Surge in suicides among US soldiers

 

(AL JAZEERA)   Figures show suicides among active-duty troops now average almost one a day, outnumbering forces killed in action.

Suicides are surging among US soldiers, averaging nearly one a day this year, according to statistics from the country’s defense department.

The 154 suicides for active-duty troops in the first 155 days of the year outnumber the US forces killed in action in Afghanistan by about 50 per cent, according to statistics obtained by the Associated Press news agency.

The numbers are rising among the 1.4 million active military personnel despite years of effort to encourage troops to seek help with mental health problems.

The reasons for the increase are not fully understood. Among explanations, studies have pointed to combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of prescription medications and personal financial problems.

Jackie Garrick, head of a newly established Defense Suicide Prevention Office at the Pentagon, said on Thursday that the suicide numbers this year are troubling.

“We are very concerned at this point that we are seeing a high number of suicides at a point in time where we were expecting to see a lower number of suicides,” she said, adding that the weak US economy may be confounding preventive efforts even as the pace of military deployments eases.

Because suicides had leveled off in 2010 and 2011, this year’s upswing has caught some officials by surprise.

Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide, although a substantial proportion of suicides are committed by soldiers who never deployed.

Afghanistan casualties

The unpopular war in Afghanistan is winding down with the last combat troops scheduled to leave at the end of 2014.

He [Major John Roucco] had suffered injury in combat and he had also suffered from depression and let it go untreated for years. And because of that, he’s dead today

– Kim Ruocco, widow

But this year has seen record numbers of soldiers being killed by Afghan troops, and there have also been several scandals involving US troop misconduct.

The 2012 active-duty suicide total of 154 through to June 3 compares to 130 in the same period last year, an 18 per cent increase.

This year’s January to May total is 16 per cent ahead of the figures for 2009, which ended with the highest yearly total thus far.

The suicide pattern varies over the course of a year, but in each of the past five years the trend through May was a reliable predictor for the full year, according to a chart based on figures provided by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner.

Sign of weakness

Many in the military believe that seeking health for mental health issues is seen as a sign of weakness and thus a potential threat to advancement.

Kim Ruocco, widow of Marine Major John Ruocco, a helicopter pilot who hanged himself in 2005 between Iraq deployments, said he was unable to bring himself to go for help.

“He was so afraid of how people would view him once he went for help,” she said.

“He thought that people would think he was weak, that people would think he was just trying to get out of redeploying or trying to get out of service, or that he just couldn’t hack it – when, in reality, he was sick.

“He had suffered injury in combat and he had also suffered from depression and let it go untreated for years. And because of that, he’s dead today.”

Ruocco is currently director of suicide prevention programs for the military support organization Tragedy Assistance Programs, or TAPS.

The military services have set up confidential telephone hotlines, placed more mental health specialists on the battlefield, added training in stress management, invested more in research on mental health risk and taken other measures.

The suicide numbers began surging in 2006. They soared in 2009 and then leveled off before climbing again this year.

The statistics include only active-duty troops, not veterans who returned to civilian life after fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Nor does the Pentagon’s tally include non-mobilized National Guard or Reserve members – part-time troops who normally divide time between civilian life and military services.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/06/2012689549304932.html

Federal Jack

Surge in suicides among US soldiers

 

(AL JAZEERA)   Figures show suicides among active-duty troops now average almost one a day, outnumbering forces killed in action.

Suicides are surging among US soldiers, averaging nearly one a day this year, according to statistics from the country’s defense department.

The 154 suicides for active-duty troops in the first 155 days of the year outnumber the US forces killed in action in Afghanistan by about 50 per cent, according to statistics obtained by the Associated Press news agency.

The numbers are rising among the 1.4 million active military personnel despite years of effort to encourage troops to seek help with mental health problems.

The reasons for the increase are not fully understood. Among explanations, studies have pointed to combat exposure, post-traumatic stress, misuse of prescription medications and personal financial problems.

Jackie Garrick, head of a newly established Defense Suicide Prevention Office at the Pentagon, said on Thursday that the suicide numbers this year are troubling.

“We are very concerned at this point that we are seeing a high number of suicides at a point in time where we were expecting to see a lower number of suicides,” she said, adding that the weak US economy may be confounding preventive efforts even as the pace of military deployments eases.

