Soldier Suicides at Record Level - Washington Post
Increase Linked to Long Wars, Lack of Army Resources
"Suicides among active-duty soldiers in 2007 reached their highest level since the Army began keeping such records in 1980, according to a draft internal study obtained by The Washington Post. Last year, 121 soldiers took their own lives, nearly 20 percent more than in 2006."
"At the same time, the number of attempted suicides or self-inflicted injuries in the Army has jumped sixfold since the Iraq war began. Last year, about 2,100 soldiers injured themselves or attempted suicide, compared with about 350 in 2002, according to the U.S. Army Medical Command Suicide Prevention Action Plan."
I suppose none of us are particularly surprised by this article. However, I hope we're all saddened and angered enough to take action. The article tells the story of Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, a 25-year-old Army reservist. Lieutenant Whiteside, a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center who was waiting for the Army to decide whether to court-martial her for endangering another soldier and turning a gun on herself last year in Iraq, attempted to kill herself Monday evening. It's a tragic, and I fear, not uncommon, tale.
Whiteside, the subject of a Post article in December, was a high-achieving University of Virginia graduate, and she earned top scores from her Army raters. But as a medic in charge of a small prison team in Iraq, she was repeatedly harassed by one of her commanders, which disturbed her greatly, according to an Army investigation.
On Jan. 1, 2007, weary from helping to quell riots in the prison after the execution of Saddam Hussein, Whiteside had a mental breakdown, according to an Army sanity board investigation. She pointed a gun at a superior, fired two shots into the ceiling and then turned the weapon on herself, piercing several organs. She has been at Walter Reed ever since.
Is it any surprise a soldier, or anyone, would break under those conditions? And what's amazing, the military will discharge people who exhibit psychological symptoms of issues related to their service, leaving them with no benefits and a lifetime of psychological problems. In fact, the only reason this story came to light is because Whiteside decided to speak publicly about her case, only after a soldier she had befriended at the hospital's psychiatric ward hanged herself after she was discharged without benefits.
Suicides among active-duty soldiers in 2007 reached their highest level since the Army began keeping such records in 1980, according to a draft internal study obtained by The Washington Post. Last year, 121 soldiers took their own lives, nearly 20 percent more than in 2006.
At the same time, the number of attempted suicides or self-inflicted injuries in the Army has jumped sixfold since the Iraq war began. Last year, about 2,100 soldiers injured themselves or attempted suicide, compared with about 350 in 2002, according to the U.S. Army Medical Command Suicide Prevention Action Plan.
Increase Linked to Long Wars, Lack of Army Resources
"Suicides among active-duty soldiers in 2007 reached their highest level since the Army began keeping such records in 1980, according to a draft internal study obtained by The Washington Post. Last year, 121 soldiers took their own lives, nearly 20 percent more than in 2006."
"At the same time, the number of attempted suicides or self-inflicted injuries in the Army has jumped sixfold since the Iraq war began. Last year, about 2,100 soldiers injured themselves or attempted suicide, compared with about 350 in 2002, according to the U.S. Army Medical Command Suicide Prevention Action Plan."
I suppose none of us are particularly surprised by this article. However, I hope we're all saddened and angered enough to take action. The article tells the story of Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, a 25-year-old Army reservist. Lieutenant Whiteside, a patient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center who was waiting for the Army to decide whether to court-martial her for endangering another soldier and turning a gun on herself last year in Iraq, attempted to kill herself Monday evening. It's a tragic, and I fear, not uncommon, tale.
Whiteside, the subject of a Post article in December, was a high-achieving University of Virginia graduate, and she earned top scores from her Army raters. But as a medic in charge of a small prison team in Iraq, she was repeatedly harassed by one of her commanders, which disturbed her greatly, according to an Army investigation.
On Jan. 1, 2007, weary from helping to quell riots in the prison after the execution of Saddam Hussein, Whiteside had a mental breakdown, according to an Army sanity board investigation. She pointed a gun at a superior, fired two shots into the ceiling and then turned the weapon on herself, piercing several organs. She has been at Walter Reed ever since.
Is it any surprise a soldier, or anyone, would break under those conditions? And what's amazing, the military will discharge people who exhibit psychological symptoms of issues related to their service, leaving them with no benefits and a lifetime of psychological problems. In fact, the only reason this story came to light is because Whiteside decided to speak publicly about her case, only after a soldier she had befriended at the hospital's psychiatric ward hanged herself after she was discharged without benefits.
Suicides among active-duty soldiers in 2007 reached their highest level since the Army began keeping such records in 1980, according to a draft internal study obtained by The Washington Post. Last year, 121 soldiers took their own lives, nearly 20 percent more than in 2006.
At the same time, the number of attempted suicides or self-inflicted injuries in the Army has jumped sixfold since the Iraq war began. Last year, about 2,100 soldiers injured themselves or attempted suicide, compared with about 350 in 2002, according to the U.S. Army Medical Command Suicide Prevention Action Plan.
Not a day goes by that I don't worry about my daughter, a soldier in the Army National Guard stationed in Iraq. One of her fellow soldiers attempted suicide in front of her and some others. Luckily they got to him before he could succeed. They risked their lives to prevent him from taking his.
She has told me of mental breakdowns there and what happens. I worry about her all the time wondering what her mind will be like when she comes home. There are only a handful of females in her unit with over 200 men. The harrassment alone would drive a person batty but being over there is unreal. I don't have to read the papers or listen to the news to get a sense of what it is like for her to be there. I see it in her writing, I hear it in her voice.
When my daughter comes home, she may have problems. Chances are she will. She will also have a therapist waiting for her...mine. How the bill gets paid is something we will worry about after. All I know is that somebody had better start getting their ducks in a row to help these kids when they come back. I really don't think that the majority of the population has a clue as to what they are going through there and when they get home and how bad the benefits are especially for reservists and guard members. Out of respect for my daughter and because I shoot my mouth off when I shouldn't, I just won't say anymore except I think it stinks.
People pay more attention to which new commercial will be on during the Super Bowl than they do with what is happening to our kids over there and when they come back. It's sad and it's scary.