Just awful. I'm surprised so many that haven't deployed commit suicide.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army is reporting the fifth straight year of increased suicides among active duty and reserve components of the service branch.
The Defense Department report published Friday, said the 147 suicides through November exceeds last year's number of 127 and is the most since 1980 when the Army began keeping count.
Walter Morales, Army suicide prevention program manager, said suicides do not occur only among soldiers who have served multiple deployments. More than a third who have taken their own lives were never deployed, he said in a statement released Thursday.
"We conduct an exhaustive review of every suicide within the Army," said Brig. Gen. Colleen McGuire, director of the Army's Suicide Prevention Task Force. "What we have learned is that there is no single or simple answer to preventing suicide. This tells us that we must continue to take a holistic approach to identifying and helping soldiers and families with issues such as behavioral health problems, substance abuse, and relationship failures."
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