1. More US Soldiers Committed Suicide Than Died in Combat

For the second year (2010) in a row, more US soldiers killed themselves (468) than died in combat (462). “If you… know the one thing that causes people to commit suicide, please let us know,” General Peter Chiarelli told the Army Times, “because we don’t know.” Suicide is a tragic but predictable human reaction to being asked to kill – and watch your friends be killed – particularly when it’s for a war based on lies. Perhaps being required to bag the mangled flesh of fellow soldiers could be another reason that some are committing suicide.

Body Bagging… ever heard the term? Marines in the Corps’s Mortuary Affairs unit at Camp Al Taqaddum, Iraq, are assigned the job of collecting and cataloging the bodies of dead Marines. They sift through the remains and effects, from prom photos to suicide notes and love letters, and put them into a bag, then into a metal box and then into a refrigerator to await the flight home. One soldier, Jess Goodell, recounts a Marine brought into the unit still breathing. She frantically called to her superiors, who replied simply, “Wait.” She watched while he died. When she returned to the US, Goodell, like many others, was diagnosed with deep depression, substance abuse, PTSD and anxiety.

Sources:

“Death and After in Iraq”, Chris Hedges, Truthdig, March 21, 2011. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_body_baggers_of_iraq_20110321

“More US Soldiers Killed Themselves Than Died in Combat in 2010,” Cord Jefferson, Good, January 27, 2011. http://www.good.is/post/more-us-soldiers-killed-themselves-than-died-in-combat-in-2010

“Can You Face the True Consequences of War? The Horror of Bagging Soldiers’ Bodies in Iraq,” Chris Hedges, Alternet, March 21, 2011. http://www.alternet.org/world/150322/can_you_face_the_true_consequences_of_war_the_horrors_of_bagging_soldiers%27_bodies_in_iraq/?page=1

“Ten Reasons the Iraq War Was No Cakewalk,” Medea Benjamin and Charles Davis, Alternet, March 18, 2011. http://www.alternet.org/world/150297/ten_reasons_the_iraq_war_was_no_cakewalk

Student Researcher: Bay Ewald, San Francisco State University

Faculty Evaluator: Kenn Burrows, San Francisco State University

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http://www.facebook.com/people/Sandra-Hemmes/100000434937390 Sandra Hemmes

I can’t understand how soldiers can obey their commander when the DOD is all about making the top politicans rich. And soldiers are expected to kill innocent people. The soldiers are right in the middle of all the lies, and of course they see it all and hear it all. Let the politicians fight amongst themselves to solve their differences, and leave the every day people alone.
Syntrel

You’re right. There’s no oil in Afghanistan. There’s a lot of oil in Iraq though. Afghanistan does however hold what many geologists believe to be the second largest deposits of rare earth elements, second to China. What Iraq and Afghanistan both have in common is a border next to Iran. It doesn’t take a genius to do the math on the last 30 years of foreign policy in the middle east. So get your facts straight. There is no honor in being a puppet for a corrupt war based on lies.
Syntrel

The best med care? Have you been inside a military or veterans hospital lately? I have. I’ve seen the conditions in Walter Reed. Sure, it’s quite possible that the soldier still breathing was a lie, but don’t you dare talk about medical care for military when the D.O.D. is bringing soldiers home and throwing them away like trash. Educate and inform yourself, veterans from the past 10 years have had the hardest of times when they come home. The D.O.D. doesn’t pay for most mental illnesses that result from extended tours in combat. Always look after their guys? Who’s looking after them when they get home to a country and government that would just as soon forget they existed?
Syntrel

The best med care? Have you been inside a military or veterans hospital lately? I have. I’ve seen the conditions in Walter Reed. Sure, it’s quite possible that the soldier still breathing was a lie, but don’t you dare talk about medical care for military when the D.O.D. is bringing soldiers home and throwing them away like trash. Educate and inform yourself, veterans from the past 10 years have had the hardest of times when they come home. The D.O.D. doesn’t pay for most mental illnesses that result from extended tours in combat. Always look after their guys? Who’s looking after them when they get home to a country and government that would just as soon forget they existed?
Syntrel

