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1 posted on 05/28/2009 8:10:22 AM PDT by xzins
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To: All

Ft Campbell has the 101st Airborne(Air Assault) Division, the 160th Spec Ops Aviation Regiment, and the 5th Special Forces Group.

I’d be interested in the number of those suicides correlated to relationships falling apart in the high optempo environment. Despite that, why would it affect Ft Campbell more than any other highly deployed installation?


2 posted on 05/28/2009 8:13:50 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain, Pro Deo et Patria)
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To: xzins

Bush’s fault. Uh, wait...


3 posted on 05/28/2009 8:16:03 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker (Freepin' Jew Boy)
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To: xzins

Our enemy is killing themselves too, as a weapon.


4 posted on 05/28/2009 8:19:04 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: xzins

Thanks for the info. My son arrived there on Monday. He’s being assigned to the 3rd Brigade with Airborne. We have talked a lot this week. He said he is still “in processing” and they’ve gone through a lot of briefings on suicides.

On one hand I’m worried, but on the other, he’s the type of kid who goes above and beyond to help others so I think he’ll be a good friend to someone and especially someone in desperate need of friendship.

I once heard a saying “Mother’s go where angels fear to tread”.... I think that saying would apply very well to our soldiers too.


6 posted on 05/28/2009 8:23:27 AM PDT by Grumpybutt
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To: xzins

When the country you have repeatedly risked your life to defend, becomes one that could elect an Obama and all that entails — can be a VERY significant demoralizing issue.

Seeing that black racist Communist, incompetent bullshit artist and terrorist sympathizer - together with his “fellow travelers”, thugs, racists and anti-constitutionalists in power - would cause ANY warrior to fall into deep depression..

This depression would be amplified - if the warrior has lost the closest friends a human can form - ones they have faced death with.

The loss in defense of the nabobs, assholes and corrupt sonsuvbitches in office now as a result of a dumbed down and treacherous American electorate - would be horribly compounded and seen as unacceptable.


8 posted on 05/28/2009 8:27:45 AM PDT by river rat (Semper Fi - You may turn the other cheek, but I prefer to look into my enemy's vacant dead eyes.)
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To: xzins

Maybe these young warriors are depressed just watching the USA going down the tubes and noone is fighting the commies that are responsible.


9 posted on 05/28/2009 8:28:32 AM PDT by devistate one four (Back by popular demand: America love or leave it (GTFOOMC) TET68)
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To: xzins

this is the 2nd (at least) ‘insanity’ post from a military.com article. more to follow


10 posted on 05/28/2009 8:30:41 AM PDT by CRBDeuce (here, while the internet is still free of the Fairness Doctrine)
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To: xzins

This was totally predicable when the military started pushing more of it’s men into psychiatric hands via the delayed stress scam. More drugs = more suicides. Always.


14 posted on 05/28/2009 8:47:54 AM PDT by Seruzawa (Obamalama lied, the republic died.)
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To: xzins

Perhaps it is as simple as the rapid speed a soldier can be in a combat zone one day, and home the next.


15 posted on 05/28/2009 8:49:59 AM PDT by CIB-173RDABN (California doesnot have a revenue problem it has a spending problem)
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To: xzins
at least 11 Soldiers have committed suicide this year

The public schools teach the students to be victims rather than teaching them personal strength. They teach men to be women and women to be men. Nature doesn't work that way.
I believe suicide among the youth today could easily be traced to government indoctrination. Strength has become a weakness and weakness has become strength.
These kids grow up to be weakened adults. I think the military is kinder then it's ever been because of political correctness, but these poor people were unable to deal with real world challenges. There wasn't a teacher around to coddle them.

17 posted on 05/28/2009 8:55:16 AM PDT by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: xzins
And yet, despite all this, the military suicide rate even now is lower than that of the general population--something the MSM neglects to mention.

OTOH, I read this morning the suicide rate among submariners is triple the national average. Pretty much always has been.
18 posted on 05/28/2009 8:59:33 AM PDT by OCCASparky (Steely-Eyed Killer of the Deep)
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To: xzins

This is very sad, my prayers for our military that they may have the strength they need to deal with their challenges.

