More soldier suicides than combat deaths in 2012

[SoCalDem]

http://www.stripes.com/news/more-soldier-suicides-than-combat-deaths-in-2012-1.201440


By Megan McCloskey
Stars and Stripes
Published: December 20, 2012
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The Department of the Army also showed strains, with soldier suicides outnumbering combat-related deaths for the year. Through November this year, potentially 303 active-duty, Reserve and National Guard soldiers took their own lives. In Afghanistan 212 soldiers were killed as of Dec. 7.
The trajectory for soldier suicides keeps getting worse.

With a month left in the year, the Army set a grim new record with 177 potential active-duty cases. Last year, there were 165 confirmed suicides, which was also a record. Among Army Reserve and Guard soldiers potentially 126 took their own lives, up from 118 in all of 2011.

The numbers have increased despite a range of training and awareness programs instituted by the service in the last few years.

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[90-percent]

1. My conscience is clear

Been sporting a yellow "Support the Troops" ribbon on the car since 2004.

-90% Jimmy

[90-percent]

2. Additionally

I'd like to have a "Support the Contractors" ribbon too, but nobody makes one!

I've heard we lost up to 900 contractors in the wars of the last decade. Small price to pay to keep any smoking guns taking the form of mushroom clouds.

Seriously, nobody counts the contractor dead as war casualties. They're off all MSM radars.

-90% Jimmy