Cord Jefferson, Senior Editor at Good presents some troubling numbers about the suicide rate for US Soldiers.
For the second year in a row, more American soldiers - both enlisted men and women and veterans - committed suicide than were killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Excluding accidents and illness, 462 soldiers died in combat, while 468 committed suicide. A difference of six isn't vast by any means, but the symbolism is significant and troubling. In 2009, there were 381 suicides by military personnel, a number that also exceeded the number of combat deaths.
I'm sure that some people will argue the accuracy of the numbers presented. However, the fact of the increasing rate of suicides performed by US soldiers in all branches of military service cannot be denied.
Our troops returning from war need our support now, even more than they did when they were overseas.
More U.S. Soldiers Killed Themselves Than Died in Combat in 2010