The best med care? Have you been inside a military or veterans hospital lately? I have. I’ve seen the conditions in Walter Reed. Sure, it’s quite possible that the soldier still breathing was a lie, but don’t you dare talk about medical care for military when the D.O.D. is bringing soldiers home and throwing them away like trash. Educate and inform yourself, veterans from the past 10 years have had the hardest of times when they come home. The D.O.D. doesn’t pay for most mental illnesses that result from extended tours in combat. Always look after their guys? Who’s looking after them when they get home to a country and government that would just as soon forget they existed?
Syntrel

The best med care? Have you been inside a military or veterans hospital lately? I have. I’ve seen the conditions in Walter Reed. Sure, it’s quite possible that the soldier still breathing was a lie, but don’t you dare talk about medical care for military when the D.O.D. is bringing soldiers home and throwing them away like trash. Educate and inform yourself, veterans from the past 10 years have had the hardest of times when they come home. The D.O.D. doesn’t pay for most mental illnesses that result from extended tours in combat. Always look after their guys? Who’s looking after them when they get home to a country and government that would just as soon forget they existed?
syntrel

Like many things that are free. Quality and free do not often go hand in hand.
Evan Watts

As a Vietnam era veteran, what you are saying is ONLY partly correct,sir. As a product of my dad as a professional career soldier of WWII,Korea,& Vetnam & being an U.S.A.F. Strategic Air Command, during the scary “cold war” times, I somewhat have an insight on this subject. Yes, the draft is now not a factor anymore, but that is due to Washington’s change in their viewpoint, and it’s defense budget allotted. As a result the military has made a move, over the many years, by doing MORE with less personnel.As a result with the death of the ”evil empire”, that prompted massive fear in the U.S.A. to introduce the triad and it’s M.A.D. idea, Washington was on the track to “save” money by reducing the number of personnel & the bases.
The soldier of today, those same good military reserve people are being ask to obey their given orders 365 days,24 hours each and every time, over and over a gain,under in-conceivable conditions.
It’s no-wonder their stesses overwhelm them. That’s the true reality sir. Everyone has a limit.
Evan Watts

Sandra, I know how what your saying makes a lot of sense, but take a look from the young person that may not have many means or resources & are trying to feed their family.Sure,after signing up in the reserve military,they might not be thinking things through,but to them desperate times require desperate means. The government has always counted on many young and the poor.
And yes, I agree with all you have said about the devisive and immoral enmities in our governments.
http://twitter.com/TheIsraeliMan David Israel

These PTSD soldiers sicken me. They are a drain on society. We have tons of them in Israel. Better they take care of themselves than people pay for their cuckoo brain.

I served. I am not crazy, I am happy.
http://twitter.com/TheIsraeliMan David Israel

You have to let him go and make it on his on.

The more you baby him, the worst it will get.
Anonymous

You sicken me. If you can take numerous human lives and be constantly exposed to death of close friends and children without any emotion or bad dealings then in my opinion you need to evaluate what is important in your life. I saw to many innocent lives lost and families lose their only children over what? an illegal war for minerals that are not ours?lemme guess you are more upset Bout an animal dyeing than a human?
Voice of Reason

I do agree that he is being very inconsiderate, and doesn’t truly understand the human mind (he may even have underlying problems in his mind that will appear later, but that isn’t true for everyone,) but you are also being rather inconsiderate .) Soldiers are trained to become accustomed to the killing of other soldiers, and loss of people around them. You cannot fully take the thoughts away as shown in the after problems of many soldiers, but some are able to put it out of the way to fight for us. To criticize what is important in his life is very inconsiderate, being as he was trained in order to actually think the way you are demonizing him for thinking.
Anonymous

Believe me I understand that the human brain can be desensitized to those types of things and some twisted people do actually enjoy it. I see it day in and day out. However I see to many homeless vets that are so mentally unstable from the garbage their country has put them through its sickening. Seeing children murdered will mess a person up, especially a parent, my supervisor lost it when his first Iraqi kid died on him in the ER, he was the same age as his own son. I am not demonizing him just trying to help the guy realize its ok to be upset after you kill someone or lose a fellow soldier. Trust me I have been there and you don’t want to Bottle that shit up. One day it will come out.
Anubreed

You are the one that is sickening.
Anubreed

You are the one that is sickening.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_B7Y6WALWOCU3GP7EV2LVNHRFHI fatback

