But way more soldiers die from suicide than from dying on the battlefield
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01 ... -2012?lite
Service members committed suicide during 2012 at a record pace: more than 349 took their own lives across the four branches, or one every 25 hours, a Department of Defense spokesperson confirmed Monday.
The Army sustained the heaviest suicide toll at 182, a dark tally that — as NBC News reported Jan. 3 — marked another frightening first as soldier suicides last year outpaced the 176 Army members who were killed in combat while serving Operation Enduring Freedom, according to Pentagon officials.
During 2012, there also were 60 suicides among active-duty members of the Navy, 59 in the Air Force and 48 in the Marine Corps. Throughout the U.S. military, suicides increased by nearly 16 percent from 2011 to 2012, figures show. The Department of Defense has been issuing annual reports that track suicides since 2008, said spokeswoman Cynthia O. Smith.
To me it's obvious. Human beings in the 21st century aren't made to be torn from newborns and wives and thrust into war zones.
So while you might see endless youtube and news media website comment sections filled with "GOD BLESS MURICA AND OUR TROOPS!"
the reality is I think by now most people realize how wrong and bizarre the whole military role is in the modern era.
To me the biggest sin of the Republican party across the board is the slashing of mental health funding, not just for troops but for people in general.
Only time we see increased funding is when it's paired with big pharma SSRI bias.
While my fantasy of youth and society becoming more 1969 era pro peace/anti war may never happen, I hope future generations question the very notion
that going into the "armed services" is ever a good idea....no matter how many damn movies, video games, commercials and other propaganda the government spits out
On a side note, sexual assault of women in the armed services has long been at an all time high as well
