Thanks for your service now “man up,” move on

Suicide soliders on a fool’s errand
Re-reporting, editing with comment by Carolyn Bennett

The U.S. Army is said to be in alarm alert because the suicide rate among U.S. soldiers at home and abroad in this year alone has exceeded the number dying in the ongoing invasion and occupation of Afghanistan ─ the fool’s errand.

The director of the Army’s suicide prevention task force, Colonel Chris Philbrick, told National Public Radio that Army authorities dragged their feet and were generally dismissive about the rising crisis in military suicides.

“‘[We tell them] 'Thank you for your service, go find someplace else to work.’ The tough challenge is changing a culture that is very much about ‘manning up’ when things get [mentally and emotionally] difficult.”

Very late in the day ─ when most astute readers of news and antiwar literature already knew military personnel were committing suicide in record numbers ─ Army brass are claiming to be “investigating” the military's suicide prevention and mental health programs.

“Suicide rivals the battlefield in toll on U.S. Military (National Public Radio, Jamie Tarabay), June 17, 2010, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127860466

The real wounds to the mind are the killing fields ─ death and unspeakable injury: the constancy of killing, watching other human beings die, being concerned with, scared of imminent death. Never coming home again.

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