Suicide Rate Amongst Our Troops Highest in 26 Years

I should add, for those who don't know, the the Army and the Marines are going into the high schools to recruit the young. Wonder what they plan to do with these innocents? Iraq. Afghanistan. (public school records are available to them since public schools are state/federally funded).

Looks like the young for war is the newest commodity.

aNOTHER REASON WE NEED TO GET THE HECK OUT OF iRAQ!

Thanks Nalita for the very sad statistics. Morale is so low that one can cut it with a knife. They go over there to fight then get court martialled for abusing a prisoner of war, I am a non-violent person and feel that this situation, this so called war is wearing thin on all of us here in the United States. I feel that if they are going to the high schools to recruit young men and women this only goes to show that this government does not intend to stop this madness in Iraq any time soon...

They just keep killing our children, younger than ever now. The blood on the hands of this administration is so thick it defaces everything they touch.

They are disgusting.

I want our kids home NOW!

This was just on the news. And the worst part is, when my husband was in the service the worst thing a service member could do was say he was depressed, needed some time off or got put in a hospital for observation. It was clearly understood it would ruin a career. I'm surprised it's only 99. My gut feeling is they're lying about this too.

This is so sad.

Unbelievably sad. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I'm sure it has something to do with the retention policy.

There is also disquiet about the UK troops - so many with PTSD - suicides - and the closure of most of the Forces hospitals, meaning that wounded troops have to be treated in civilian hospitals by civilian doctors and nurses...

My husband blogged about this earlier this morning. I really agree with what he had to say about this horrific, sickening trend. If you want, go to http://wanderingdonkey.com/ and check it out.

Remember Bush said the military was not overstreched, here is another one of his lies coming out into the light.

Call me stoical, call me thick-skinned; I just don't allow things to get to me, but this, and this war -- it is getting to me and seeing this, even though deeply in my heart I knew it, it has gotten to me and has coloured my day. I am in such a foul mood, and not...well, just not much happiness.

I just hope no one loses sight that those young people are over there not enjoying it, it's difficult, very hot, very depressing, and they are doing it for the freedoms we so often take for granted. Got to do something to not let it get to me. Let's never forget, constantly keep them in our prayers, get them home as soon as possible, but as Senator Obama says, must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in there. The same must be true for whatever goes on in Afghanistan.

Thank you, and God bless everyone.

Yeh, mentally ill, my ass! Mentally ill means being in the middle of NO WHERE on duty, on tour, on guard, by yourself with no family no loved ones in a f--ked up place, not knowing when you are going to get your brains blown out, with f--ked up food, everything is f--ked up. (Nalita I am showing respect, see?) The military won't take you if your mind is screwed up, at least once upon a time they didn't. That's bulls---//!

Mentally ill? No! Want to be home? Yes? Want to serve your home and country? Yes?

But don't lay that pile of crap on us.

Jason:

I know this is hard for you. I know. Thanks for your thoughts. It is hard for me to return to this article. It is definitely a downer, and we -- all too often -- do not like to think about the ugly realities of life. Thank you for your service to your country, and your valor. You are my hero, in more ways than many!

Lori:

Your words are WELL expressed. Politicians and the power hungry are good at twisting things as they exploit our young, aren't they? Things would certain be different if we rounded up all their young and shipped them off to Iraq, wouldn't it? But we are much to humane and civilize to do that, because we wouldn't want it done to ours. They, however do not have the same humanity within them. Their only "humanity" is greed.
Thanks, Lori.

LJ:
Succinct, and well said. I think about someone, and I almost said his name, but I won't. He had a heart, a sweet heart. But when he returned from war, he had none. He was cold, his once warm eyes were cold and empty. His mother had to take him "away". I never saw him again. I don't know what happened to him.

He became a consequence of war. Emotional and mental suicide

Thanks, LJ.

Terri S:

May I join your voice and say:

Another reason why we need to get out of the HELL of Iraq! Our children don't need OR deserve that. (And I didn't mean to rhyme.)
Thank you for your voice, Terri.

Esther:
Your wisdom is absolute ASTOUNDING. The reason I use so many personal experiences is not because I am into "self", but because I can only judge/assess based personal experience. For Pete's sake, I have never come close to walking in those troops' shoes, so how in the world could I ever judge them? I cannot. I can only be saddened by the situation that places them in a setting to have to make such horrible choices.

