Diagnosing the Army's Suicide Crisis

by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright December 7, 2010
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              Rocket scientists need not apply to figure out what’s causing the Army’s alarming suicide rates.  A little common sense goes a long way given today’s voluntary military, where the pool of applicants does not reflect a “normal” cross-section of the population.  Given today’s sluggish economy and high unemployment, it should surprise no one that the military becomes an alternative to private sector or government employment.  Young men and women applying for military service often have few other options, picking the military for its structure, direction and benefits.  While it’s tempting to ignore who applies to the voluntary military, it’s reasonable to assume individuals whose options are narrowed based on education and life experience.  It’s not uncommon that military service becomes a path to deal with adult responsibility, often at a time when young people experience confusion and disorientation.

            Given these circumstances, it’s reasonable to assume that the military accepts an higher than average sample of maladjusted individuals, whether the histories showed academic difficulties, social problems, issues with alcohol or drug abuse or a variety of other maladjustments, including petty or more serious crime.  Put those individuals in highly stressful combat situations, exposes people with mental health problems to more serious forms of maladjustment.  Suicide represents the most maladaptive of a series of behavioral problems that includes potential substance abuse, violence and domestic abuse and other forms of maladaptive behavior.  With the voluntary forces stretched thin, the Army must extend the combat tours within its ranks, at times forcing enlisted personnel to do multiple combat stints.  It only makes sense that adding more combat stress contributes to today’s high suicide rates.

            In 2009, 330 Army service members committed suicide more than the 320 combat deaths in Afghanistan or the 150 combat deaths in Iraq.  Before 2001, the Army suicide rate was lower than the civilian population.  Now it’s more than double, attesting, if nothing else, to the deadly nature of combat stress.  It’s no accident after Sept. 11 former President George W. Bush put the country of a war footing, launching Operation Enduring Freedom Oct. 7, 2001, toppling the Taliban in record time Nov. 15, 2001.  Since then the U.S. has engaged in a low intensity guerrilla war in Afghanistan, eventually attacking Iraq March 20, 2003.  While Bush shifted much of the Pentagon’s resources to Iraq, the two wars continued unabated, forcing the military to re-up the tours of many its service members.  Given the composition of the voluntary military, added combat stress contributed to today’s high suicide rates.

            Studying the composition of the voluntary military provides the best clues for the vulnerability of U.S. armed forces.  When limited recruitment can’t keep pace with combat demand, it forces multiple combat tours, eventually taking a toll on U.S. troops.  Military suicides make up about 20% of all suicides in the U.S., despite making up only about 7.6% of the U.S. population.  When 40-year-old Army Psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan went postal at Fort Hood, Texas Nov. 5, 2009 killing 13 soldiers, more questions were raised about his ties to the Yemen-based fugitive Chicago-born al-Qaeda terrorist Anwar al-Awlaki.  What could be more juicy that attributing Hasan’s rampage on his ties with al-Qaeda?  Screaming “Allahou Akbar” while firing his semiautomatic doesn’t tell the whole story of a mentally disturbed individual vulnerable to influence and prone toward violence.

            Past cases involving abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison, or, more recently, involving unjustified killing of battlefield detainees also reflects the predispositions toward abnormal behavior and post-traumatic injuries leaving veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan prone toward violence, domestic battery, substance abuse, erratic behavior and possibly suicide.  When you add to that individuals not particularly well-adjusted prior to military service it becomes a lethal formula for increased self-destruction and violence.  When 20-year-old Pfc. David Lawrence murdered Oct. 17 an Afghan detainee in his jail cell, it raised inescapable questions about his fitness for duty.  While it’s tempting for prosecutors to dismiss claims of mental illness, there’s overwhelming evidence of a mental disorder.  Family testimony at a Fort Carson, Colorado hearing revealed Lawrence’s schizophrenia.

            Skyrocketing suicide rates in the U.S. Army indicate that today’s recruits can’t take the kind of stresses involved in multiple tours of duty without disabling maladjustment.  Military recruitment officials must do a better job of prescreening and selection before sending soldiers to stressful battlefields.  Under the best of circumstances, multiples tours add to the mental health problems of normally adjusted soldiers.  When you have preexisting vulnerability or undiagnosed mental health issues, too much battle fatigue can send otherwise normal soldiers into a tailspin.  Accusing soldiers like Lawrence of feigning mental illness to avoid legal consequences completely ignores today’s military conditions that contribute to suicide and violent behavior.  Pentagon brass must face the music about the volunteer military and the conditions that cause abnormal behavior.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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