According to CQ's John Donnelly, in both 2009 and 2010, we lost more troops to suicide than we lost in combat.
[module align="right" width="half" type="pull-quote"]Donnelly determined at least 468 troops committed suicide last year, exceeding the 462 troops who died in battle.[/module]Searching for news on military reports of suicide in 2010, I saw a variety of glosses on the same numbers. The Army was talking about the slight reduction in suicides by active-duty soldiers. McClatchy's Nancy Youssef and others were citing a sharp jump in suicides among Army reservists and members of the National Guard.
Donnelly points out inconsistencies in counting suicides among the different armed services:
To account for these inconsistencies, Donnelly included in his total reservists who took their own lives last year. He determined that at least 468 troops committed suicide, exceeding the 462 troops who died in battle.Read Donnelly's report for more information on why getting these statistics right is important.
The release of these figures brings last summer's Army report on rising suicide rates (pdf)among soldiers back into focus. That report underscored the complexity of the issue on all fronts, pointing out that the reasons behind any suicide compose a complex matrix of intersecting factors - from relationship issues to struggles with drug and alcohol abuse.
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, Army vice chief of staff:
Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, chief of the Army Reserves:
And of course, this data doesn't even begin to touch on the tragic problem of suicides among veterans, a hugely complex issue of its own, as recent studies attest.
If you know any servicemembers - active or otherwise - who are grappling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out:
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can put you in touch with a trained consultant any time of the day, any day of the year: call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or visit the website.
- The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury maintains a comprehensive list of fact sheets and resources on suicide prevention.
We may not fully understand why our troops are committing suicide, but we may be able to help prevent it.
