Army suicides at highest level in 26 years

[EV_Ares]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report.
The report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its scheduled release Thursday, found there were 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers during 2006, up from 88 the previous year and the highest since the 102 suicides in 1991 at the time of the Persian Gulf War.

The suicide rate for the Army has fluctuated over the past 26 years, from last year's high of 17.3 per 100,000 to a low of 9.1 per 100,000 in 2001. Last year, "Iraq was the most common deployment location for both (suicides) and attempts," the report said.

((((rest of article @ link below))))

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-08-15-army-suicides_N.htm

[valerief]

1. Why 1981? Ray-Gun? Early-AIDS? I tried to link to article, but I got hung. nt

[valerief]

2. 2007 - 26 = 1981, not 1991

Doesn't USA-Can't-Subtract-Today mean highest in 16 years?????????????????

===========================
Army suicides at highest level in 26 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — Army soldiers committed suicide last year at the highest rate in 26 years, and more than a quarter did so while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a new military report.
The report, obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its scheduled release Thursday, found there were 99 confirmed suicides among active duty soldiers during 2006, up from 88 the previous year and the highest since the 102 suicides in 1991 at the time of the Persian Gulf War.

The suicide rate for the Army has fluctuated over the past 26 years, from last year's high of 17.3 per 100,000 to a low of 9.1 per 100,000 in 2001.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-08-15-army-suicides_N.htm

[Tunkamerica]

3. It's an AP story n/t

[valerief]

4. Oh, I thought someone at USA Today might actually read their feeds.

Also, I didn't know AP writers didn't know arithmetic.

[Ilsa]

5. KO said they had just released the report to go into tomorrow's

newspapers and websites.

So many of the soldiers are so tired and mentally anguished by their experience and losing spouses, etc over long deployments. This is so horrible. And their deaths don't go into the totals for the war.

[valerief]

6. Did he say 26 years or 16 years, do you know? nt

[Ilsa]

7. It was big, like 26 years (I was thinking 30, rounded up). nt

[valerief]

9. Wow, even KO can't subtract. nt

[struggle4progress]

8. knr