28 Potential Suicides in August

One more reason why endless war is not a good idea.

Stigma of PTSD is costing U.S. lives

I couldn't agree with this op-ed more.

Clay Hunt

"He thought the world was supposed to be a better place than it is, and he lived every day of his life thinking, perhaps naively, that his efforts could make the world be what he thought it should be," Wood said.

When Hunt woke up every day and his efforts seemed in vain, that made him more depressed, Wood said.

Feeling Warehoused in Army Trauma Care Units

This is a spectacular article detailing the Army's ongoing problems. Here is an excerpt:

For many soldiers, they have become warehouses of despair, where damaged men and women are kept out of sight, fed a diet of powerful prescription pills and treated harshly by noncommissioned officers. Because of their wounds, soldiers in Warrior Transition Units are particularly vulnerable to depression and addiction, but many soldiers from Fort Carson’s unit say their treatment there has made their suffering worse.

This overmedication seems remarkably similiar to what I wrote about almost two years ago in June 2008:America's Medicated Army

Military Suicides Up Among Soldiers in Repeat Army Tours

This is not surprising since servicemembers are never given any time to get used to "normal" life before returning to the war zone, divorce rates are through the roof, and when war veterans leave the service they can't even find a job. They are pushed away from the non-draft "these wars don't affect me" society, a society that owes them everything, but gives them nothing, after dreaming non-stop, sometimes for years, of the great world they were to return to after serving in war. The let-down is depressing for any veteran. It is no wonder they would rather leave this world than continue in it. Below is a painting by Van Gogh, finished days before he shot himself; his last words were "the sadness will last forever."

On the Threshold of Eternity (1882)

Vincent Van Gogh

Army's Life-or-Death Drama

Another great article from Ann Scott Tyson, it deals with a new interactive video used by the Army to combat soldier suicide. From today's Washington Post.