Fellas, this is sad. From CNN:
The number of soldiers who committed suicide increased 15 percent from 2005 to 2006, according to an Army report.Posted by anthony at August 16, 2007 07:39 AM | TrackBackThe Army plans to release the data publicly on Thursday, CNN learned from Army officials. The numbers have not previously been released, despite repeated CNN requests for data covering the past seven months.
In 2006, 101 soldiers committed suicide, up from 88 in 2005, according to Army statistics. That amounts to 17.3 per 100,000 soldiers in 2006 and 12.8 per 100,000 the previous year.
The Army uses the statistical analysis to account for shifts in its overall size from year to year. The 2006 figure of 101 includes two deaths in which there has not been a final ruling, but officials said they are likely to be ruled suicides.
The Army has concluded the "main indicators" for the 2006 suicides were failed relationships, legal and financial problems and "occupational/operational" issues. The "typical profile" of a soldier who commits suicide is a member of an infantry unit who kills himself with a firearm.
As of June 30, 2007, 44 soldiers had committed suicide, statistics showed. Of those, 17 were deployed away from their home base.
isnt it indicative of how much war plays its toll on all societies involved? its not just the iraqis who are suffering, american soldiers and families are suffering too.
peter
Posted by: pbandj at August 16, 2007 04:45 PMso, out of our entire Army there were 101 suicides? (though the numbers I've found are 99 and 87, not 101 and 88) There was an increase of 13 people? I'm sorry, but that does not strike a great deal of alarm in me. Yes, it signals that there are some issues, but how does that rate compare to the overall US populations statistics? A statistic with no context can mean anything. I also wonder how many of these suicides are related to failed relationships that were not marriage. In other words, how many resulted from stress placed on ill-founded and cared for relationships that were not marriage? And how do these number compare to the last twenty years overall? I suspect there is a general flux. So while I think it is wise for the military to address this, I don't think it's a harbinger of doom. War or no war, people break. And without the hope of Christ, breaking can have permanent consequences.
Posted by: dramaturge at August 16, 2007 07:12 PMFor comparison, the overall rate that I found (sorry misplaced the link) for young men was about 20-25/100k, quite a bit higher than the military's rate. This statistic is interesting and certainly tragic, but overall some of the stats suggest that our men in harm's way are holding together remarkably well.
Room for improvement? Probably.
Posted by: Robert Perry at August 21, 2007 02:50 PM