I have noticed a product of our liberal schools- they are passing on the liberal trait of not being able to look at the big picture- or look down the road to see that things can get better, things can be dealt with and overcome in trying times. I see some of this in my own children- even though I drill it into their heads to see the whole picture when things are tough, and to do what they can to change their situation- look forward, plan foreward, work hard to overcome their problems. I see so many young people that only see what is in front of them and cannot imagine or plan for solutions to their problems and possible better times ahead. They have been taught to live for now, not long term planning- no patience, must have it all now attitude.

Suicide is a serious issue and in some cases a result of mental issues, but many times I think it is hopelessness of a situation that the person cannot see their way out of. Life is a series of tough challenges- I was taught to meet those challenges head on, tough my way through them and keep moving forward to better times. I was raised by adults that went through the depression and WWII, they did not teach me that life would be easy- quite the opposite. I try to do my best to preach that to all young people I am around- but it is so hard for them, it is like it is a new concept.

These are tough times for our military, many are 18-20 year olds that are dealing with many adult issues at once that they are not prepared for- relationships, financial- major life issues and at the same time they have made a committment to the military in a time of war- one more major adult issue. Many feel overwhelmed by life. I know some young soldiers- many of their stories are the same- they made a major commitment to the military and then get married too soon, which brings more issues for them to deal with while they are still in the process of growing up. It is hard, but I think it is even harder than in the past because parents and schools have not expected too much of them, and taught them that their problems will be solved by others. The Army does try to help the soldiers and their families- but it is hard to overcome the way they have been raised and educated.


23 posted on 05/28/2009 9:21:26 AM PDT by Tammy8 (Please Support & pray for our Troops; they serve us every day. Veterans are heroes not terrorists!)
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To: xzins
Does anybody know if our people are still being given mefloquine (lariam) to prevent malaria? If so, that could be a major factor. After a particularly bad reaction to it, I flushed my supply down the toilet, and decided to take my chances with malaria.
24 posted on 05/28/2009 9:21:47 AM PDT by PowderMonkey (Will Work for Ammo)
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To: xzins
That's not good.It's not good at any of our military installations.The DoD should make a *concerted* effort to ensure that *all* members of the Armed Forces get whatever medical care they need...as soon as they need it.
28 posted on 05/28/2009 9:31:29 AM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Christian+Veteran=Terrorist)
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To: xzins
yeah, I'm here at Campbell. I'm not buying the ‘101st has deployed so much’ line. 40% were done by soldiers who have not deployed or a family member of a soldier who's not been deployed.
30 posted on 05/28/2009 9:40:15 AM PDT by Dimez Apart (Absolute Infantry)
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To: xzins
Col. Ken Brown, the head of chaplains for the base.

How many Imams report to the good chaplain....just a thought, have they all been properly vetted!

40 posted on 05/30/2009 6:41:12 AM PDT by CRBDeuce (here, while the internet is still free of the Fairness Doctrine)
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To: xzins
I believe some of the stress is due to our war fighters trying to adjust to operating under a military-antagonistic second Carter administration.

I believe men in general are likely more depressed now that the presidency and senate are led by men who loathe manly men and the house is led by a feminist harpy.

It's the same reason many single women are ecstatic: they have a femininist-loving community organizer in power who shares their feelings of antipathy toward men and manly pursuits in general.

Morale in the military is entering a period of steep decline.

44 posted on 05/30/2009 6:47:32 AM PDT by behzinlea
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To: xzins
The briefings I have had on the issue (and I have had too many) indicate that the common thread is that the individual has personal and professional issues that lead the soldier to feel isolated. Sometimes their job is one that is lonely, with long hours. Recruiting duty is particularly susceptible for that. Other times, their family life has been strained to the breaking point by repeated deployments. Sometimes it's drug and alcohol fueled misconduct that is leading to career trouble or impending separation.

At the installation where I serve, the leadership from top down is engaging the issue. The 3-star garrison commander here is open and upfront about his problems with PTSD. It seems to be working. We've seen 2 suicides all year, in an installation with 60k soldiers.

48 posted on 05/30/2009 7:04:29 AM PDT by jude24
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