Because suicides had leveled off in 2010 and 2011, this year’s upswing has caught some officials by surprise.

Army data suggest soldiers with multiple combat tours are at greater risk of committing suicide, although a substantial proportion of suicides are committed by soldiers who never deployed.

Afghanistan casualties

The unpopular war in Afghanistan is winding down with the last combat troops scheduled to leave at the end of 2014.

He [Major John Roucco] had suffered injury in combat and he had also suffered from depression and let it go untreated for years. And because of that, he’s dead today

– Kim Ruocco, widow

But this year has seen record numbers of soldiers being killed by Afghan troops, and there have also been several scandals involving US troop misconduct.

The 2012 active-duty suicide total of 154 through to June 3 compares to 130 in the same period last year, an 18 per cent increase.

This year’s January to May total is 16 per cent ahead of the figures for 2009, which ended with the highest yearly total thus far.

The suicide pattern varies over the course of a year, but in each of the past five years the trend through May was a reliable predictor for the full year, according to a chart based on figures provided by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner.

Sign of weakness

Many in the military believe that seeking health for mental health issues is seen as a sign of weakness and thus a potential threat to advancement.

Kim Ruocco, widow of Marine Major John Ruocco, a helicopter pilot who hanged himself in 2005 between Iraq deployments, said he was unable to bring himself to go for help.

“He was so afraid of how people would view him once he went for help,” she said.

“He thought that people would think he was weak, that people would think he was just trying to get out of redeploying or trying to get out of service, or that he just couldn’t hack it – when, in reality, he was sick.

“He had suffered injury in combat and he had also suffered from depression and let it go untreated for years. And because of that, he’s dead today.”

Ruocco is currently director of suicide prevention programs for the military support organization Tragedy Assistance Programs, or TAPS.

The military services have set up confidential telephone hotlines, placed more mental health specialists on the battlefield, added training in stress management, invested more in research on mental health risk and taken other measures.

The suicide numbers began surging in 2006. They soared in 2009 and then leveled off before climbing again this year.

The statistics include only active-duty troops, not veterans who returned to civilian life after fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Nor does the Pentagon’s tally include non-mobilized National Guard or Reserve members – part-time troops who normally divide time between civilian life and military services.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/06/2012689549304932.html

Federal Jack

Crisis-led suicide epidemic: Greek mother & son jump to death

(RT)   A 60-year-old Greek musician and his 91-year-old mother jumped to their deaths from their 5th floor apartment, driven to despair by financial woes. This double death is the latest in a rising epidemic of crisis-induced suicides in Greece.

Witness accounts vary – some say the mother, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, jumped first, screaming a prayer as she plummeted to her death. Other neighbors say the mother and her son jumped together, holding hands.

But the one thing everyone seems to agree on is that the family had been struggling for a long time. The night before, Antonis Perris posted a suicide note of sorts on a popular Greek forum, saying he had no way of resolving the family’s financial issues.

“The problem is that I didn’t realize that I would need to have cash, because the economic crisis came so suddenly. Even though I have been selling our possessions, we have no cash flow, we have no money to buy food anymore and my credit card is maxed out with 22% interest rate.”

Perris continued to say that both his and his mother’s health deteriorated, and that he saw no solution to his most basic problems – getting food and medical help.

He ended his emotional statement by blaming the “powerful of this earth”, holding them responsible for the country’s – and his own – financial crisis.

Crisis suicides are no longer isolated incidents in Greece. Just two days ago a man committed suicide in central Athens, slashing his wrists on a well-populated square. In April, a student, a professor and a priest took their own lives in the country’s capital.

But it was the death of pharmacist Dimitris Christoulas, who shot himself in the head on a central Athens square, that most acutely exposed the plight of Greeks amid savage austerity.

Before shooting himself amid morning rush hour on April 4th on Syntagma Square, opposite the Greek parliament building, the 77-year-old pensioner wrote a suicide note.

“I see no other solution than this dignified end to my life so I don’t find myself fishing through garbage cans for sustenance,” wrote Christoulas, who has since become a national symbol of the austerity-induced pain that is squeezing millions.

