Greg Mitchell, of the invaluable Editor and Publisher, writes about an under-reported aspect of the war in Iraq. A recent report indicates that around 20% of suicides nationwide are current or former military personnel. Other than being at least some indication of the toll inflicted on someone who is trained to be able to kill others, it's an indictment of how our government takes care of the men and women who serve in the armed forces.
As Mitchell explains, non-combat deaths in Iraq are often vaguely reported, and when they're possible suicides, it's often local news outlets that take the lead in investigating. And the problem is significant and apparently worsening:
A rise in suicides among soldiers serving in the military has alarmed Pentagon planners and members of Congress as the war in Iraq enters its sixth year. An Army report produced last year found the rate of suicides among soldiers deployed in Iraq from 2003 to 2006 was almost 40 percent higher than the military's average suicide rate. An update of the Army's Mental Health Advisory Team report released in March found suicide rates for soldiers in 2007 remained "above normal Army rates."
I spend a lot of time talking about the political implications of foreign policy in general and Iraq in particular; it's also vital, though, to keep a level eye on the human costs. And they are seemingly endless.
