This morning I heard that suicides in Iraq by U.S. service members may be on track to exceed last year’s suicides. This is an unfortunate side effect of war. Our young men and women seem to be taking their life in alarming numbers. (The average age of a suicide victim in Iraq is barely 2 decades old.) Suicide seems to be the easy way out for many that are deployed to the war zones and the causes are numerous; combat stress, money issues, relationships that have become strained, isolation from loved ones, boredom, hopelessness, etc.
Unfortunately, our military culture is one of ‘survival of the fittest’ and therefore if there is someone contemplating suicide he or she may be discouraged from seeking help for fear of being viewed as weak, adding to their already overwhelming stress. Somehow, someway these young patriots need to understand that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness. I heard a saying once that says ‘suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem’ and unfortunately for many, they seem too overwhelmed with their issue at hand to understand the devastating effects that a suicide brings. I cannot imagine the grief a parent, sibling or child experiences when their loved one is killed while in a combat zone. Imagine how difficult their grief must be if that death occurred by their loved one’s own hand.
Suicide is an often overlooked tragedy from the effects of war. Perhaps there are some that consider suicides in a combat zone as collateral damage. Regardless, we must all work together to fight for our fellow citizens in uniform in helping them to seek the support and professional help they need. They voluntarily donned a uniform to protect our freedoms. Some have even experienced horrors that are unspeakable in support of our nation’s objectives, good or bad. It is now time for us to fight the destructive power of suicide and reclaim our precious sons and daughters from the brink of the suicide abyss. If you know of a service member who may be contemplating suicide, encourage them to seek help at the following website:
http://communityofveterans.org/node/256
There they will find the Veteran’s Suicide Prevention Hotline. Also, if you know someone who is serving overseas, send them an encouraging note or care package and let them know your are thinking of them, that you care about them and want to see them come home soon.
Your actions might save a service member from becoming another victim of The Audacity of War.
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