According to statistics released by the U.S. Army, branch personnel committed suicide at a rate of 20.2 per 100,000 in 2008, or at least 128 suicides.
The figures are the highest since data collection began in 1980, and mark an 11 percent increase since 2007 and a 25 percent increase since 2006. In contrast, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say overall civilian suicide rates were about 11 per 100,000 in 2004—the last year for which they have data.
Soldiers’ tours have been repeatedly extended in recent years. Recruited through lies and then exposed to the horrors of U.S. wars of aggression, soldiers have been developing post-traumatic stress disorder at high rates. The government underfunds treatment even as it pours seemingly unlimited financial resources into the Pentagon. For many, suicide becomes the only escape.
Data compiled by the National Priorities Project indicate that upper-income recruits have decreased in relative numbers, whereas recruits from households earning between $30,000 and 60,000 have remained overrepresented.
