Suicides among United States military veterans ballooned by 26 percent from 2005 to 2007, according to new statistics released by the Veterans Affairs (VA) department in Washington.

Talking at a VA-sponsored suicide prevention conference this week, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki said that of the more than 30,000 suicides in US each year, fully 20 percent of them are acts by veterans. That means on average 18 veterans commit suicide each day. Five of those veterans are under VA's care.
Analyzing this phenomenon, researcher Eli Clifton said that the spike in the suicide rate can most clearly be attributed to the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the high number of veterans returning to the U.S. with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Aaron Glantz, an editor at New America Media editor and author of “The War Comes Home” is reported saying that there are now nearly two million vets of Iraq and Afghanistan and they still haven't seen the type of mobilization of resources necessary to handle an epidemic of veteran suicides.
Health officials have pointed to the multiple tours of duty served by many U.S. soldiers deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq as one of the stresses placed on military personnel that differs from previous wars fought by the U.S.
The VA estimated that in 2005, the suicide rate per 100,000 veterans among men ages 18-29 was 44.99, but jumped to 56.77 in 2007.
A Rand Corporation report last year found that as many as 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans exhibited symptoms of PTSD or depression.
While the emphasis on greater transparency, particularly with regards to PTSD and mental health issues, many are still concerned that the troop surge in Afghanistan and the ongoing U.S. role in Iraq will put ever greater strains on the VA and its ability to deal with soldiers returning from multiple tours of duty.
“The first Persian Gulf War was over in a matter of months. This war has gone on for nine years in Afghanistan and seven years in Iraq. There are two million vets, most of whom have served multiple tours,'“ said Glantz.
“What this means is that the military has never faced the stress it faces now. Not even in Vietnam where we had a draft and most soldiers only served one tour. In Iraq and Afghanistan everyone's on the frontlines all the time. Even being in a vehicle going from one military base to another is extremely dangerous,” he said.
Shinseki cited the fact that of the 18 veterans who commit suicide each day, five are under the care of the VA, as evidence that both the VA's efforts to prevent suicides are falling short and that the VA is failing to bring enough veterans under its care.
Suicides among active duty personnel have also risen, with 147 reported suicides in the Army from January through November 2009 - an increase from 127 in the same period of 2008.
Among non-active duty reserve soldiers, 50 suicides were reported in 2008 but the number had risen to 71 during the first 11 months of 2009.
(Source: tripolipost.com)