Greek media have reported suicides almost daily over the last few months – a shocking fact for a country that previously boasted one of the lowest suicide rates in the world.

http://www.rt.com/news/greece-double-suicide-crisis-136/

Federal Jack

U.S. Navy: Iran prepares suicide bomb boats in Gulf

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US trolling for its next false flag in the Gulf, already projecting blame for tactics that the US has used and will use: U.S. Navy: Iran prepares suicide bomb boats in Gulf 12 Feb 2012 Iran has built up its naval forces in the Gulf and prepared boats that could be used in suicide attacks, but the U.S. Navy can prevent it from blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the commander of U.S. naval forces in the region said on Sunday. “They have increased the number of submarines… they increased the number of fast attack craft,” Vice Admiral Mark Fox told reporters. “Some of the small boats have been outfitted with a large warhead that could be used as a suicide explosive device. The Iranians have a large mine inventory.”

Citizens for Legitimate Government

Suicide bomber kills 53 in Iraq

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Suicide bomber kills 53 in Iraq 14 Jan 2012 At least 53 people were killed and over 135 wounded in a suicide bomb attack which targeted Shiite pilgrims in Iraq’s Basra city Saturday as hundreds of thousands of Shiites converged in the holy city of Karbala. According to a police official, the attack occurred in the morning when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police checkpoint. It occurred among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims who were marching toward a shrine in the town of Al-Zubair in Basra, a oil hub city around 550 km south of capital city Baghdad, Xinhua reported.

Citizens for Legitimate Government

Shooting Deaths Involving Navy Pilots Ruled Murder-Suicide, Police Say

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Shooting Deaths Involving Navy Pilots Ruled Murder-Suicide, Police Say –City is home to Naval Air Station North Island which serves as a training area for Navy SEALs 04 Jan 2012 A New Year’s Day shooting that left four dead at a condominium near San Diego was a murder-suicide involving a 25-year-old Navy pilot who killed himself, officials said Wednesday. Autopsy results show John Robert Reeves shot himself in the head, and the three others with him were murdered, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said. A fellow Navy pilot, 25-year-old David Reis, was killed by a gunshot wound to the torso and his 24-year-old sister, Karen, suffered a gunshot wound to the head and chest, officials said. A 31-year-old Chula Vista man, Matthew Saturley, was shot multiple times. David Reis shared the condominium with two Navy pilots, said neighbor Don Hubbard, a retired Navy commander.

Citizens for Legitimate Government

Suicide attackers storm Afghan governor’s office

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Suicide attackers storm Afghan governor’s office –A meeting between government and Nato officials was under way at the time of the attack. 10 Nov 2011 Attackers have stormed the offices of a governor in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktia province, killing at least four Afghan security personnel. Several suicide attackers, armed with bombs, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns, stormed the offices in the Samkani district of the province.

Citizens for Legitimate Government

New Report: Military Losing the Battle Against Suicide

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New Report: Military Losing the Battle Against Suicide 02 Nov 2011 Between 2005 to 2010, a U.S. service member took his or her own life every 36 hours, according to a new report by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). “Although only 1 percent of Americans have served in the military, former service members represent 20 percent of suicides in the United States,” the report stated. Military suicide has risen over the past 10 years, with an estimated 18 veteran suicides a day. However, the report’s authors say the true number is unknown.

Citizens for Legitimate Government

UK Government Claims 200 Suicide Bombers “Planning Attacks In UK”

()   A senior intelligence source has revealed that the figure is a “conservative” estimate of the threat facing the country from UK-based Islamist suicide bombers.

The would-be killers are among 2,000extremists who the security services have said are based in Britain and actively planning terrorist activity of some kind.

The figures are contained within a secret government report on the “enduring terrorist threat” facing the UK from al-Qaeda and affiliated organisations, The Sunday Telegraph has been told.

While the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki may have left al-Qaeda without a charismatic leader, both the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, and the Security Service, MI5, believe the organisation remains as dangerous as ever.

The warning comes as Britain begins preparations for next year’s 2012 Olympic Games, which has been described by MI5 as the biggest security operation in the country’s history.

But senior sources believe that rather than targeting Olympic venues, where security will be extremely high,terrorists will be tempted to attack areas where crowds are likely to congregate such as train stations and public events.

