Washington: According to the statistics of the Pentagon, the number of suicides among America’s troops, averaging nearly one a day this year, has become the second leading cause of death among the US soldiers fighting in Afghanistan.
According to the statistics obtained by The Associated Press, the 154 suicides for active-duty troops in the first 155 days of this year far outdistance the U.S. forces killed in action in Afghanistan — about 50 per cent more. The numbers reflect a military burdened with wartime demands from Iraq and Afghanistan that have taken a greater toll than foreseen a decade ago.
Figures by the US Defense Department show suicides second to combat deaths among troops while narrowly above transportation accidents. The military also is struggling with increased sexual assaults, alcohol abuse, domestic violence and other misbehaviour. Because suicides had levelled off in 2010 and 2011, this year’s upswing has caught some officials by surprise.
The reasons for the increase are not fully understood. Among explanations, studies have pointed to combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of prescription medications and personal financial problems. Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide, although a substantial proportion of Army suicides are committed by soldiers who never deployed.
The unpopular war in Afghanistan is winding down with the last combat troops scheduled to leave at the end of 2014. But this year has seen record numbers of soldiers being killed by Afghan troops, and there also have been several scandals involving U.S. troop misconduct.
The 2012 active-duty suicide total of 154 through June 3 compares to 130 in the same period last year, an 18 per cent increase. And it’s more than the 136.2 suicides that the Pentagon had projected for this period based on the trend from 2001-2011. This year’s January-May total is up 25 per cent from two years ago, and it is 16 per cent ahead of the pace for 2009, which ended with the highest yearly total thus far.
The suicide numbers began surging in 2006. They soared in 2009 and then levelled off before climbing again this year. The statistics include only active-duty troops, not veterans who returned to civilian life after fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. Nor does the Pentagon’s tally include non-mobilized National Guard or Reserve members. The renewed surge in suicides has caught the attention of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Last month he sent an internal memo to the Pentagon’s top civilian and military leaders in which he called suicide ‘one of the most complex and urgent problems’ facing the Defense Department, according to a copy provided to the AP.
The News Tribe
