Now I see the US army is spending $50 million dollars to "Better identify the factors that cause some soldiers to take their own lives." * Er, how about this: "I just saw my buddy's brains on the floor of the Humvee after we hit a roadside bomb" Or this one: "I had to drive over a 12 year old Iraqi girl that was approaching our vehicle."
The suicides are a bit of a problem. Sixteen US soldiers took that route in October taking the total for the year to 134. Since 2006, suicides have risen 37% passing the US population as a whole last year. They are in bit of a bind as a draft would intensify opposition to the wars but the burden of the war is falling on a relatively small section of the US population. This has its benefits reducing the likelihood of a generalized movement against the wars but places a tremendous strain on those sent.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff are pressuring Obama to send more fodder and I'm sure the unemployment figures will probably help them there with some fresh, more desperate working class youth. But the Generals want the troops only if they have spent a year in the US since their last tour. But that would mean troops wouldn't be available for a long time and according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War, the US has only three Army and Marine brigades available under these conditions, about 11,000 to 15,000 troops.
2005 12.7%
2006 15.3%
2007 16.8%
2008 20.2%
With such a controlled media it is hard to tell but the US military must be close to breaking point. In general it is in crisis, stretched to the limit with bases all around the world and fighting two wars with hotspots from Somalia to Columbia, Iran and Pakistan. An explosion within the military cannot be ruled out.
Some suggestions that will reduce military suicides:
Withdraw all troops from the Middle East Iraq and Afghanistan
Quality Healthcare and PTSD Care for all Veterans
Guaranteed jobs at a minimum of $15/hr on return from duty
Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airmen Right to immediate unconditional discharge with counseling
Trade Union rights for enlisted troops with the right to elect officers
No bailout for the banks, money for job creation
No more economic draft
Free education for all.
Wall Street Journal: 11-3-09
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AP reports this morning that morale is down in Afghanistan. They say:
"Both surveys showed that soldiers on their third or fourth tours of duty had lower morale and more mental health problems than those with fewer deployments and an ever-increasing number of troops are having problems with their marriages."
I wonder if this could have anything to do with the suicides?
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