A War still Rages within Them

[Geee]

American Thinker:

An epidemic of heartbreaking proportions is striking down members of our U.S. Armed Forces and veterans. It kills with a merciless hand and without reason. It does not discriminate. They die before their time. The killer's name is suicide.

Through November, 177 active-duty soldiers and reserve personnel had committed suicide in the 11 months of 2012. In all of 2012, 176 soldiers were killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom. More soldiers died from suicide than succumbed to battle-related injuries (2012) and this admission comes from the Department of Defense (DoD).

The Army's suicide rate has climbed by 9 percent since the military branch launched its suicide-prevention campaign in 2009. In all of 2011 there were 165 suicides, in 2010, 156. Army suicides have increased by at least 54 percent since 2007 when there were 115 -- a figure the Washington Post called "an all-time record" at the time.

Although not all combat-related deaths in Operation Enduring Freedom occurred in Afghanistan, the vast majorities have taken place there, especially in recent years.

"I am asking soldiers, family members, Department of the Army civilians, neighbors, and friends to look out for each other and reach out and embrace those who my be struggling," Lt. Gen. Howard B. Bromberg, deputy chief of staff for manpower and personnel, said in a DoD release.