why do more and more USA veteran commit suicide now? because

[prosperity4all]

why do more and more USA veteran commit suicide now?

New veteran suicide numbers raise concerns among experts hoping for positive news

the veteran suicide rate is significantly higher than that of the general population. According to the most recent data, more than 6,000 veterans commit suicide on an annual basis. This comes out to an average of 17 veteran deaths by suicide per day.

As we celebrate veterans, don’t forget the residual consequences of war

 

[Kaon]

why do more and more USA veteran commit suicide now?

New veteran suicide numbers raise concerns among experts hoping for positive news

the veteran suicide rate is significantly higher than that of the general population. According to the most recent data, more than 6,000 veterans commit suicide on an annual basis. This comes out to an average of 17 veteran deaths by suicide per day.

As we celebrate veterans, don’t forget the residual consequences of war

PTSD, the realization that you may have killed people for nothing, that you may have killed innocent people for nothing, seeing your best friend/brother/sister ripped apart by artillery or explosives in front of you, coming back to your nation of origin to be greeted by people who give the same one-sentence platitudes and then go back to ignoring them. Or, even seeing evidence of something nefarious that can't b shared with anyone else (since no one would believe them anyway).


The country leaves veterans on the street to succumb to their "ways of dealing" - literally. We telegraph the responsibility and blame on them, because they are easy (and on our peer level) instead of the people who deserve it.

So, after they have seen or killed people for this nation, seen their closest die for this country, and gave themselves as GI, they come back to a nation that has the luxury of forgetting they exist (except for those cliches). It is an unfortunate circumstance to be a soldier; laypersons will think you are crazy if you tell them things because a week of your life is beyond their belief, and your superiors wont care.

 

[Albion]

The veterans coming back from our more recent wars have not received worse treatment than the veterans in many past wars. However, most of our earlier wars instilled in those warriors the sense that they were fighting a noble cause and that their involvement was significant.

The deployments of recent times generally lack this element, although the effects of warfare upon the senses, the fear, the sights and sounds, and all of that remain.

 

[JohnAshton]

A lack of meaning infects the emotional lives of most vet suicides.

 

[E.C.]

We've effectively been at war since 9/11 and today's kids graduating boot camp were born either the year of, or the year after, fighting the same war we've been fighting since.

The "leadership" in the military today is ineffective. A lot of people in the Navy were kicked out around 2010-2012 timeframe, but the people kicked out were the ones who should have stayed in while the ones who stayed in are the ones who became and espoused toxic leadership. I've had the misfortune of meeting "leaders" who cared more about their own egos than a sailor having suicidal ideation trying to seek help.

People also aren't religious as much as they used to be. The Church is the hospital for the soul and if you don't take care of it you get sick and risk death. Alongside that there's a lack of community both within and outside of the military.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

why do more and more USA veteran commit suicide now?... ... ...
the veteran suicide rate is significantly higher than that of the general population.

They were lied to.
They got to be guilty.
They weren't told how to be forgiven.
They don't get offered much real help by anyone officially.
They lose hope.

 

[Br. Martin]

I lost a close friend several years back who was just newly married with a 3-month old son. Decorated SF vet who had a dozen tours overseas in various spec ops units. Years before I had prayed with him when he was facing personal issues, but I suspect ( tragically ) that it was years of drug abuse that became a dark tunnel that he couldnt exit. We should keep our military veterans in our prayers, and reach out when we can even just to say hello. These vets have already placed their lives on the line for the nation so we should step out of comfort zones and take time to sit back and listen to them.

+ Br. Martin

 

[RDKirk]

A puzzling thing is that a great proportion of these suicides are by people who were never in combat, never even in a combat zone. And while mental health care in the military isn't perfect, it's far better now than it's ever been before. And the reception of the military by civilians is more positive today than it has been since World War II.

The answers to this problem are not simple. I suspect we're dealing with issues that begun before these troops entered service, issues that have become common in today's youth, and are then triggered by military experiences that had been relatively benign for earlier generations.

 

[Br. Martin]

My Drill Sergeant at Fort Jackson told me years ago: "they shovel the [ expletive ] from the streets and dump it here and demand we fix it." As COL Hackworth stated in his book ABOUT FACE, progressive-minded GO's demanded "reform", essentially surrendering command and control from the warfighters to the Pentagon-bound ticket punchers who would apply a civilian fix-all of "dog and pony shows" and "jumping through psychological hoops" which impressed the fifth estate but left the problem unsolved: the problem of GIs high on drugs would stay high on drugs. There was a way out, per Legion Etrangere. "We can fix em" my DS said, hands on hips, moving dirt around with his spit-shined jump boots, "but it would damn sure require use of fists on our part to do it, and we could, but command wouldn't stand for it. If they don't deal with it now [ and they didn't ] these young men wont survive it [ insecurity of civilian life ]."

