Military Suicides And American Indifference

The Yankee Sage ^ | 9/30/10 | Chris van Avery

[SolitarySaint]

Swampland has a post today about Adm. Mullen’s unpublicized comments to a group of journalists during a breakfast meeting.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was talking of the military’s ability to fight future wars Wednesday when he suddenly changed gears. “We had five suicides in the Army last weekend,” the nation’s top military officer abruptly volunteered. And, he warned, such horrors are only going to grow.

He almost seemed to spit out these words, unbidden – as if to push them out quickly might temper their sting. “I think we’re going to see a significant increase in the challenges that we have in terms of troops and our families,” Mullen continued. As the demands for troops in the war zones eases, problems are going to rise as war-weary soldiers return home. “Things that have been pent up, or packed in, or basically suppressed or sucked up — whatever term you want to use — we’re going to start to see that as well,” he warned at a breakfast meeting with reporters. … “Dealing with PTSD, dealing with the injuries, dealing with just the overall pressures that so many have dealt with for so long,” Mullen said, “I think we’re going to see a growth in that before we see a decline.” But there remains one challenge that trumps all others. “The emergency issue right now for me is the suicide issue,” Mullen conceded. “It’s a very difficult problem.” Suicide in all the military services “has gone up dramatically since 2004.”

His distress is understandable, and I have little doubt the things Adm. Mullen lists are contributing to the problem. In the back of my mind, however, I think the problem is much deeper that he admits.

[CalvaryJohn]

A sad truth. But it must be tempered by statistics. Military suicide rates are the same or slightly lower than the civilian population.

[Alberta's Child]

Consider the condition of America after nearly a decade of wars. The economy’s in the dumps and some claim defense spending is slowing the recovery. Congress is in gridlock. Infighting among the most senior levels of the chain of command has broken onto the public stage. American foreign policy is in disarray. The Commander in Chief appears to be indifferent to victory and playing politics with the conflict. And if one believes the hype, America is losing its place in the world to China.

What sane person who stepped up to defend America and its ideals wouldn’t despair? I can’t help but think many of these troubled men and women have asked themselves, “Have I been fighting for this?”, and don’t like the answer.

Very sobering, blunt comments and questions here. I'll take it one step further:

American soldiers returning from combat in Afghanistan -- and Iraq in particular -- are coming home to face a situation that highlights the idiocy of those military campaigns. This country has p!ssed away thousands of U.S. lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to establish governments where Islam is now officially enshrined as the official state religion. At the same time, these soldiers have come home to realize that their own country is hell-bent on allowing hordes of illegal aliens to pour over our own borders.

Someone wake me up if this sh!t makes any sense at all.

[hinckley buzzard]

The reliable finding fvor the last three or four wars is that suicide rates spike among recent returnees from combat, but that by the time a year or two has passed the rate among combat veterans returns to the population baseline. This same thing happened during and after Vietnam, Desert Storm, Korea, WWII.

It is a sad thing indeed but this war is no different from any other war in this regard, and this admiral should know that. If he wants to do something constructive( I don't know what it would be), fine. But to sit and moan about it achieves nothing.

[ODC-GIRL]

“Military suicide rates are the same or slightly lower than the civilian population.”

Still, each service is like a small hometown and when you see those numbers it just breaks your heart. Thank God the troops feel support and respect from the Community, but there is little shared burden. Television, movies, even news seem so detached, it often feels like the military are the only ones at war in this country. That has to be a very isolating and lonely feeling.

[pissant]

American soldiers returning from combat in Afghanistan -- and Iraq in particular -- are coming home to face a situation that highlights the idiocy of those military campaigns.

Bullsh*t

[Grizzled Bear]

The EneMedia doesn't care. They never cared about the Armed Forces. They only reported on military tragedies as a means to attack a Republican President.

Perhaps they'll start again if we have a Republican majority in the legislative branch after November.

[NetLiberty]

Might the fact that anti-depressants are being handed out to our troops like candy be playing a role in these increased suicides? Ya think? Side effects of antidepressants and their overprescription is one of the biggest cover-ups of our time.