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Military suicides hit record 349 in 2012
By The Associated Press
This article was published January 14, 2013 at 1:00 p.m.
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WASHINGTON — Suicides in the U.S. military surged to a record 349 last year, far exceeding American combat deaths in Afghanistan, and some private experts are predicting the dark trend will worsen this year.
The Pentagon has struggled to deal with the suicides, which Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and others have called an epidemic. The problem reflects severe strains on military personnel burdened with more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, complicated by anxiety over the prospect of being forced out of a shrinking force.
Pentagon figures obtained Monday by The Associated Press show that the 349 suicides among active-duty troops last year were up from 301 the year before and exceeded the Pentagon’s own internal projection of 325.
Statistics alone do not explain why troops take their own lives, and the Pentagon’s military and civilian leaders have acknowledged that more needs to be done to understand the causes.
Last year’s total is the highest since the Pentagon began closely tracking suicides in 2001. It exceeds the 295 Americans who died in Afghanistan last year, by the AP’s count.
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dmsquare says... January 14, 2013 at 2:23 p.m.
Too many deployments and deployments that last too long--that's the reason.
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inquire says... January 14, 2013 at 2:57 p.m.
You are probably right. Remember, people at one time signed up for the National Guard thinking they would be used to help their fellow citizens in a national emergency, not sent over and over again to foreign wars. Of the ones who can't take it after awhile (meaning they are probably the most worthwhile as humans) the good ones unfortunately commit suicide. The bad ones become the ones we keep hearing about murdering civilians, mutilating corpses, etc.
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Populist says... January 14, 2013 at 3:46 p.m.
War is hell. We should spend more of our resources at home.
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