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Edwin Mora
CNS News
August 29, 2012
Note: CNS News allows full reproduction of its content
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos, speaking at the National Press Club (NPC) in Washington, D.C., said that despite efforts to abate the problem, he expects 2012 will be a tough year for military suicides in all the services.
Amos cited a decline in the suicide rate for combat veterans of the Marine Corps before making those comments.
What are you doing to address the alarming suicide rate among our combat veterans? the events moderator asked the general, reading off pre-written questions from the NPC luncheons audience open to club members, reporters, and the general public.
Even with the attention of the leadership, I think all the services this year are feeling it, and I guess what I would tell everybody here is there is through no shortage of great effort and leadership on the part of all the services to try to abate this, but this year I think is going to be a tough year for all the services, said the top Marine corps officer.
Three years ago we hit the top of probably the most weve ever had since we started tracking thats 52. We put a full court press on the leadership, and interestingly enough, it was the young corporals and sergeants that came forward and said, Let us do this, he added.
So we spent no shortage of effort and put together interactive videos with real Marines using the language that real Marines use, which surprised everybody we would actually put something in print like that, and the Marines talk to one another in this, and it was led by non-commissioned officers. The next year the suicide rate dropped to I think 39 from 52. Last year, it dropped to 32, Amos said.
The Associated Press first reported on Aug. 16 that the eight suicides that the Marine Corps had in July was its highest monthly total of 2012 and pushed its total for the year so far to 32 equal to the Marines' total for all of 2011.
This year weve gone back, and now we have the same interactive video. I mean thats what the youngsters of today, theyre electronic, theyre learned by that as long as you dont try to throw a bunch of garbage at them, and we got it for young officers and really [for] what I call our baby Marines you know our brand new ones, also said the commandant.
He went on to say that even with the video and the attention of the leadership, all the services are feeling the impact of the suicide rate this year.
According to the report by the Associated Press, the Army reported that 26 active-duty soldiers killed themselves in July, compared with 12 in June, adding that the July total was the highest for any month since the Army began reporting suicides by month in 2009.
The 116 suicides among active duty soldiers that the Army recorded between January and July are on track to outpace the 167 that took place in 2011, the report added.
There were no yearly totals provided for the Navy and the Air Force in the Aug. 16 report.
It has been widely reported that the military is looking into antidepressant nasal sprays to bring down the suicide rate.
Marine Commandant: 2012 Will Be a
Army suicides doubled last month from June's total
WASHINGTON (AP) — Suicides among active-duty soldiers in July more than doubled from June, accelerating a trend throughout the military this year that has prompted Pentagon leaders to redouble efforts to solve a puzzling problem.
The Army, which is the only branch of the military that issues monthly press statements on suicides, said 26 active-duty soldiers killed themselves in July, compared to 12 in June. The July total was the highest for any month since the Army began keeping such statistics, according to Lt. Col. Lisa Garcia, an Army spokeswoman.
The Marine Corps had eight suicides in July, up from six in June. The July figure was its highest monthly total of 2012 and pushed its total for the year so far to 32 — equal to the Marines' total for all of 2011. The Marines' July figure is being posted on its website but was provided first to The Associated Press.
The Air Force said it had six in July, compared to two in June. The Navy had four in July but its June figure was not immediately available.
The Army's suicide numbers have been higher than the other services, in part because it is substantially larger than the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. The Army also has had more members in combat over the past decade. It was the main ground force in Iraq and has a preponderance of the U.S. troops today in Afghanistan.
For the first seven months of 2012, the Army recorded 116 suicides among active-duty soldiers. If that pace were maintained through December the year's total would approach 200, compared to 167 for all of 2011.
"Suicide is the toughest enemy I have faced in my 37 years in the Army," said Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the Army's vice chief of staff, who is spearheading his service's efforts to find ways to halt the surge in suicides.
"That said, I do believe suicide is preventable," Austin added. "To combat it effectively will require sophisticated solutions aimed at helping individuals to build resiliency and strengthen their life coping skills."
Suicidal behavior in the military is thought to be related to cumulative stress from combat duty, but it also is believed to be linked to a range of other pressures such as marital and financial problems as well as health issues.
Of the 26 active-duty soldiers who committed suicide in July, all were male and only two were officers, according to figures provided by the Army's office of public affairs. Thirteen were married, 10 were single and three were divorced. A breakdown of the deployment history of 14 of the 26 showed that six had never been deployed, seven had been deployed between one and three times, and one had been deployed six times.
So far this year the number of suicides in the military has surged beyond expectations, given that the pace of combat deployments has begun to slow. The Defense Department closely tracks suicides throughout the military but releases its figures only once a year. The Associated Press in June obtained an internal Defense Department document that revealed that there had been 154 suicides in the first 155 days of the year, though June 3. That marked the fastest pace of active-duty military suicides in the nation's decade of war.
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a private organization that provides support for military members and their families, said counseling and other forms of care for emotionally distraught military members is often too little, too late.
"Others never seek help out of fear over how others will view seeking treatment," the group said in a statement Thursday.
Army suicides doubled last month from June's total - Yahoo! News
CNS News
August 29, 2012
Note: CNS News allows full reproduction of its content
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos, speaking at the National Press Club (NPC) in Washington, D.C., said that despite efforts to abate the problem, he expects 2012 will be a tough year for military suicides in all the services.
Amos cited a decline in the suicide rate for combat veterans of the Marine Corps before making those comments.
What are you doing to address the alarming suicide rate among our combat veterans? the events moderator asked the general, reading off pre-written questions from the NPC luncheons audience open to club members, reporters, and the general public.
Even with the attention of the leadership, I think all the services this year are feeling it, and I guess what I would tell everybody here is there is through no shortage of great effort and leadership on the part of all the services to try to abate this, but this year I think is going to be a tough year for all the services, said the top Marine corps officer.
Three years ago we hit the top of probably the most weve ever had since we started tracking thats 52. We put a full court press on the leadership, and interestingly enough, it was the young corporals and sergeants that came forward and said, Let us do this, he added.
So we spent no shortage of effort and put together interactive videos with real Marines using the language that real Marines use, which surprised everybody we would actually put something in print like that, and the Marines talk to one another in this, and it was led by non-commissioned officers. The next year the suicide rate dropped to I think 39 from 52. Last year, it dropped to 32, Amos said.
The Associated Press first reported on Aug. 16 that the eight suicides that the Marine Corps had in July was its highest monthly total of 2012 and pushed its total for the year so far to 32 equal to the Marines' total for all of 2011.
This year weve gone back, and now we have the same interactive video. I mean thats what the youngsters of today, theyre electronic, theyre learned by that as long as you dont try to throw a bunch of garbage at them, and we got it for young officers and really [for] what I call our baby Marines you know our brand new ones, also said the commandant.
He went on to say that even with the video and the attention of the leadership, all the services are feeling the impact of the suicide rate this year.
According to the report by the Associated Press, the Army reported that 26 active-duty soldiers killed themselves in July, compared with 12 in June, adding that the July total was the highest for any month since the Army began reporting suicides by month in 2009.
The 116 suicides among active duty soldiers that the Army recorded between January and July are on track to outpace the 167 that took place in 2011, the report added.
There were no yearly totals provided for the Navy and the Air Force in the Aug. 16 report.
It has been widely reported that the military is looking into antidepressant nasal sprays to bring down the suicide rate.
Marine Commandant: 2012 Will Be a
Army suicides doubled last month from June's total
WASHINGTON (AP) — Suicides among active-duty soldiers in July more than doubled from June, accelerating a trend throughout the military this year that has prompted Pentagon leaders to redouble efforts to solve a puzzling problem.
The Army, which is the only branch of the military that issues monthly press statements on suicides, said 26 active-duty soldiers killed themselves in July, compared to 12 in June. The July total was the highest for any month since the Army began keeping such statistics, according to Lt. Col. Lisa Garcia, an Army spokeswoman.
The Marine Corps had eight suicides in July, up from six in June. The July figure was its highest monthly total of 2012 and pushed its total for the year so far to 32 — equal to the Marines' total for all of 2011. The Marines' July figure is being posted on its website but was provided first to The Associated Press.
The Air Force said it had six in July, compared to two in June. The Navy had four in July but its June figure was not immediately available.
The Army's suicide numbers have been higher than the other services, in part because it is substantially larger than the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force. The Army also has had more members in combat over the past decade. It was the main ground force in Iraq and has a preponderance of the U.S. troops today in Afghanistan.
For the first seven months of 2012, the Army recorded 116 suicides among active-duty soldiers. If that pace were maintained through December the year's total would approach 200, compared to 167 for all of 2011.
"Suicide is the toughest enemy I have faced in my 37 years in the Army," said Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, the Army's vice chief of staff, who is spearheading his service's efforts to find ways to halt the surge in suicides.
"That said, I do believe suicide is preventable," Austin added. "To combat it effectively will require sophisticated solutions aimed at helping individuals to build resiliency and strengthen their life coping skills."
Suicidal behavior in the military is thought to be related to cumulative stress from combat duty, but it also is believed to be linked to a range of other pressures such as marital and financial problems as well as health issues.
Of the 26 active-duty soldiers who committed suicide in July, all were male and only two were officers, according to figures provided by the Army's office of public affairs. Thirteen were married, 10 were single and three were divorced. A breakdown of the deployment history of 14 of the 26 showed that six had never been deployed, seven had been deployed between one and three times, and one had been deployed six times.
So far this year the number of suicides in the military has surged beyond expectations, given that the pace of combat deployments has begun to slow. The Defense Department closely tracks suicides throughout the military but releases its figures only once a year. The Associated Press in June obtained an internal Defense Department document that revealed that there had been 154 suicides in the first 155 days of the year, though June 3. That marked the fastest pace of active-duty military suicides in the nation's decade of war.
The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a private organization that provides support for military members and their families, said counseling and other forms of care for emotionally distraught military members is often too little, too late.
"Others never seek help out of fear over how others will view seeking treatment," the group said in a statement Thursday.
Army suicides doubled last month from June's total - Yahoo! News