If terrorists were to mount an attack in Britain of the kind seen in other countries, by packing a single explosive vest with hundreds of ball bearings then detonating it in a crowded enclosed area such as a station terminus at rush hour, they could kill up to 120 people according to one explosives expert.

The 200 British residents thought to be planning suicide attacks, either within the UK or overseas, represent one in 10 of the wider group of 2,000 terrorist plotters.

The intelligence source added that suicide bombers would only be stopped by either a “chance encounter” or by an intelligence-led investigation. But he added that if a terrorist cell was properly organised and secure there was very little the authorities could do to prevent an attack.

The latest disclosure follows the arrest of six men from Birmingham who were remanded in custody two weeks ago over an alleged UK suicide bombing plot.

Two of the six, Irfan Nasser and Irfan Khalid, are accused of preparing for an act of terrorism, including travelling to Pakistan for training in terrorism, making a martyrdom video and planning a bombing campaign. They are also accused of “being concerned in constructing” a home-made explosive device for terrorist acts and stating an intention to be a suicide bomber.

Earlier this year, classified intelligence documents disclosed by the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, showed that MI6 officers believed that Britain was facing a wave of suicide attacks from British-based Muslimextremists who had been trained in terrorist camps in Pakistan.

One report quoted an MI6 officer’s briefing to US officials in which he said: “The internal threat is growing more dangerous because some extremists are conducting non-lethal training without ever leaving the country. Should these extremists then decide to become suicide operatives, HMG [Her Majesty’s Government] intelligence resources, eavesdropping and surveillance would be hard pressed to find them on any ‘radar screen’.”

One intelligence official told this newspaper: “We may have only had one ‘successful’ suicide attack in Britain but the tactic remains an enduring threat. This is a generational problem we are facing. The terrorists are learning all the time and adapting their tactics. They now operate a cell structure and there security is very tight.

“Suicide bombers know the signs we will be looking for. So they don’t pray in the moments before an attack, there will be no heavy coats in summer and they are becoming much more security aware. For every countermeasure we develop they create a new ‘measure’. They will always be looking for our exposed flank.”

Intelligence experts believe that suicide bombers are motivated by a number of factors including politics, religion, poverty, finance and social factors.

Research has shown that they can be drawn from all social strata and can range from the well-educated to the mentally impaired. In Iraq and Afghanistan, young children and women have been recruited, while in London, the 7/7 bombers who killed 52 people and injured hundreds more in four coordinated attacks on the Tube and bus network came from stable backgrounds with close families.

Another classified report, details of which have been passed to this newspaper, stated that suicide attacks had developed as the weapon of choice for al-Qaeda and its supporters because of the level of fear that such attacks can engender.

The report cited examples of past suicide attacks which were perceived by the organisations which mounted them as having produced successful outcomes, such as the Beirut barracks bombing of 1983 which was followed by the withdrawal of US forces from Lebanon.

http://www.pakalertpress.com/2011/10/11/200-suicide-bombers-planning-attacks-in-uk/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Federal Jack

Susan Lindauer Gets Death Threats, Says She Will Not Commit Suicide & Is In Perfect Health

(FEDERALJACK)    On Sept. 18th 2011 Susan Lindauer had a two (2) hour long interview with me (Popeye) on my Radio Show (Down The Rabbit Hole) and during one of the breaks she related information that she had received death threats for her work in getting the truth about Libya out.  I (Popeye) was so bothered by this and the fact that we had not talked about it on air that I called Susan back and asked her to do a quick special broadcast about it.  To quote Susan “I promise I will never, ever commit suicide. I would never give the CIA the satisfaction! And you can quote me on that in your article!”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzGLRMqX7PA

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH SUSAN LINDAUER ON (09/08/2011) BELOW:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJOuz6GQIsQ

See The NATO & Al-Qaeda War Crimes Evidence Page Here: http://www.federaljack.com/?page_id=37933

Popeye’s Regular YT Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/FederalJacktube6

Popeye’s Full Length Upload YT Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAnswerto1984is

Get Susan Lindauer’s Book Here: http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Prejudice-Terrifying-Story-Patriot/dp/1453642757

Federal Jack

We Are Change TV.US