Preventing Troop Suicides

November 17. 2009

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (left) and U.S. President Barack Obama (right)

The U.S. and British governments need to take up a serious initiative to prevent troop suicides. According to press reports, the number of troops committing suicide has regrettably risen. That number should be 0.

The men and women in the military have been exposed to the horrors of war. Whether they realize it or not, they need counseling and support, as they are human, regardless of being trained to be apart of the military machine.

To the troops: the American and British people do not hate you. They hate the wars and what they are doing to families and the economy. Do not commit suicide. Have faith that things will get better. 

Obama certainly didn't start these wars, but he can end them.   

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Army suicides set another yearly record

November 17, 2009 7:57 p.m. EST - Washington (CNN) -- Suicides among soldiers this year have topped last year's record-breaking numbers, but Army officials maintain a recent trend downward could mean the service is making headway on its programs designed to reduce the problem, Army officials said Tuesday.

Since January, 140 active-duty soldiers have killed themselves while another 71 Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers killed themselves in the same time period, totaling 211 as of Tuesday, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, U.S. Army vice chief of staff, told reporters at a briefing Tuesday. But he said the monthly numbers are starting to slow down as the year nears its end.

"This is horrible, and I do not want to downplay the significance of these numbers in any way," Chiarelli said.

For all of 2008, the Army said 140 active-duty soldiers killed themselves while 57 Guard and Reserve soldiers committed suicide, totaling 197, according to Army statistics.

The Army is still trying to tackle why soldiers are killing themselves...

http://www.cnn.com