I can tell you why. Because the bureaucrats won’t let them win, that’s why. There is also no clearly defined goal to what a win would even be. If the Politicians would get out of the way and let those boys go take care of business, then they could all get back home to their families feeling like winners in stead of losers. They’re not losers but many of our Politicians sure are.
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Eschompthis4star

lol yea your comment made you sound so sane. Stop living in your ignorant bubble.
Eschompthis4star

lol yea your comment made you sound so sane. Stop living in your ignorant bubble.
Eschompthis4star

lol yea your comment made you sound so sane. Stop living in your ignorant bubble.
Eschompthis4star

lol yea your comment made you sound so sane. Stop living in your ignorant bubble.
grodings

ARE YOU A TROLL? HOW CAN YOU SERIOUSLY TELL A WOMAN THIS ABOUT HER HUBAND?
Krs

Nothing ever changes.
Krs

Nothing ever changes.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IZDRRKJGDYMT7N4GHA2HCNXNL4 Kev

They are fighting for more special unappreciated rights for women. As such, they have no “pursuit of happiness” once they return to the feminized US, if they ever get to.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IZDRRKJGDYMT7N4GHA2HCNXNL4 Kev

They are fighting for more special unappreciated rights for women. As such, they have no “pursuit of happiness” once they return to the feminized US, if they ever get to.
None

He’s not a troll. Just a dirty jew.
Rockon0311

if you have never served, or had an immediate member of your family serve. you should have nothing to say about the way military life really is.
John

They didn’t account for the soldiers that got out of the army and then committed suicide
John

They didn’t account for the soldiers that got out of the army and then committed suicide
Yyy

God you’re a fucking idiot.
seconds away

It does here in Sweden.
http://www.facebook.com/joshua.porrata Joshua Porrata

When you come to the horrible realization that you were willing party to murder then you really only have a few choices. suicide being a valid one.
http://www.facebook.com/joshua.porrata Joshua Porrata

nay
Valha85

you are also an asshole
Valha85

you are also an asshole
Valha85

you are also an asshole
Lalaboom

PTSD is serious and real. Anyone, including military should get help asap. It takes a long time to heal because your mind recalls the trauma over and over again. You lose sleep, get depressed and anxious. It isn’t a laughing matter and they definitely aren’t crazy. Drain on society? The drain on society are people who live here on our tax dollars or the drug dealers/addicts who put our lives in constant jeopardy.
LalaBoom

Oh geez!! There isn’t oil, BUT THERE ARE DRUGS…OPIUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is it possible that it’s a drug war instead?
Bubbazinetti

You are among the lucky ones, but not all soldiers, especially those conscripted from civilian life, are able to deal with what they’ve experienced. The problem is that stigma and lack of resources mean that many do not get the help they need. With simple, inexpensive and short-term treatment, many with PTSD could successfully integrate back into society, but attitudes like yours only keep them from getting the help they need. Not that I’d expect a lot of compassion from an Israeli. I hope your comments are an example to all of the stigma those with PTSD have to face everyday.
Bubbazinetti

You are among the lucky ones, but not all soldiers, especially those conscripted from civilian life, are able to deal with what they’ve experienced. The problem is that stigma and lack of resources mean that many do not get the help they need. With simple, inexpensive and short-term treatment, many with PTSD could successfully integrate back into society, but attitudes like yours only keep them from getting the help they need. Not that I’d expect a lot of compassion from an Israeli. I hope your comments are an example to all of the stigma those with PTSD have to face everyday.
Neramax

Do you people know what the word serve means? Most of you seem to use it . It comes from the Latin word SERVUS which means SLAVE.
Amazing ,huh?
Neramax

Do you people know what the word serve means? Most of you seem to use it . It comes from the Latin word SERVUS which means SLAVE.
Amazing ,huh?
Neramax

But there is heroin . The same reason that Britain had troops there in the 19th century to protect the opium which was sent to China —hence the Boxer rebellions and the leasing of Hong Kong to the Brits for 99 years when China lost the rather unfair fight with a highly industrialised nation.The same families involved today are the descendants of the families who ran the trade then.The more things change the more they remain the same.
Neramax

But there is heroin . The same reason that Britain had troops there in the 19th century to protect the opium which was sent to China —hence the Boxer rebellions and the leasing of Hong Kong to the Brits for 99 years when China lost the rather unfair fight with a highly industrialised nation.The same families involved today are the descendants of the families who ran the trade then.The more things change the more they remain the same.
Neramax

SEMPER FIDELES -Always Faithful . The question being, are you faithful to them, or are they faithful to you?