The headline was small and muted this month, but the Army reported 278 suicides for 2011. That figure represents Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve components. While that number may not immediately seem like good news, it is nearly a ten percent drop from 2010. It is also the first time that number has declined in four years.
I understand why no one wanted to herald the news, but this should still be seen as a victory. We are making an incredible difference in the lives of people. Suicide prevention training has taken hold in the force and continues to grow. Soldiers and families understand that it is okay to talk about deployment issues and concerns. Stigma and fear continues to decline. Counselors, medics, chaplains and battle buddies at every level are teaching service members how to address suicidal thoughts. That being said, there is still more work to be done.
Broken relationships are still the number one reason that Soldiers commit suicide. It is important that first line leaders sit down with service members at the first hint of marital conflict. Make time to listen and discover how your Soldiers are dealing with the hardships of life.
Practice ACE: Ask, Care, Escort. Ask people how they are doing. Care about their situation through listening. Escort people to a community resource when they need help.
Military One Source is available 24/7. You can call and immediately speak with a counselor or ask for a referral. The operator will give you several local counseling options and assist you in making an appointment. Service members can receive 12 free counseling sessions each year. Military One Source can be reached at 1.800.342.9647.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available to help those contemplating suicide. You can call 1.800.273.TALK (8255) and be connected to a counselor. Once you are on the lifeline, a person can decide to speak with a veteran or a civilian.
Army suicides are starting to decline. Our efforts are bearing fruit in multiple arenas. One year will may not establish a pattern, but it is certainly a step in the right direction.
God Squad 
Active duty suicides in the Army increased in 2010 to 164, up from 2009 when there was 159 active duty soldiers who took their own lives. The decrease occurred only in the Reserve/Guard component. That decrease may be accounted for in part by suicide prevention efforts, but more likely is mostly a result of a decrease in the use of Reserve/Guard units in combat deployments.
I would also offer this viewpoint:
Stigma is significantly reduced only as much as those who have never suffered a mental health or stress reaction during their military service, develop one. Only then do they truly realize how ‘real’ psychiatric injuries are.
The new effort to somehow try and make soldiers more immune to the psycho-spiritual impact of killing humans as a chosen or assigned profession is unfortunately misguided. To cloak this new program as anything else is simply less than truthful. Building resiliency to the negative effects taking lives is very very dangerous and may result in long-term consequences for those trained this way.
I once observed young men at Marine Corps boot camp responding in the affirmative when spoken to by their instructors with “kill.” They now often use “kill” instead of “aye-aye sir” or “sir, yes sir” when answering. It’s troubling in so many ways when you think about this level of psychological conditioning.
I truly believe and the Services would be far better served by exploring deeper post-deployment or post-service spiritual reconciliation paths … and dealing with the specter of the ‘moral injury’ which always occurs when the act of killing fellow humans is involved.
I could go on and on …
May I recommend you research the work of Dr Jonathan Shay and LtCol Dave Grossman; if you haven’t already.
There is much work to be done. I can only imagine how difficult a job the military chaplain must shoulder in this new era of perpetual war; The Long War.
May God grant you great strength and wisdom as you go forward.