When the situation gets to the point that it's at today, it's obvious that someone somewhere dropped the ball!
Suicides
Suicide is a shockingly large problem in the military. Last year, 349 American services personnel took their own lives, 54 more than died in combat. But this just includes those on active duty. If you widen the net to include veterans, then the number who killed themselves in 2012 is a staggering 6,500. According to The Guardian, that equals one suicide every 80 minutes—and rather than treating the problem, the military is seemingly doing everything in its power to make things worse.
In 2010, Pvt. Lazzaric Caldwell was convicted of “self-injury,” a charge meant to cover soldiers who willingly injure themselves to escape battle. Caldwell’s crime? After suffering PTSD and learning he was in trouble for marijuana possession, he took to his barracks and slit his wrists. For attempting suicide, he was given 180 days. Ultimately, the Army Court of Appeal overturned his sentence, but the law remains on the books, meaning a commanding officer can still punish any of his men that attempts suicide. This is just about the dumbest thing anyone can do. The stigma around mental health is already so bad that only 16 percent of veterans who ultimately committed suicide had set foot in a clinic prior to taking their lives. That’s a disturbingly low statistic, and if the military continues to criminalize suicide, it’s only gonna get worse.
I almost wish that I had not found this article at Listverse, because it really haunts me. This is so far beyond sad, it's a shame!
On a brighter note, we can have our coffee out on the patio this morning! Sound OK?
