U.S. Marine and Navy Suicides at a 10-Year High

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From CNN: “Marine Corps sources say the service is concerned that 2018 may have seen 75 suicides even with the extensive mental health programs available. Many of the cases are young Marines who have not deployed overseas and have not been in combat — a situation that has been seen in other branches of the military as well. […]

The corps began tracking suicides in the Reserves in detail only in 2012, so the 10-year high is confirmed only in the active-duty forces. The numbers have fluctuated in recent years — which is also a trend the military has struggled to understand, without firm answers emerging — with often-unexplained spikes in the numbers of cases.

And suicide continues to touch all ranks in the military. Late last year, Vice Adm. Scott Stearney, the top admiral overseeing US naval forces in the Middle East, died of an apparent suicide.”

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4 COMMENTS

  1. I had always assumed that military suicides were due to moral injury, that these individuals had either done or witnessed atrocities of war that left them unable to live with themselves. But apparently not (or not anymore?):

    “Many of the cases are young Marines who have not deployed overseas and have not been in combat — a situation that has been seen in other branches of the military as well. “

    The military culture itself is killing them.

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  2. I agree and it is one layer of many. Lots of professions hide the information, just like sexual abuse. A kind of global Catch 22 moment for all of us.
    Pat Conroyb wrote about the issues in military families so well and in himself contained the damage of trauma unresolved, though he tried hard to overcome all of it.
    I go back to the need for Trauma Centers and what hadn’t been discussed in depth prevention.
    The concept of working hard for the future in all areas of life, environmental, nutrition, ism reduction in all areas, education and human interactions.
    Just a full throttle beginning action would begin to alleviate the need for why bother with life assessment.
    What enraged me, is not that we don’t have the capacity or wealth it is the greed, selfishness, and willful ignorance of the people who literally could change the world but don’t and stand by worried about nonessentials while all of us are barely making it. In terms of epigenetics, we, if we survive, are creating more inter generational trauma in layers of past and current historical trauma.
    Anything that can change folks perceptions is great. With Laura’s piece I had no great expectations so was very pleased they didn’t pull “ A BeautifulmMind “ enforced lie.

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