Army Study: Troop suicide rate highest in 26 years

Michael Crutchfield took his own life just after Christmas, 2006, in Balad. In an email to his foster brother he wrote, "As you know, there are more people waiting for me to pull this trigger than there are waiting on my return to the states."


US soldier suicides at highest level for 26 years

The number of serving US soldiers who commit suicide has reached its highest level in 26 years, a military report revealed today.

The study - obtained by the Associated Press before its official release - found that more than a quarter of those who killed themselves had done so while on active duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.

A total of 99 suicides among serving US troops were confirmed last year, up from 88 in 2005. The figure equated to 17.3 suicides per 100,000 soldiers, compared with an average of 12.3 per 100,000 over the last 26 years. In 2001, the figure stood at 9.1 per 100,000.

The report said Iraq was "the most common deployment location" for suicides and attempted suicides last year.

The 99 deaths included 28 soldiers who had been deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan and 71 who had not been sent to the war zones.

Around twice as many women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan committed suicide as women who had not been sent to war, the report said.

Read the rest at the Guardian

Suicide Rate in Army at a 26-Year High

Ninety-nine U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year, the highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years, a new report says.

Failed personal relationships, legal and financial problems and the stress of their jobs were factors motivating the soldiers to commit suicide, according to the report. It also found a significant relationship between suicide attempts and the number of days deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan or nearby countries where troops were participating in the war effort.

There was "limited evidence" to back the suspicion that repeated deployments are putting more people at risk for suicide, the report said. With the Army stretched thin by years of fighting the two wars, the Pentagon has had to extend normal tours of duty this year to 15 months from 12 and has sent some troops back to the wars several times.

Read the rest at the Washington Post

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