americanfreepress.org� in association with the Liberty Project� presents
associalisticpress.com� 22 Apr 2006
HOME PAGE | The ap archives | Contact the ap | ap Retractions | tha malcontent
ap
/
associalisticpress.com�
Vs.
�
Army Suicides Hit Highest Level Since 1993
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
(Direct descendent of Karl
Marx! - tha malcontent)
Associated Press Writer Apr 22, 12:01 PM MST
WASHINGTON (AP)
� The number of U.S. Army soldiers who took their own
lives increased last year to the highest total since 1993, despite a growing
effort by the Army to detect and prevent suicides.
(ap) - Why
were Soldiers so Suicidal in 1993?... Seriously?... I Know what the "Free Press"
is attempting to do by painting a Negative Picture of this Increased Suicide
Rate, the same as they Ignored it when it Declined, the same as they Ignored the
Casualty Rate when it Declined from October to March from 3 a day to 1 a day,
but what was making Soldiers even more Suicidal in 1993 than they are now?...
And Save your Cries of playing Politics with this Story, because the AP's
Ignoring the Suicide Rate when it was Improving is all the Politics I can take
until I have to Voice my Opinion... Also, if you Think the Scumbags on Err
Amerika aren't Swimming in this Blood on Monday, you are Fooling yourself!...
Listen to Randi Rhodes on Monday and then tell me I am Wrong. - tha malcontent)
Of the confirmed suicides last year,
25 were soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
In 2005, a total of 83 soldiers committed suicide, compared with 67 in 2004, and
60 in 2003 - the year U.S.-led forces invaded Iraq. Four other deaths in 2005
are being investigated as possible suicides but have not yet been confirmed. The
totals include active duty Army soldiers and deployed National Guard and Reserve
troops.
"Although we are not alarmed by the slight increase, we do take suicide
prevention very seriously," said Army spokesman Col. Joseph Curtin.
"We have increased the number of combat stress teams, increased suicide
prevention and training, and we are working very aggressively to change the
culture so that soldiers feel comfortable coming forward with their personal
problems in a culture where historically admitting mental health issues was
frowned upon," Curtin said.
Of the confirmed suicides last year, 25 were soldiers deployed to the Iraq and
Afghanistan wars - which amounts to 40 percent of the 64 suicides by Army
soldiers in Iraq since the conflict began in March 2003.
The suicide rate for the Army has fluctuated over the past 25 years, from a high
of 15.8 per 100,000 in 1985 to a low of 9.1 per 100,000 in 2001. Last year it
was nearly 13 per 100,000.
The Army recorded 90 suicides in 1993, with a suicide rate of 14.2 per 100,000.
The Army rate is higher than the civilian suicide rate for 2003, which was 10.8
per 100,000, according to the National Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. But the Army number tracked closely with the rate for civilians aged
18-34, which was 12.19 per 100,000 in 2003.
When suicides among soldiers in Iraq spiked in the summer of 2003, the Army put
together a mental health assessment team that met with troops. Investigators
found common threads in the circumstances of the soldiers who committed suicide
- including personal financial problems, failed personal relationships and legal
problems.
Since then, the Army has increased the number of mental health professionals and
placed combat stress teams with units. According to the Army, there are more
than 230 mental health practitioners working in Iraq and Afghanistan, compared
with "about a handful" when the war began, Curtin said.
Soldiers also get cards and booklets that outline suicide warning signs and how
to get help.
But at least one veterans group says it's not enough.
"These numbers should be a wake-up call on the mental health impact of this
war," said Paul Rieckhoff, executive director of the Iraq and Afghanistan
Veterans of America. "One in three soldiers will come back with post traumatic
stress disorder or comparable mental health issues, or depression and severe
anxiety."
Rieckhoff, who was a platoon leader in Iraq, said solders there face increased
stress because they are often deployed to the warfront several times, they are
fighting urban combat and their enemy blends in with the population, making it
more difficult to tell friend from foe.
"You don't get much time to rest and with the increased insurgency, your chances
of getting killed or wounded are growing," he said. "The Army is trying harder,
but they've got an incredibly long way to go."
He added that while there are more psychiatrists, the soldiers are still in a
war zone, "so you're just putting your finger in the dam."
� Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All
rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.
(That depends on what the meaning of "may" is... All commentary included on this website is the opinion of tha malcontent and is based in the Truth. No Liberals, Marxists, Stalinists, Socialists, Communists or DemocRATS were harmed in the making of this website, I promise! - tha malcontent)
Don't do what you're polled to do!�
This web site is designed, maintained and edited by tha malcontent...
"what have you done for Liberty today?"
associalisticpress.com� is protected speech pursuant to the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and is faithfully enforced by tha malcontent via the Second Amendment to that same Constitution. Any reproduction or redistribution of this article will be seen as an awakening of a Patriot in this Great Republic by tha malcontent, and subsequently applauded!
Copyright � 1994-2006 associalisticpress.com� /americanfreepress.org� - All rights reserved.
associalisticpress.com/tha malcontent�
an americanfreepress� organization 1994-2006
tha malcontent... The Original Gangster of the Pajamahidin
The ap� & The afp�
- the Liberty Project� -
HOME PAGE | The ap archives | Contact the ap | ap Retractions | tha malcontent