Appalling Statistic: Military/Veteran Suicides Have Reached 22 Per Day

On Memorial Day we give thanks to those who have served our nation.   To those who have given their lives to protect and defend our freedom, we pay our respects.  But one sacrifice that is unbearable to accept is the suicide rate of active military and veterans. 

According to CNN statistics, there were more military deaths from suicide than from combat in 2012.  We know there is a problem.  It is not hard to imagine the unspeakable horrors soldiers have witnessed, the losses, the fears, the financial concerns, the readjustment and employment issues, health issues, the vast array of possible physical, mental and emotional handicaps that war and destruction bring to the doorsteps of the young men and women who serve.

The New York Times reports that "the Pentagon’s first department-wide suicide prevention policy, to be released this year, will require “leaders to foster a command climate that encourages Department of Defense personnel to seek help,” Jacqueline Garrick, acting director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, told Congress in March."

There is help for soldiers struggling with mental and emotional trauma:

• www.realwarriors.net
• www.stopsoldiersuicide.org
• www.preventsuicide.army.mil

  
[photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/4493484032/">The U.S. Army</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">cc</a>]