 

[HedgehogJourney]

Well there are many reasons. I can say from experience that I wanted to because I felt nobody cared about me and my issues even though that may have seemed small. Anxiety paired with depression is not a good combo. Not like there is a good combination anyway. I also felt like I lacked purpose. That was back before I accepted Jesus. Jesus saved me from myself. I understand that this isn't easy for others but I encourage you to continue fighting on to live. Everyone's journey is different life is precious!
Other reasons I have heard while in the service is because: A spouse took money and left them, they didn't like their job so much, and even after trying to change it their form was rejected. Those are what I heard of so far for reasons why people killed themselves.

The system also makes it worse for those in the service. When you are in the service you talk to a chaplain and then they send you right back to work. It's like they patch you up with a small bandaid for a big wound. You have to continue on your day as if nothing is wrong and the only time they may send you home is when there is a death in the family. It has to be the death of a close relative such as a grandparent, parents, aunt, uncle, etc.

I can go on and on about this subject but I'm sure you all get my point.

 

[AVB 2]

why do more and more USA veteran commit suicide now?

New veteran suicide numbers raise concerns among experts hoping for positive news

the veteran suicide rate is significantly higher than that of the general population. According to the most recent data, more than 6,000 veterans commit suicide on an annual basis. This comes out to an average of 17 veteran deaths by suicide per day.

As we celebrate veterans, don’t forget the residual consequences of war

Several years ago I read an article that stated that the reason that the suicide rate among post World War Two veterans is this. When WW 2 was over, the veterans that were overseas were put on US Navy ships that took about 30 days to return to the US. During that 30 days all the men had to do was eat, sleep and stay out of the way of the sailors who were on duty, so they talked to one another about problems they had about war. They discovered that the their brothers-in-arms also had the exact same feelings they had and that was therapy for them. Just knowing they were not the only one's with these feelings was comforting. The soldiers of today could be in combat on Monday, put on a airplane on Tuesday and by Wednesday be home. All those anxious feelings are still inside eating at them.

I am a disabled veteran and have trusted the VA for about 20 years with all my health care and they are doing an OUTSTANDING job at identifying PTSD in their patients and then doing something about it. If you are a vet and think you may have PTSD call 800-827-1000 and find who is your local Service Veteran Officer who will help you with signing up with the VA.

 

[RDKirk]

Several years ago I read an article that stated that the reason that the suicide rate among post World War Two veterans is this. When WW 2 was over, the veterans that were overseas were put on US Navy ships that took about 30 days to return to the US. During that 30 days all the men had to do was eat, sleep and stay out of the way of the sailors who were on duty, so they talked to one another about problems they had about war. They discovered that the their brothers-in-arms also had the exact same feelings they had and that was therapy for them. Just knowing they were not the only one's with these feelings was comforting. The soldiers of today could be in combat on Monday, put on a airplane on Tuesday and by Wednesday be home. All those anxious feelings are still inside eating at them.

I am a disabled veteran and have trusted the VA for about 20 years with all my health care and they are doing an OUTSTANDING job at identifying PTSD in their patients and then doing something about it. If you are a vet and think you may have PTSD call 800-827-1000 and find who is your local Service Veteran Officer who will help you with signing up with the VA.

That is a point that I've recognized before (having been in a multi-generational military family, and being retired military myself. That ocean transit "decompression" time was more valuable than people realize. I only realized a decade into my own career how different the psychological recovery was for the elder men in my family, who had been combat solders who stayed in service, compared to those who had returned to civilian life immediately after the combat service was over. In my life, I only knew soldiers who stayed in--around fellow combat veterans who understood and others who were as supportive as they could be. I really didn't get it for a while that the experience of those who immediately left the service was so much worse.

 

[timewerx]

PTSD, the realization that you may have killed people for nothing, that you may have killed innocent people for nothing, seeing your best friend/brother/sister ripped apart by artillery or explosives in front of you, coming back to your nation of origin to be greeted by people who give the same one-sentence platitudes and then go back to ignoring them. Or, even seeing evidence of something nefarious that can't b shared with anyone else (since no one would believe them anyway).

PTSD can also cause you to harm your loved ones at home and the guilt of harming loved ones can strongly motivate someone to commit suicide - adding to the many other reasons why many veterans are suicidal.

