this from the hartford courant

a thought provoking article. something perhaps we haven't thought about. something i didn't know. the suicide rate of soliders has risen. in some instances it appears superiors were aware of problems yet nothing was done (i.e. no counseling - at the very least that is)


Mentally Unfit, Forced To Fight

May 14, 2006
Story By LISA CHEDEKEL And MATTHEW KAUFFMAN Photos By Mark Mirko, The Hartford Courant
Despite a congressional order that the military assess the mental health of all deploying troops, fewer than 1 in 300 service members see a mental health professional before shipping out.Once at war, some unstable troops are kept on the front lines while on potent antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs, with little or no counseling or medical monitoring. And some troops who developed post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq are being sent back to the war zone, increasing the risk to their mental health.These practices, which have received little public scrutiny and in some cases violate the military's own policies, have helped to fuel an increase in the suicide rate among troops serving in Iraq, which reached an all-time high in 2005 when 22 soldiers killed themselves - accounting for nearly one in five of all Army non-combat deaths.The Courant's investigation found that at least 11 service members who committed suicide in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 were kept on duty despite exhibiting signs of significant psychological distress. In at least seven of the cases, superiors were aware of the problems, military investigative records and interviews with families indicate. ...................

msnbc picked up the story too