Stephen Lendman: Record Number of US Military and Veteran Suicides

Headlines like this should shock: Suicides Outpace War Deaths. Surge in Military Suicides. Nearly Two Dozen Veterans Commit Suicide Daily. These reports and similar ones reveal imperialism's dark side. War takes its toll. Civilians suffer most. So do many combatants and veterans after returning home. Most people don't know. Little gets reported. Why do active duty personnel and vets take their own lives? Unbearable emotional pain consumes them. Daily trauma builds. So does intolerable stress. Relief is desperately sought. Suicide is chosen. It's a last option. Others were exhausted. Preventable warning signs aren't heeded. They include depression, withdrawal, lethargy, loss of interest in usual activities, appetite, weight, sleep and other behavioral changes, recurring suicidal thoughts, and feelings of hopelessness and despair. Daily stress is bad enough. Combat exacerbates it. It's intolerable for many. The little known human cost of war raises disturbing questions. America consumes its own. Epidemic post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) levels affect hundreds of thousands of combat forces and vets. The VA estimates over 30% of Vietnam vets, around 10% of Gulf War forces, and up to 20% of America's Afghanistan and Iraq troops. VA and DOD officials consistently understate problems. Independent reports reveal more. Some say nearly half of Afghan and Iraq vets have emotional and/or physical combat injuries. In May 2012, AP said America's vets "are filing for disability benefits at a historic rate. They're the "most medically, mentally troubled generation in US history." War's toll is one of the most under-reported stories. Hundreds of thousands of combat vets won't ever be the same again. They come home sick. They stay that way. They're traumatized. They're unable to cope. Emotional damage done, goes largely unrecognized. It's an unseen wound. Many needing help don't get it. The emotional ordeal is overwhelming. It's terrifying. War vets are gravely affected. PTSD causes emotional numbness. Left untreated, it worsens. Horrifying flashbacks are commonplace.