Casey frustrated by increase in suicides

[unhappycamper]

Casey frustrated by increase in suicides
Staff writer
Posted : Monday Mar 15, 2010 7:03:43 EDT

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey expressed his frustration earlier this month over the service’s inability to reduce the number of soldier suicides.

“I’m personally frustrated with the effort that we have put on this over the last three years, and particularly over the last year, that we haven’t stemmed the tide,” Casey told members of the Senate Appropriations defense subcommittee March 3.

Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, asked Casey for an update on the status of the Army’s efforts to alleviate combat stress.

“We’ve increased by about 18 suicides a year since 2004. And this past year, after all the effort we made, we increased by about 20,” Casey said.

The Army’s new Comprehensive Soldier Fitness program may help turn these numbers around, Casey said, by addressing stress before it becomes a life-threatening problem.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/03/army_suicides_casey_031410w/