4 Iraq veterans in Japan commit suicide

[WhiteTara]

http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/03/10/news/soldiers.php

4 Iraq veterans in Japan commit suicide
Agence France-Presse

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2006




TOKYO Four Japanese soldiers have killed themselves since returning from Iraq, possibly because of trauma from the war, a news report said Friday.

A Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman confirmed the four deaths, but said that it was "difficult to identify the reasons for their suicides."

The Asahi Shimbun reported, however, that a number of Japanese troops were emotionally scarred by their experience in Iraq, the first Japanese mission since World War II to a country where fighting is under way.

More
we even terrify our allies
One officer who killed himself last year was posted at a station that was attacked by rockets several times and a member of his unit was almost shot by accident by a U.S. soldier, the paper said.

During joint military training with the U.S. military after he left Iraq, the officer had said of American troops, "We will be killed if we are with them," according to the report.

Japan has 600 troops in a relatively safe southern Iraqi town of Samawa.

The troops, serving on a reconstruction mission, have had no casualties and have not fired their weapons. They are barred from combat by the pacifist Japanese Constitution that was imposed by the United States in 1947.

The Defense Agency said that its doctors care for soldiers' mental health before, during and after Iraq assignments.

With rotations, a total of 5,000 Japanese troops have done duty in Iraq since 2004.

A record high 94 members of the 240,000-strong Japanese military, known as the Self-Defense Forces killed themselves in the 12 months before March 2005.

Eighty-five have committed suicide in the 11 months since then.


TOKYO Four Japanese soldiers have killed themselves since returning from Iraq, possibly because of trauma from the war, a news report said Friday.

A Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman confirmed the four deaths, but said that it was "difficult to identify the reasons for their suicides."

The Asahi Shimbun reported, however, that a number of Japanese troops were emotionally scarred by their experience in Iraq, the first Japanese mission since World War II to a country where fighting is under way.

One officer who killed himself last year was posted at a station that was attacked by rockets several times and a member of his unit was almost shot by accident by a U.S. soldier, the paper said.

[OKNancy]

1. You need to snip this down a little

for copyright reasons. Thanks

[WhiteTara]

7. oops my mistake

and oops too late, I can't edit.

[rodeodance]

2. so very sad.

[daleanime]

3. We are so loved...

But I don't think that will change as long Painless/brainless stays in the White House.

[NYC]

4. 3 of the paragraphs near the bottom are duplicates.

You can trim it down by deleting those.

Interesting article.

[peacetalksforall]

5. Anyone know of any stories or research about other coalition partners? nt

[0007]

6. The Iraq invasion is effecting the whole world.