More and more American soldiers are continuing to take their lives as a result of the war effort. By November of 2009, the total was up to 334, which are more than the totals killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. Of every 100,000 army soldiers, the suicide rate is 20.2. The numbers for the suicides are as follows, Navy 47, Air Force 43 and Marines 42, the rest being in the Army. According to the Navy Times, 7.3 percent of Army, Navy and Marine soldiers reported in a survey that they had attempted suicide at one point. There were a lot of different cases for the suicide attempts including relationships, substance abuse, financial problems or problems with other members of their unit to go along with some others.
Another bad statistic has to do with the veterans that have already been in war and suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD can affect their will to live when they come home. A study showed that 47 percent of veterans with PTSD had had thoughts of suicide before they found help. More than 40 per 100,000 men from the ages of 20 to 24 take their lives each year. Some deaths, which are not part of these previous statistics, are due to drinking and driving due to depression drinking by the soldiers. In 2008, Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were 75 percent more likely to die in a car accident and 148 percent more likely to die in a motorcycle accident. One of the reasons for the increase in the number of veterans with PTSD has to do with the advances in body armor and medical treatment for the soldiers. As of 2009 some 360,000 men and women had suffered some sort of brain injury while in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Title: Suicide Claims More US Military Lives than Afghan War
Author: James Cogan
Source: World Socialist Web Site
URL: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/jan2010/suic-j06.shtml
Student Researcher: Josh Crockett
Faculty Advisor: Robert McNamara