets.

Anecdotally, VN vets know of a lot of suicides. I've known three: my first radioman killed himself shortly after returning from VN; my best friend, a Marine vet, shot himself in the head 20 years ago; and I was acquainted with Lou Puller (son of famed USMC Gen. Chesty Puller and author of 'Fortunate Son'), one of the more well-known VN vets who took his own life.

As the reporter said, they haven't been counted. But the general statement is probably not a bad approximation, especially as suicides have continued for decades after the Vietnam War.

But the main concern today is the incidence of PTSD--and suicides and other problems--among today's troops. At least VN vets had only one combat zone, only one involuntary deployment--and we weren't stop-lossed. Today's troops are being stressed to the max (to the extent that even an Army report acknowledged that it has become a 'crisis' for the Army, and they have still not been able to get a handle on it).

[ceile]

3. 20 so far this year at Fort Hood

The local news channel just ran a story a few weeks ago...very sad.
http://www.news8austin.com/content/search/?currentUri=http://www.news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.aspx&searchtarget=news14&searchterm=fort%20hood%20suicides&SecID=12
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/us/11suicides.html

[EFerrari]

5. Too many.

[nashville_brook]

6. k and r

[G_j]

7. kick

[malaise]

9. Get over it

They're just the children of the dispensable working class :sarcasm:

[w8liftinglady]

10. Kicking-i see I need to remind my neighbors...again.

They simply turn their backs to the truth-VietNam,Gulf War One,Iraq,Afghanistan...don't mess with their "Beautiful minds".

[bobthedrummer]

11. .