We telegraph the responsibility and blame on them, because they are easy (and on our peer level) instead of the people who deserve it.

Sadly, self-blame and self-help is part of the American culture forced upon you by your leaders. "If your life turned out badly, it's your fault" "Only you can help yourself".

While partly true, this non-Biblical attitude towards people who needs help, ends up with these people not getting the help they need because some people are just too broken to help themselves.

More progressive countries in Europe don't think like this. Ironically these supposedly Atheists countries are more Biblical, Godly in their actions towards people needing help. Naturally, they have free healthcare, free or very affordable education, etc and leaders accept responsibility and work with people to solve problems instead of blaming the helpless for their problems.

But US leaders shift the blame on others than themselves. So they can remain in power or just don't want to accept responsibility.

 

[RDKirk]

More progressive countries in Europe don't think like this. Ironically these supposedly Atheists countries are more Biblical, Godly in their actions towards people needing help. Naturally, they have free healthcare, free or very affordable education, etc and leaders accept responsibility and work with people to solve problems instead of blaming the helpless for their problems.

But US leaders shift the blame on others than themselves. So they can remain in power or just don't want to accept responsibility.

Remember all the 13 original colonies began as business interests, some being outright corporation (Rhode Island was, at least, a mutually owned corporation). The so-called "Protestant work ethic" is not particularly Protestant, it's mostly early American corporatism. Corporatism is the bones of the United States.

 

[timewerx]

Remember all the 13 original colonies began as business interests, some being outright corporation (Rhode Island was, at least, a mutually owned corporation). The so-called "Protestant work ethic" is not particularly Protestant, it's mostly early American corporatism. Corporatism is the bones of the United States.

Interesting but also terrible. Everyone in the world is trying to copy the American culture thinking it's a good thing. Living rich comes at a huge cost they're not telling you.

 

[timf]

Here is an excerpt from christianpioneer.com that describes suicide with a military emphasis. Please excuse formatting as some parts did not copy well. It might help to use the link Christian Pioneer - Thoughts of Suicide?

​		​	Christianity was supposed to be about becoming like Jesus.​	​
We went in the wrong direction.​

email

Thoughts of suicide?​

​	​	Types of suicide​	​	​
Event driven​	​	Disconnected​	​	Progressive conclusion​
​	​	​	​	​
There are painful life experiences that can be amplified by suddenness such that there seems to be no hope. The death of a child or spouse, the loss of a job or imprisonment, or when people have found themselves unexpectedly refugees from war are just some examples of these events.. The loss of foundation can create stress in life that is both unbearable and seemingly hopeless.​	​	As a person grows, he builds upon his surroundings. This can be his family, school, town, religion, even philosophy. We often seldom consider how much of what we assume about the world we live is built upon these assumptions of life. When things happen to move us from one environment to another, we can find that we lose those things that gave us certainty and assurance. A person can even be unaware that he has had those things upon which he has built his life eroded.​	​	There are people for whom mental illness or other condition accentuates a self-focus as well as establishes a social barrier or stigma that amplifies both isolation and self-preoccupation. Sometimes people will attempt suicide as a manipulative tool to break down the isolation they feel only to find people even less inclined to connect with them. People can spend years considering suicide and finally act to complete what they see as the only option they have.​

			Military Suicide
	​		Alien environment Even if someone never goes into combat, the military environment can be so different that it can seem like living on another planet.
	​		Alien culture Sometimes the strangers you live with become closer than brothers. Other times these strangers seem to exclude you or follow a social patterns that you wish to be excluded from. Often alcohol and indiscriminate fornication do not provide enough distraction to make tolerable the transition to a new life.
	​		Alien oversight Sometimes a person in the military has a "boss" for the first time in his life. Sometimes he finds his first experience working with or for someone who is incompetent, petty, vengeful, or malicious.
	​		Relating to a machine Humans are designed to live in families. The military like much of modern life is an organizational system. Systems are unable to fill the need humans have for relational attachment. No matter how many programs and procedures are initiated, the organizational life will always be alien to humans. The intentional manipulation of people to robot-like performance makes people more suited to organizational systems, but incurs a cost in making people less suited to relationships.
	​		Between two worlds Just as the Indians that were taken from their tribes and raised in white schools were not able to fit into either world, military experience often creates people who feel disconnected from the world they knew and unable to find a world where they can fit in.
	​		Shattered illusions Sometimes a person will enter the military in a wave of patriotic enthusiasm. Often the grind of reality replaces this with cynicism from seeing politicians exploit naiveté for their own purposes.
	​		You can't go home again An author once wrote about the passage of time that, "You can't go home again". Military experience accelerates this such that a person is left with a much deeper sense alienation. This is magnified if there is no replacement "home".
	​		Alone in the universe A person who has lost his former foundation in life can come to see all possible futures as hopeless and meaningless.

