Military Suicides
As triple amputee, former Senator Max Cleland insists the deepest wounds and scars of war are psychological, mental and emotional, which you carry to your grave. Major depression should be anticipate and if we don’t intervene with the emotional aftermath of war early, it can turn into alcoholism, drug addiction, depression and suicide.
A new report from the U.S. military is showing a disturbing increase in soldier suicides. Last year, 101 American soldiers took their own lives. That is the highest military suicide rate in 26 years. Nearly a third of the deaths were by troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Grieving family members are wondering if they could have been prevented.
April Somdahl's younger brother committed suicide after serving in Iraq. She got along great with her brother, whom she described as always smiling, adventurous and as having a great outlook on life. He was very warm hearted and willing to help with everything. He went into the war with a hero mentality to defend his country. The first sign that something had gone wrong, began after Suddam Hussein was captured. April’s brother believed that the war was going to be over and wondered why he was still in Iraq and why everybody was still suffering.
He had experienced the trauma of being thrown into a war-time situation and the stresses that go with it. He thought he was prepared, but his sister doesn't know all what he had experienced or how it drained on him mentally.
April believes her brother would be alive today, if he was discharged after his first deployment. Everyone in the family told him to turn to the military, that they have a responsibility to help him heal and to fix him after the situation he’d been in.
April has a lot of deep-seated angry feelings towards the military and how the war situation is being handled. The fact that her brother volunteered doesn’t mitigate any of the anger she feels towards the military.
A new report from the U.S. military is showing a disturbing increase in soldier suicides. Last year, 101 American soldiers took their own lives. That is the highest military suicide rate in 26 years. Nearly a third of the deaths were by troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Grieving family members are wondering if they could have been prevented.
April Somdahl's younger brother committed suicide after serving in Iraq. She got along great with her brother, whom she described as always smiling, adventurous and as having a great outlook on life. He was very warm hearted and willing to help with everything. He went into the war with a hero mentality to defend his country. The first sign that something had gone wrong, began after Suddam Hussein was captured. April’s brother believed that the war was going to be over and wondered why he was still in Iraq and why everybody was still suffering.
He had experienced the trauma of being thrown into a war-time situation and the stresses that go with it. He thought he was prepared, but his sister doesn't know all what he had experienced or how it drained on him mentally.
April believes her brother would be alive today, if he was discharged after his first deployment. Everyone in the family told him to turn to the military, that they have a responsibility to help him heal and to fix him after the situation he’d been in.
April has a lot of deep-seated angry feelings towards the military and how the war situation is being handled. The fact that her brother volunteered doesn’t mitigate any of the anger she feels towards the military.
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