Military Suicides are Epidemic during Iraq War

click here for link to mp3 of report on PBS McNeil Lehrer

click here for link to video

McNeil Lehrer, January 29, 2009
Report
Army Reports Record Number of Suicides Among Troops
Soldier; file photoArmy officials said Thursday that suicides among troops are at their highest level in decades. In 2008, the army suicide rate surpassed the civilian rate for the first time since the Vietnam War. Health correspondent Betty Ann Bowser examined the problem last November.

Help for Veterans

Halting recruiting for one day isn't going to help much with the pressure on Army recruiters. Four in Houston have committed suicide in 3 years. Suicides in general, of Iraq veterans, are so high it would make you shiver.

see story on the Houston recruiting problem:


Army to Stop Recruiting for 1 Day after Houston Suicides, Houston Chronicle, January 22, 2009

• Veterans experiencing emotional and suicidal crisis, as well as their concerned family members or friends, have immediate access to emergency counseling services 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 800-273-TALK (8255).
• For information on suicide warning signs visit www.behavioralhealth.army.mil.
• The Army's Battlemind Training System is a mental health awareness and education program that helps prepare soldiers and their families for the stresses of war and assists with the detection of possible mental health issues before and after deployment. Visit www.battlemind.org .
• Soldiers in crisis should talk to their chaplain, chain of command or a fellow soldier immediately. They may also call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-SUICIDE.
• Call the Wounded Soldier and Family Hotline at 800-984-8523 or e-mail wsfsupport@conus.army.mil

Iraq Veterans get some help

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Rule Allows More Time Off For Families of Injured Troops

By Michael A. Fletcher
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 15, 2008; Page A07

The Labor Department released a new regulation yesterday allowing workers to take up to 26 weeks off each year to care for family members seriously injured in the military.

The new rule grew out of a recommendation by the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors that was incorporated into legislation signed into law in January. The change will also allow relatives of active-duty National Guard members and military reservists to take off for up to 12 weeks to look after their affairs.

"We made sure we were as generous as we could be on this leave," said Victoria Lipnic, an assistant secretary of labor...

The liberalized military leave entitlements are part of a series of modifications to the 15-year-old Family and Medical Leave Act that have been finalized by the Labor Department. The changes come after a nearly two-year review in which the department received more than 20,000 comments from worker advocates and employers. The rules will go into effect 60 days after their official publication on Monday...more

Iraq Vets in College

Photo by Tyrone Turner for The New York Times

Even thought the U.S. military has downplayed the effects of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome in its soldiers... the problems are very real.


Link to video of interview with Ismael Valenzuela:


http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/10/31/education/edlife/1194830087491/soldier-student.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink