More troops commit suicide than die in combat

(Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of five Underreported Stories of 2011*)

By Josh Sternberg
Current.com contributor

At the end of January 2011, the U.S. military released stats that raised some eyebrows, but not nearly as many as it should have. Congress.org reported that there were 434 reported suicides by personnel in active duty in 2010, but when we include the Air Force and Marine Corps (“who do not include any non-mobilized reservists in their numbers”), the Individual Ready Reserve (“a class of reservists…with more than 123,000 people who are not assigned to particular units), and veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and had left the service, (who are not included), the total jumps.

According to Congress.org’s piece, “even if such veterans and members of the Individual Ready Reserve are excluded from the suicide statistics, just taking into account the deaths of reservists who were not included in last week’s (January 2011) figures pushes the number of suicides last year (2010) to at least 468. In 2010, there were 462 combat deaths.

GOOD wrote about these devastating numbers, and deduced that one of the issues the military faces in addressing soldier suicides – both those who have seen combat and those who have not – is understanding why a soldier would take his or her own life.

While many suicide victims are indeed afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after facing heavy combat in the Middle East, many more have never even been deployed. Of the 112 guardsmen who committed suicide last year, more than half had never even left American soil.

"If you think you know the one thing that causes people to commit suicide, please let us know,” Army Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli told the Army Times, "because we don't know what it is."

Chris Hedges, writing for TruthDig, highlights Marine Jess Goodell, who, as a military mortician saw the horrors of war in a way few soldiers do. She’s the person who “put the remains of young Marines in body bags and placed the bags in metal boxes,” and her platoon had about a half-dozen suicides. “The suicide notes, she said, almost always cited hazing.” Goodell talks about the mental state of veterans coming home:

“I am still in contact with most of the people I knew,” she said. “They are not coping. One lives in VA [Veterans Affairs], constantly seeing psychologists and psychiatrists. One was kicked out of the Marines for three DUIs. Another was kicked out of the Marines because he took cocaine. Those who have gotten out are living below the poverty level. And what people do to cope is re-enlist. When they re-enlist they do better. They function. I am the only one who went to school of the 18 Marines in Mortuary Affairs. But I am in counseling at the VA. I have been diagnosed with PTSD, anxiety, depression and substance abuse. What separates me from them is that I have a great support system and I found my salvation in my education.

“War is disgusting and horrific,” she said. “It never leaves the people who were involved in it. The damage is far greater than the lists of casualties or cost in dollars. It permeates lifestyles. It infects cultures and people and worldviews. The war is never over for us. The fighting stops. The troops get called back. But the war goes on for those damaged by war.” 

Story picked up by:
GOOD | TruthDig | Congress.org | Alternet.org

* Five Underreported Stories of 2011: This time of year, media outlets publish their year-in-review articles and lists, looking back on recent history and reflecting on the major events that shaped the past 365 days. In fact, the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism conducted a study of the year’s top stories and the frequency of each reported story. 

However, for a variety of reasons, there are always some stories that slip through the cracks and don’t get as much attention. This is our list, in no particular order, of five stories that went underreported in 2011. 

Monday's story: Number of homeless children highest in American history
Tuesday's story: U.S. military infiltrates social media
Wednesday's story: Food prices trigger revolution
Thursday's story: Big business behind solar power

Josh Sternberg is a freelance writer, former adjunct professor and recovering communications professional based in Brooklyn. He blogs at The Sternberg Effect. Follow him on Twitter and Tumblr.

(Photo: Getty Images)