Officials: Army suicides at 3-decade high

[The Straight Story]

Officials: Army suicides at 3-decade high
By Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press January 29, 2009

WASHINGTON (AP) - Suicides among U.S. Army troops rose again last year and are at a nearly three-decade high, senior defense officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

At least 128 soldiers killed themselves in 2008, said two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the data has not been formally released.

The final count likely will be considerably higher because more than a dozen other suspicious deaths are still being investigated and could also turn out to be self-inflicted.

The new figure of more than 128 compares to 115 in 2007 and 102 in 2006 -- and is the highest since record keeping began in 1980.

It also calculates to a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 soldiers - which is higher than the adjusted civilian rate for the first time since the Vietnam War, officials said.

http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=41905&sid=60

[eowyn_of_rohan]

1. just tragic and heartbreaking... nt

[Mari333]

2. keep on redeploying them over and over

cut their benefits, make sure they dont have jobs when they return, cut out mental health care, send them to afghanistan now, and you will have more of the same.


just bring them home.

[Mari333]

3. a good movie to watch again

http://www.pissedoffcombatveterans.com/id869.html