A 2007 report from CBS News discovered that in 2005 at least 6,256 U.S. war veterans committed suicide. That’s 120 each week over the year; an average of 17 each day.
The information shines a harsh light on the fact that U.S. soldiers and veterans are killing themselves at an alarmingly high rate. The Department of Defense denies this problem, as does the Veterans Administration.
Active-duty soldiers in Iraq and Iraq war veterans constitute a significant number of the dead. Many do not want to fight in this imperialist war. Others are scarred by what they have seen and participated in.
Still others suffer disabling post-traumatic stress injuries. They are cast aside by the VA, which miscategorizes them as flawed individuals with “preexisting personality disorders.”
The Bush administration and Congress is to blame. Soldiers should not have to fight and die for imperialism. Nor should veterans be kicked to the curb and left without healthcare, jobs and homes.
