• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

US Army suicides hit record high

I know that the suicide rates went up high with the Viet Nam vets,after they returned home.A lot of that was survivor guilt.
Also it's very hard to enter back into society, when 2 or 3 days before, you were shooting at, or being shot at by someone,in a war zone.
I still remember being at a local drive in restaurant talking to, friends when a car drove by and backfired,everyone turned and looked for the offending car,me I was under my car waiting for incoming fire.
Everyone thought it was funny I was under my car.
Once you have been in harms way your life is different.
This is why I have no problem with spending more on veterans for things like post war reentry programs and therapy, what really irks me is that we give prisoners more options than veterans and that is not right, we reward the scum and don't pay attention to those heros who put it all on the line. What I don't like about the reporting on this is it reads like a "gotcha" from a paper biased against the last administration, instead it should bring in people who's opinions can determine the problem and help eliminate or at least alleviate it, instead of using soldier tragedies as a political tool.
 
You continue to appear stupid and hateful of our military men and women. The God Damned terrorists are not innocents. The true source of the depression and suicides is much, much deeper than your mental capacity. As a veteran I COULD try to explain what it all feels like, but I`m guessing that you really don`t give a s**t. You are a bleeding heart liberal. **** YOU!

I know a bit of my uncles problems. Taking out enemies isn't what messed him up. Having to blow up boats with many civilians purposely placed to try to keep seals from blowing them up did though.

As for your little outburst. You should really get a lid on it.
I may be stupid. But I don't hate anyone and give more than just **** about any human. No matter what clothes or uniform they wear.
 
BBC NEWS | Americas | US army suicides hit record high



Damn shame. These soldiers need improved support. Or hell, better psychological screening for those who can't hack it. I'm not as wise on the subject as some here probably are so I don't know.

Its not a case of not "hacking it". You would be surprised as to the type of serviceman that suffers PTSD. Everyone has a breaking point its identifying the problem, then the trigger once this is established help can be administered.

Paul.
 
BBC NEWS | Americas | US army suicides hit record high



Damn shame. These soldiers need improved support. Or hell, better psychological screening for those who can't hack it. I'm not as wise on the subject as some here probably are so I don't know.

They should do a study on how this countries morally bankrupt family system has affected them.

I know too many National Guardsmen who had a family and went overseas only to come back to find out how unfaithful their wives have been. All they came back to was a family torn apart. Todays america has extremely low family morals with people trading in their spouse on a whim every 5 years. Not even giving a thought to the children.
 
You continue to appear stupid and hateful of our military men and women. The God Damned terrorists are not innocents. The true source of the depression and suicides is much, much deeper than your mental capacity. As a veteran I COULD try to explain what it all feels like, but I`m guessing that you really don`t give a s**t. You are a bleeding heart liberal. **** YOU!

There is a distinction that you seem to have missed.

It's not the killing of combatants that would haunt a man near as much as killing someone that you KNEW was innocent.

I mean if someone is aiming to kill you, it's you or him at that point... but to a 'bleeding heart liberal' even the thought of killing someone in self-defense would scar tham... even though it was justified.

Is it not possible to have pride in the soldiers that are fighting and dying in the name of the country while at the same time despising how wrong the conflict in which they are engaged in is??
 
I think it's mostly the lax training standards. Obviously, even the toughest SOBs can suffer from PTSD but if you weed out the real non-hackers before they go to combat there are less people you have to worry about becoming potential suicide risks. I saw it a lot while I was in the Marines. Individuals you could never even imagine being in the Marines were infantrymen who patrolled the streets of Iraq. I'm talking absolutely, unbelievably out of shape and emotionally sensitive people who had no business whatsoever in the Marines, much less the Marine infantry.
 
There is a distinction that you seem to have missed.

It's not the killing of combatants that would haunt a man near as much as killing someone that you KNEW was innocent.

Take it from a real soldier and LEO: it does not make a difference. Taking a life is hard even if he/she deserved it. It will affect you adversly either way.

I mean if someone is aiming to kill you, it's you or him at that point... but to a 'bleeding heart liberal' even the thought of killing someone in self-defense would scar tham... even though it was justified.

Why would a "bleeding heart liberal" join the the US armed forces in the middle of a shooting war? They should not even be in the service at all. Soldiers like that get others killed.

Is it not possible to have pride in the soldiers that are fighting and dying in the name of the country while at the same time despising how wrong the conflict in which they are engaged in is??

It is possible. The problem is people like Dirtpoorchris is they despise the troops as well. This is the case far to often in the mind of an ultra left leaning liberal.
 
Last edited:
This is why I have no problem with spending more on veterans for things like post war reentry programs and therapy, what really irks me is that we give prisoners more options than veterans and that is not right, we reward the scum and don't pay attention to those heros who put it all on the line. What I don't like about the reporting on this is it reads like a "gotcha" from a paper biased against the last administration, instead it should bring in people who's opinions can determine the problem and help eliminate or at least alleviate it, instead of using soldier tragedies as a political tool.

I just joined the American Legion two days ago. They lobby for veterans sevices and veterans rights. Unfortunately the media and our schools (mostly colleges/universities)paint a darker picture for their liberal audiences. We ,,"The drunk, junky ,poor ,homeless, deadbeat veteran",are bad people. A SHAME....
 
I think that soldiers are killing themselves because they are watching conspiracy videos with great details and credibility, and they see themselves as to have fought in vain, and that they have been fooled by the government...

YouTube - 911 Loose Change (full-length)
 
I think that soldiers are killing themselves because they are watching conspiracy videos with great details and credibility, and they see themselves as to have fought in vain, and that they have been fooled by the government...

YouTube - 911 Loose Change (full-length)






This would be a rather silly assesment of reality. :roll:
 
What is that civillian rate. gee, they left that out.



And you are right, you don't know. your speculation on who can hack it is specious at best.

When did I say who can hack it? I simply stated that people who can't hack it (which does happen given the suicides) could and probably should be given a more stringent testing/training before being put in a highly stressful combat situation. I mean, there are people who've been in the military speaking here and they've just made my mind up for me. Again, I didn't say WHO could hack it but simply that a lot of people obviously can't.

And the suicide rate is adjusted to proportion between the two, I believe. And the BBC is a highly respected news source nationally run by a highly pro-US government - I doubt they'd 'make it up'.
 
When did I say who can hack it? I simply stated that people who can't hack it (which does happen given the suicides) could and probably should be given a more stringent testing/training before being put in a highly stressful combat situation. I mean, there are people who've been in the military speaking here and they've just made my mind up for me. Again, I didn't say WHO could hack it but simply that a lot of people obviously can't.

And the suicide rate is adjusted to proportion between the two, I believe. And the BBC is a highly respected news source nationally run by a highly pro-US government - I doubt they'd 'make it up'.



I see. "a lot of people" can't hack it? what percentage?



See Military suicide is an issue. it is not an issue of "people cant hack it", nor is it fair to compare the rates to civillians, even though it is usually lower....


and the BBC is a left wing source. it is shoddy journaljizm to post an "article" that makes a claim without any actual numbers....
 
Does it matter what percentage? What matters is that over a hundred military personnel felt sufficiently unfit for their duty and the support given that they killed themselves. It is not an issue of figures but rather an issue of 'why is a soldier more likely to kill himself than a normal citizen?' and then to find the best possible solution to that. This is not a pandemic, don't get me wrong, but it should be rooted out and solved.

BBC a left-wing source? Dude, seriously? They wouldn't even air an aid appeal for Gazan's because it might affect their impartial stance. It's not anything - it has pro-left and right-wing and opinion columns and impartial articles.
 
Obviously, they need better opt out options. To be stuck to something so much do to words on a paper.... To be stuck to it so much that your life becoming forfeit seems like an acceptable cost. This is honor? This is nobility? This is being true and proud?

Those who sign up take an oath to defend America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Once a citizen has become a soldier, his duty is to follow lawful orders, and hope to hell that those above him make the right decisions.

Here is the problem - There is a difference between those who sign up because they want to defend America, and those who sign up because they want free goodies after they serve their minimum enlistment time. Those who sign up for the free goodies, IMHO, are the ones committing suicide. After all, they are the ones who are not doing it for the purpose of making a sacrifice for their country, and are the first to become disillusioned.

Now that does not mean that I don't care that soldiers are committing suicide. I feel badly about that. IMHO, here is how we fix the problem:

1) Tighten requirements for enlistment - Those who have criminal records, or who have had emotional or mental problems are not eligible - Period.

2) Don't let the military be the last resort for those who look to it as the last resort in their lives, or a path to free goodies.

3) Once you have screened out those who don't meet the criteria, give better pay, and better support.

4) Only go to war as a last resort. Iraq is the poster boy for this.

5) Treat our veterans with dignity. The fact that most of our homeless happen to be veterans is something that should shame us all. Once a soldier has done his service for his country, he should be regarded with respect, and not made to be a pariah in American society. Fact is, our government, both Democrats and Republicans, have taken a huge dump on our soldiers and veterans, this this has to change. For Christ sake, most of these guys put their own lives on hold, and on the line, in order to do a dirty and nasty service that most of us would not ever consider, so that we may sleep at night, comfortable in our beds, without worry. That has to count for something. If it doesn't, then something is seriously wrong with all of us.

I believe a little support in the way of psychiatric services for soldiers and veterans is not too much to ask for. It should be the least of many services they have earned and deserve. Tax money for veterans? You betcha. That is not Socialism. That is Patriotism, something that is sorely lacking in America these days.
 
I just joined the American Legion two days ago. They lobby for veterans sevices and veterans rights. Unfortunately the media and our schools (mostly colleges/universities)paint a darker picture for their liberal audiences. We ,,"The drunk, junky ,poor ,homeless, deadbeat veteran",are bad people. A SHAME....
You pegged it, nothing to add here, exept that we as a country have to do better, and that includes discrediting those that would forget that willing defense of country is a noble sacrifice.
 
This would be a rather silly assesment of reality. :roll:

Reality is that millions of Iraqis were exposed to daily bombs per months, and so far no records of children, women and civilian men committing suicides are at hand. Make a survey in the Iraq's populations and find it out.

In case that there is not such thing of suicides related to the war in the populations of Iraq, then you must accept that the US soldiers killing themselves went nuts when they found out -according to the current conspiracy theories- as fooled by their government and that they have indeed murdered lots of people.

If psychiatric help is needed for a few thousands of US troops because this war, just calculate how much of that help if needed for the millions of Iraqis exposed to the same war but as victims.
 
Does it matter what percentage? What matters is that over a hundred military personnel felt sufficiently unfit for their duty and the support given that they killed themselves. It is not an issue of figures but rather an issue of 'why is a soldier more likely to kill himself than a normal citizen?' and then to find the best possible solution to that. This is not a pandemic, don't get me wrong, but it should be rooted out and solved.

Do you have any evidence that all 100 out of one million killed themselves due to "lack of support" and that they felt "sufficiently unfit"?


please. also please if you read your article, is it suggesting that these suicides are all combat related? or does it play word salad to make you feel that way.....

it is a bunk hit piece that we see every few months.


BBC a left-wing source? Dude, seriously? They wouldn't even air an aid appeal for Gazan's because it might affect their impartial stance. It's not anything - it has pro-left and right-wing and opinion columns and impartial articles.



uhm so does fox news. :roll:
 
Do you have any evidence that all 100 out of one million killed themselves due to "lack of support" and that they felt "sufficiently unfit"?

'Military suicides' would imply that the 'military' aspect, which does entail being sufficiently fit and able to deal with the pressures, would be one of the causes. If these men felt were capable of surviving the strains of military pressure and/or felt they had sufficient support for dealing with it then they wouldn't have killed themselves. It's that simple.

Question: do you think it's a coincidence that the military suicide rate is higher in proportion to the civilian rate?

