Please cite evidence to support your claim that "the number is significantly higher" in the military, please.
Recent published statistics regarding the incidents of violence with military personnel state otherwise. Is your source the NYTimes?
My guess would be the DNC or Code Pink.
He has the talking points down cold.
Stars&Stripes:
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62572
Overall last year, there were 140 confirmed suicides and there are another seven probable suicides still under investigation, the Army said. That’s up from 115 in 2007, and 101 in 2006.
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CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/01/29/army.suicides/index.html
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The U.S. Army will report Thursday the highest level of suicides among its soldiers since it began tracking the rate 28 years ago, CNN has learned.
Statistics obtained by CNN show that the Army will report 128 confirmed suicides last year and an additional 15 suspected suicides in cases under investigation among active-duty soldiers and activated National Guard and reserves.
The confirmed rate of suicides was 20.2 per 100,000. Army officials were reviewing the suspected suicides Wednesday. If any of them are confirmed, the rate will rise.
In 2007, the Army reported 115 confirmed suicides, the highest level since 1980, when it began tracking suicides.
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Military Times: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2009/03/airforce_suicide_032309w/
Suicide rates remain high
Top officers urge ‘supportive climate’ for troubled troops
The suicide rates in all four services last year were higher than the national civilian average, and significantly higher in the Army and Marines, which saw overall increases.
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Journal of Amaerican Medicine: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/301/11/1111
Soldier Suicide Rates Continue to Rise:
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Hartford Courant: http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/hc-mentally-unfit-still-fightin.artmay12,0,2018202.story
Since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, more than 210 service members have killed themselves while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the suicide rate has risen significantly since the beginning of those campaigns. Army-wide, there have been 64 confirmed or suspected suicides in the first four months of this year, with the suicide rate among soldiers now exceeding the demographically adjusted civilian rate.
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San Jose Mercury News: http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_12320617?nclick_check=1
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And yes......
NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/30suicide.html?pagewanted=print
Suicides of Soldiers Reach High of Nearly 3 Decades
Suicides among soldiers in 2008 rose for the fourth year in a row, reaching the highest level in nearly three decades, Army officials said Thursday.
At least 128 soldiers killed themselves last year, and the Army suicide rate surpassed that for civilians for the first time since the Vietnam War, according to Army statistics. The suicide count, which includes soldiers in the Army Reserve and the National Guard, is expected to grow; 15 deaths are still being investigated, and the vast majority of them are expected to be ruled suicides, Army officials said.
Including the deaths being investigated, roughly 20.2 of every 100,000 soldiers killed themselves. The civilian rate for 2006, the most recent figure available, was 19.2 when adjusted to match the demographics.
Suicides by active-duty soldiers continued an alarming rise during the first four months of the year, although they fell off in April after a service-wide push to identify soldiers on the brink, the Army reported Thursday.
Through April, the Army reported 64 confirmed or potential active-duty suicides, compared with 39 confirmed suicides in the same period last year. The 129 confirmed suicides for all of 2008 marked a record high since the Army started tracking them in 1980.