Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and various congressmen have now classified the record high number of military suicides last year an “epidemic.” Experts blame the rising trend – which took 349 lives in 2012 alone – on Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as financial and relationship troubles that combine to produce a sense of hopelessness. That’s not to mention substance abuse, legal problems or other issue facing service men and women. Often, they are simply unable to cope with being a civilian after returning home from combat.
In 2005 the suicide rate in the Army was less than half of 2012’s number.
From the Associated Press:
Each year the Pentagon performs an in-depth study of the circumstances of each suicide. The most recent year for which that analysis is available is 2011, and among the findings was that those who took their…
View original post 174 more words
Homecoming 