U.S. Soldiers' Suicide Rate Is Up in Iraq

AP breaking ^ | Jan 14, 2004 | Matt Kelley

[Kaslin]

This is sad

[PRND21]

This is sad

This is war. Buck up.

[RiflemanSharpe]

The suicide rate always goes up on long deployments. This sadly is to be expected.

[Lance Romance]

.013% vs. .011%? This could easily be within a statistical variance.

[lilylangtree]

"documented 21 suicides during 2003 among troops" Hope those 21 were islamic--less chance of being stabbed in the back.

[Steve_Seattle]

This is sad./This is war.

Both true. I'm actually surprised the suicide rate hasn't gone higher than it did, considering the extra stresses (to say the least) of a full-blown war.

[No Blue States]

Im not making light of the this, but wouldnt there be a certain percentage of suicides had the same young men in the same age group stayed home?

I pray that the Lord will heal any troubled minds of our soldiers in Iraq, it must be very hard.

[af_vet_1981]

That's a suicide rate for soldiers in Iraq of about 13.5 per 100,000, Winkenwerder said. In 2002, the Army reported an overall suicide rate of 10.9 per 100,000.

The overall suicide rate nationwide during 2001 was 10.7 per 100,000, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By contrast, two U.S. military personnel killed themselves during the 1991 Persian Gulf War, although that conflict only lasted about a month. The Army recorded 102 suicides during 1991 for a rate of 14.4 per 100,000. The Army's highest suicide rate in recent years came in 1993, when the rate was 15.7 per 100,000.

The Marine Corps has the military's highest suicide rate. Last year the Marines' rate was 12.6 per 100,000. During 1993, the Marines' rate was 20.9 per 100,000.

The suicide rates for soldiers in Iraq are close to the national average for civilians at home. I want them to be lower. I notice they peaked near the time Clinton took over and try to force homosexuals on the military.

[No Blue States]

"The suicide rates for soldiers in Iraq are close to the national average for civilians at home."

Thats what i just found also, According to this graph (all age groups) its about 17 per 100,000. (lower than the rate in Iraq)

source:

http://www.fathersforlife.org/ussuir.htm

[Gunslingr3]

[Gunslingr3]

In other words, the U.S. military suicide rate is about half that of the general population, according to the information provided...

[No Blue States]

One would think that the writer of this article would add this relevant information.

[Kaslin]

This is war.

I agree. Anyone know what the suicide rate was during the Vietnam war?

[af_vet_1981]

If you have 100,000 people and the spread of self inflicted deaths is between 13 to 17, the delta is not necessarily a trend. It could be random. If it jumped from 13 to 113 I would be concerned about a trend.

[DeathfromBelow]

That's a suicide rate for soldiers in Iraq of about 13.5 per 100,000,

That is horse$hit! That would be 13,500 committing or trying to commit suicide.

[Mark]

At least this scribbler didn't say that the suicides would be zero under a Democrat administration.

[DeathfromBelow]

My bad, read as 13.5% not 13.5 deaths per 100000

[PRND21]

There are no official figures for GI suicides in Vietnam.

But when the US pulled out in 1975 it had lost 60,000 troops and, according to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, 180,000 Vietnam veterans have since taken their own lives.

In Britain more than 260 Falklands veterans have committed suicide - more than those killed in the war.

Link

[kingu]

What is most sad is that most Americans will not have the help of the analysis that is here on FreeRepublic and will just read the headline and maybe a couple lines into the story and go, "Wow, we gotta get out of there, our soldiers are killing themselves."

Not to mention the three minutes of coverage every network station will give this story. Ugh.

[hotpotato]

One would think that the writer of this article would add this relevant information.

The writer decided instead to compare it with an overall nationwide trend that includes males and females of all ages and races....

"The overall suicide rate nationwide during 2001 was 10.7 per 100,000, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Regardless the fact that young males traditionally have a higher suicide rate... about twice the rate of what's happening to soldiers in Iraq.