A good site for this:

US Army Suicide Rate Reaches Record High. - NewsFeed Researcher Overview Of: Suicide, Suicides, Army, Soldiers, Soldier, Rate, Year, Years, Rates, Officials, Official, Number

In past years, the Army, which consists of 1.1 million active and reserve troops, has been just below or on par with the national suicide rate, Geren said. This year, with 128 confirmed and 15 pending, an estimated 20.2 suicides occurred per 100,000 soldiers, the highest since the Army began recording the figure in 1980.[11] In a report, the Army said the confirmed rate of suicides among soldiers was 20.2 per 100,000 as of last year, the highest since the service began to track suicide statistics in 1980. It is also higher than the national suicide rate, which is at 19.5 per 100,000.[21]

The army blames the high number on stress caused by repeated tours of duties. This is the first time since the Vietnam War that the suicide rate among soldiers has exceeded that of the civilian population.[17] The rise means that the military suicide rate is proportionally higher than the rate among American civilians for the first time. General Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of the army, said he had "no doubt" that the stress of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan was a factor in the rising suicide rates. He said that long tours of duty and the high pressure of being in combat zones was putting a strain on service personnel and their families.[18]

please. also please if you read your article, is it suggesting that these suicides are all combat related? or does it play word salad to make you feel that way.....

it is a bunk hit piece that we see every few months.

65% were. And 'combat' is a facet of military life, albeit the end product. I know over here a lot of lads of kill themselves purely because they can't stand being away from home and feeling like they have nobody.


uhm so does fox news. :roll:

So does FOX News what? Owned by the nation? We pay for the BBC with our taxes and thus the BBC has a duty, which it fulfills, of being impartial. They have no agenda, no staunchly conservative owners or news anchors. The BBC is just a vesicle of a mixed-spectrum of tax payers views.
 
'Military suicides' would imply that the 'military' aspect, which does entail being sufficiently fit and able to deal with the pressures, would be one of the causes. If these men felt were capable of surviving the strains of military pressure and/or felt they had sufficient support for dealing with it then they wouldn't have killed themselves. It's that simple.

Question: do you think it's a coincidence that the military suicide rate is higher in proportion to the civilian rate?

A good site for this:

US Army Suicide Rate Reaches Record High. - NewsFeed Researcher Overview Of: Suicide, Suicides, Army, Soldiers, Soldier, Rate, Year, Years, Rates, Officials, Official, Number


***yawn****


please. again, this nonses attack on the military comes every few weeks. and it fudges the numbers to make any sense.


lets play.

Tell me the entire US military, what is the suidide rate per 1000

not tell me the entire US excluding military, what is the suicide rate per 1000



lets start with the actual facts...


i'll wait.....









65% were. And 'combat' is a facet of military life, albeit the end product. I know over here a lot of lads of kill themselves purely because they can't stand being away from home and feeling like they have nobody.

:lol:

thanks for reminding me.


Lets add in the suicide rate per 1000 of all us college students.




So does FOX News what? Owned by the nation? We pay for the BBC with our taxes and thus the BBC has a duty, which it fulfills, of being impartial. They have no agenda, no staunchly conservative owners or news anchors. The BBC is just a vesicle of a mixed-spectrum of tax payers views.



omg you believe that bloviating nonsense? please state run media you trust to be unbiased?

we have NPR, do you expect me to believe that is unbiased as well? :roll::lol:
 
US Army suicides hit record high

My son just joined the army.
He didn't want to.
He was given a choice between that, or something worse.

This is upsetting for me to hear.
 
My son just joined the army.
He didn't want to.
He was given a choice between that, or something worse.

This is upsetting for me to hear.
He was forced to join the US Army?
 
He was forced to join the US Army?

No. He was given a suspended sentence, on the condition that he join some branch of the military.
Which branch was not specified.
 
No. He was given a suspended sentence, on the condition that he join some branch of the military.
Which branch was not specified.

Why did he pick the Army? Is doing the National Guard?
 
Back
Top Bottom