	How firm a foundation​
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	​		As we grow out of childhood, we bring with us connections with out family, ways of looking at the world, and a sense of fitting into the world in some way. While we may not even be aware of these things much less appreciate them, They serve to give us a foundation to our life. The transition to an alien life such as military experience or the encounter of sudden tragedy can expose the strength or weakness of the foundations upon which we have built our life. The loss of foundation can be more catastrophic for a person who was unaware of how much he depended on it.
	Family​
	​		First and most important foundation We live in a time when family has been reduced to both parents working outside the home and children taken from the home to go to school. "Home" is mostly a place where four "roommates" reside each going in their own direction. There are people for whom even the truncated family would be a step up. Single parent homes, homes where there is drug and alcohol abuse, and homes where children are under constant anxiety can produce even weaker foundations.
	Values​
	​		What is important Usually originating in family, values are the beliefs and ideals that shape how we look at others in relation to ourselves. We often value money, easy work, avoiding consequences, feeling comfortable, and having people admire and respect us.
	Culture​
	​		Automatic pilot Most of us go through our daily life with little thought about why we do things. We seek to get what we can, do what we have to, and get out of what we don't want. We are mostly unaware that our habits that have been accumulated over a lifetime provide a cushion against reality so that we do not often have to face the discomfort of truth.
	Future​
	​		Expectations We often come to have expectations for our future based on our assumptions drawn from our family experience, values, and culture. When anything happens to shake our foundations, we can lose our hope for the future. Crumbling foundations frequently result in a proportional feeling of hopelessness.
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			How to fix a foundation
	Patch​
	​		Reducing pain People can generally tolerate a large amount of pain in their lives. When pain gets too great, the most commonly sought remedy is something to make the pain fall back into the tolerable level as opposed to fixing something. Sometimes people divorce or quit their job. Sometimes people take drugs or alcohol. Sometimes people move to another town. Often steps taken in the short term can contribute to even greater pain down the road.
	Repair​
	​		Identifying the faulty component A person may go to medical school, marry and build a family only to find that his working 80+ hours a week destroys his family. He may decide that his desire for money or the personal prestige of being a doctor is not worth the loss of his family.
	Replace​
	​		Building a new foundation Sometimes a person has to dig deeper in his life to find what is wrong. When many foundational elements have been eroded or damaged, it can seem an insurmountable task to build something new.
	​

		The true foundation
Jesus​
		Jesus the solid rock Many people discount Jesus as a foundation because they feel he is not real. People fail and die. Banks fail and close. Governments go in debt and fail. The very earth quakes. Storms come. Drought saps the life from the land. Wars come. Thieves plunder. Jesus created the world. He created us. He died for our sins. He is eternal. Jesus is more "real" than all the other things in which we trust.
​		On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand;​

		The suicide advantage
Being set free​
​		At first it is difficult to think of any way in which thoughts of suicide could be beneficial. However, frequently when a person considers suicide, he begins to feel relief and even peace. Unfortunately this is often mistaken as confirmation of a decision to commit suicide. What happens when we begin to mentally detach ourselves from those thoughts of hopelessness is that we find a freedom not previously known. If we reach a point where life and death do not matter, we can find that lesser matters matter even less. This break in perspective is not a replacement foundation, but it helps to free us from being dragged down by failing foundations.
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		Accepting less than Christ
Churchianity​
		There was a woman named Glenda who was going to go home one night and commit suicide. On her way home she picked up a tract about Jesus and was saved that very evening. At first she started attending a neighborhood church. She said she went from thinking she was the only person who had not heard about Jesus to thinking she was the only one who had. People who have been set free from the superficial, trivial, and foolish things of the world have less tolerance for them than those who incorporate them into their own cherished foundations of life. As a result, A person who has been to the brink may not find comfort in traditional and popular Christian church practice. The alternative is to seek out individual Christians from whom you can learn to be more like Jesus or to whom you can minister and show the love of Jesus.
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		Fitting in
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​		A foundation built on Jesus does not mean finding acceptance in the world. It means the peace that passes understanding. It means peace in difficulty, strength in adversity, and certainty of an eternal home with our Savior who loved us so much as to lay down his life for us. We see the world as passing away. We see the foolish, vain, petty, sad, and pathetic things of this world as they are and find value only in love, truth, wisdom, and all good things which flow only from him upon whom we have built our foundation.
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