Quote:
Originally Posted by KSUViolet06
"The rate of suicides among-active duty soldiers is on pace to surpass both last year's numbers and the rate of suicide in the general U.S. population for the first time since the Vietnam war, according to U.S. Army officials."
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Maybe I'm reading a couple of the above posts wrong - and if so, please let me know. I'm sorry in advance if this sounds harsh, I cannot seem to temper it.
I think it's really unnecessary to try and qualify this statistic, or to downplay it by implying it's not meaningful enough because it doesn't compare a military demographic perfectly to its corresponding civilian demographic. That seems like a way to trivialize the issue, and I don't understand the need.
The bottom line is, the number is up.
That to me is the whole point of the article. It's incredibly troubling to see that the men and women who are putting themselves on the line are more prone
this year than any year in a couple of decades to taking their own lives. That's a huge sign that there are issues that need tending, whether or not the rate is comparable to the identical civilian population.