Under-Reported: Suicides in the Military

This remains a disturbing statistic for me. But it goes beyond the mere numbers and names of statistics - these are lives. When will we pay attention? I was glad to see a recent reporting online at CNN.com please click the link and read the entire story. As always, I am including a bit in hopes you will make time to read the entire article. - AnIntelligentMind

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Every day, five U.S. soldiers try to kill themselves. Before the Iraq war began, that figure was less than one suicide attempt a day.


The dramatic increase is revealed in new U.S. Army figures, which show 2,100 soldiers tried to commit suicide in 2007.

"Suicide attempts are rising and have risen over the last five years," said Col. Elspeth Cameron-Ritchie, an Army psychiatrist.

Concern over the rate of suicide attempts prompted Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, to introduce legislation Thursday to improve the military's suicide-prevention programs.

"Our troops and their families are under unprecedented levels of stress due to the pace and frequency of more than five years of deployments," Webb said in a written statement.