US military suicide rate hits one per day

[dipsydoodle]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by Rhiannon12866 (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: BBC News

Suicide among US troops has sharply increased this year, hitting a rate of almost one death per day, figures show.

As of 3 June, the army's 2012 active-duty suicides reached 154, compared with 130 in the same period last year, the Pentagon confirmed to the BBC.

The number far exceeds US combat deaths for the same period.

"We are deeply concerned about suicide in the military," a Pentagon spokeswoman said, adding it was "one of the most urgent problems" they faced.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18371377

[siligut]

1. Repeated intense pressure and no hope for a better future.

While the reasons for the increase are not entirely understood, the army's own data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk. But a portion of those taking their own life have never deployed, the figures show.

They face a horror that they don't have any comprehension of or even a glimmer of how to handle and I am guessing that there is no support for them and no relief in sight, so suicide looks like a way out.

[AlwaysQuestion]

2. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts...

that those youngsters--and they are youngsters--who are committing suicide are the ones who have the biggest hearts and the weakest stomachs; i.e., they are singularly empathetic and know their presence in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and wherever else they're being sent to in the ME has nothing whatever to do with defending their country.

Every last country's politicians who support a preemptive war should be made to send their own daughters and sons to fight the "good" war. I can assure you that were this to happen, wars would take a nosedive. When is the general public going to understand that their boys and girls are mere fodder for those who seek riches. It's really that simple. I could cry for these kids and their parents. It's all so terribly sad.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. Locking, sorry, this is a duplicate. Please continue discussion here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014138843