Esther, I agree with you, wholeheartedly. Isn't it interesting how many rush to judgment on these kids and what they do, without not ever having been "in those shoes"? They don't know what they would do given the same set of circumstances, under the same conditions, but they are certainly quick to judge, and lest we forget, we are talking about fairly young people, without the benefit of years and years of life's experience behind them.

When they -- Army and Marines -- came to my nephew's school, my brother told them -- oh no, you aren't taking my son. When they asked him why, he said he was a veteran of the Navy, and IF his son were to ever go into any branch of the military it would be the Navy.

Truth be told, our descendants KNOW that higher education is FIRST and FOREMOST. Were it something like the Peace Corps, okay, but fighting in Iraq for oil for the wealthy, who won't even send their own -- why?

Esther, you are indeed a very wise lady. Thank you. Love and blessings to your mom!

Sharon:

I do, too. It is such a longing in me. I pray for it, and I ache for it. I see them in my mind over there. I try not to, and I ask for God's help to not see it, but it doesn't go away. I confess that I am as angry with Congress everyday that this is prolonged as I am with Mr. Bush. They could stop this, if they wanted to.

Thanks Sharon.

Lynn:

Lies, lies, and more lies. You hit the nail on the head. You are right. It sort of sounds like you and Jason are in tune, too. After the Forrestal incident they offered everybody who survived that thing discharges with honors -- I think that is how you say it. I KNOW, because my brother told me, and if you accepted there would be no questions asked. That is how psychologically horrible that thing was. Why don't they offer those over in Iraq the same thing, instead of forcing them to do tour after tour after tour?

I don't get it. i really don't. Thanks, Lynn.

Carolyn, and Elizabeth:
Yes, it is unbelievably sad.

Ishbel:
If you have information about that, can you send it to me? I would be ever so interested. Thanks.

Thanks Mary!

Brian:
Bush says a lot of things. My response is that whoever the "marionette" is, is not doing a very good job with their "Punch", or then again, since "Punch" is supposed to be a joke, maybe they are, and "Punch" is always lying and finding himself the brunt of jokes.

The only problem is that Iraq is no joke.

Thanks to all

Here's an article from The Observer, earlier this year
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2031200,00.html

Someone mentioned that bit about "Love it or Leave it" mentality. Well I never would have put anyone's child in Iraq. I cared enough about anybody's child, known or unknown to me, to not ask that. The commercials on t.v. aimed at those just coming out of high school make me sick. They glamourize the military, and I can tell you there is nothing glamorous about it. If you get hurt oh, well, so sad. If you get killed your family must be out of housing in 30 days. The life insurance is inadequate to get the children through college, so there is another generation of children going military to get an education. No, if I have to fight to save my country, then I'll hope my neighbors will fight as well. But only then would I ever ask or expect someone to do that. And I do believe it is the older generations who need to be going to war, not the ones who haven't even been able to live in their own homes yet. And from what I understand, they must wait for the order to shoot while they're getting shot at? No, no. Don't go to war if you are not willing to kill. Don't go to war unless someone is in your face trying to kill you. I don't need to go to war to save face. And so far we haven't saved face. We are a mockery to the rest of the world almost. There is no country that trusts us. We were loathed years ago as being arrogant and greedy and using other countries. I learned this first hand living in Hawaii. Nobody liked America. The Philipinos joined our military but they were quick to tell you what the U.S. did wrong in the Philipines. The Japanese looked down on us and despised us. And blamed us for the bomb. Somehow they would forget that little matter of bombing Pearl Harbor. The Koreans felt used and abused. The Germans scoffed at us. As did the people from the Netherlands. No one. I repeat no one respected us or trusted us. And the Hawaiians? Ha! They did not want to become a state. According to every Hawaiian I ever had any dealings with they were just plain taken over, and Oahu has been turned into concrete where many of them remembered beautiful trees and green. My feeling is you kill someone's father you've made an enemy for life. You kill someone's son/daughter, you've made an enemy for generations.

Thanks Ishbel. I will definitely check that out. I have copied the url!

Wow! Powerful comment Lynn. Your wisdom seems to know no bounds.

"My feeling is you kill someone's father you've made an enemy for life. You kill someone's son/daughter, you've made an enemy for generations."

I copied that, because it, too, is a knockout statement. I do not know what to add to what you have said -- you seem to cover so much, except your thoughts are compelling, powerful, and worth deep thought. Thank you ever so much!