"Disgusted" army wife speaks out on Army's response to soldier suicide surge

[SusanLarson]

Source: Clarksville Tennessee Online

Editor’s Note: Even as Ms. Boen was preparing this article, the issue of soldier suicide exploded on the news front again with these statistics:

Five soldiers attempt suicide everyday
2100 soldiers attempted suicide in 2007, up from 350 in 2002 — CNN 2.3.08

Comments by Clarksville, TN therapist Polly Coe’s conclude this story.

Last fall, there was an article in the Leaf Chronicle <10.12.07> titled, Fort Campbell General stresses suicide prevention. It reported that with nine suicides for the year, and 16 deaths pending investigation, and with three suicides in the last two weeks, the general said:

“This is unacceptable and it must stop. I want everyone associated with Fort Campbell to take pause, and to focus on what we can do as a community to reverse this trend.”

According to the Fort Campbell Courier, <12.20.07 vol. 43, no. 51>, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, Commanding General at Fort Campbell, made suicide prevention his priority since he took command in 2006. He expanded the “buddy care” program, which has soldiers watching out for each other, to “unit watch,” a program used by commanders when a soldier has suicidal thoughts. Now he is training families to recognize signs through “Building Family Resiliency” programs. He was quoted as saying:

“The individual has got to take personal responsibility. They have got to take responsibility for themselves and realize that they can save their own lives. It comes back to the individual.”

An army wife spoke out about these articles and about what was going on at the base because of the suicide scares. This is her view, in her words:



Read more: http://www.clarksvilleonline.com/2008/02/04/disgusted-army-wife-speaks-out-on-armys-response-to-soldier-suicide-surge/

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This has to be a major priority of any Democratic Nominee

[MsLeopard]

1. Great Article K&R

She's right - the media should be ashamed for not telling the truth to the American people. Thanks for posting - this needs attention.

[Desertrose]

2. Good for her for speaking about this.

"I never saw any concern as to the WHY or the CAUSE of this increase. It is no secret that this command has been less than supportive of its people. When I did a scant amount of research and found further documentation that this leadership places full responsibility for soldiers not being able to cope with deployment stress squarely on the shoulders of those soldiers, I was furious and disgusted."



All I can say is I am so sorry for our soldiers and their families.

This war has affected so many over the globe...and for what? For who?

[redqueen]

3. "2100 soldiers attempted suicide in 2007, up from 350 in 2002"

Support the troops, huh?

[wtmusic]

4. There's a winner of a strategy in counseling: "It comes back to the individual"

Without. A. Clue.

[montanto]

11. Yeah, I love that one too.

Blame the crime on the victim. We spend 18 years training these kids to be civil and then they teach them to kill and don't understand how they end up shattered and schizophrenic. But go ahead and fix yourself when its over.

[zonmoy]

5. what is the nature of these suicides though.

are they simular to the type of suicides done in japan and other societies where those that have served a dishonerable lord kill themselves because in serving that lord they have dishonored themselves. or is something else going on.

[SusanLarson]

6. Military close to breaking

2 simultaneous wars,extended deployments, being away from home, death, killing.

I think this is just another symptom that our military is at the breaking point.

[FloridaJudy]

7. People kill themselves because they can't stand the pain

And this administration has put our soldiers through a world of hurt, physically and emotionally.

[tabasco]

16. The armchair warmongers have no understanding of how much grief can result

from being in combat.

Bush and Cheney don't care about our troops.

[mattfromnossa]

19. Well put Judy.

I agree.

[montanto]

12. There is no honor in it.

When we had wars where there was honor people were fighting the good fight. Our kids can't justify senseless murder.

[peace13]

8. Thanks for this. n/t

[SusanLarson]

9. Your welcome

My pleasure!

[paparush]

10. Hmmmm.wasn't Bush** a Solider Once?

i'm just sayin..

[montanto]

13. Yeah, and you can buy his rifle on ebay,

never been fired and only dropped once.

[Divine Discontent]

18. HA! love it... eom

[Divine Discontent]

14. kick for justice! a 600% increase since '02 shows an dishonorable war n/t

[fascisthunter]

15. "Five soldiers attempt suicide everyday"

damn

[theaocp]

17. This just makes me want to cry... n/t

[Lorien]

20. Interesting statement from the therapist:

(snip)

I have not worked with any suicidal soldiers. However, a couple seriously discussed harming themselves to avoid deployment. Relatively few of the enlisted soldiers and NOC’s whom I saw “believe in” these wars, although officers tend to buy into the wars more. Many of the enlisted soldiers do not seem to think that they are fighting for freedom or against the terrorists. They feel that their efforts are wasted, that they are risking their lives to do missions that will be undone the minute they turn their backs or go to the next town.

The soldiers with families are also aware of the impact their absence has on their families. Starting last summer, before the third deployments, I started seeing a lot of boys, age 10-14, sons of soldiers, who confided in me that they feared that Dad wouldn’t survive the third deployment, that he will finally be killed. I couldn’t promise them that their dad would make it, so this was heart breaking work as a therapist.

I would love an honest survey of the military who have to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan - how many believe that they are making a difference, improving the lives of the locals, saving the U.S. from terrorists? How many would volunteer to go? Perhaps the reason for the increased suicidality is the increasing disillusionment of the soldiers with the war.

(snip)