http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100228/NEWS08/2280368/Suicides+still+big+problem
During visit to Hawaii, Army's top general says 'we did not stem the tide'
February 28, 2010
By William Cole
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS The Army's top uniformed officer said even
though the rest time between deployments is increasing for soldiers,
an increasing suicide rate remains a mystery and concern.
The Army reported 24 potential suicides for January (some are still
being investigated), outnumbering the 16 U.S. combat deaths in Iraq
and Afghanistan for the month.
There were at least 128 Army suicides last year.
"The fact of the matter is, we just don't know" why suicides have
increased, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said Friday.
"It's been very frustrating to me with the effort that we made over
the last year, and we did not stem the tide."
The Army and the National Institute of Mental Health in late 2008
began a five-year, $50 million study to examine the problem. The
study includes the National Guard and Army Reserve.
Casey is in Hawai'i for the funeral of Gen. Frederick Weyand, a key
figure in the Vietnam War and former Army chief of staff who died
Feb. 10 at age 93 at the K hala Nui retirement home.
An important component in mental health is longer "dwell," or at-home
time between deployments, and efforts are being made to increase that
time, officials said.
"For the last five years, we've been deploying at a rate of about one
year out, one year back," Casey said.
More and more, units are getting 17 to 18 months at home, and with
the addition of 30,000 soldiers to the Army's ranks and a drawdown in
Iraq, Casey said he expects two years between deployments by this
time next year.
The four-star general and former commander of multinational forc- es
in Iraq said a study showed it takes two to three years to fully
recover from a one-year combat deployment, "and when you don't have
enough time to completely recover, what you see is the effects start
to build up, so they become cumulative."
Enrollments for drug and alcohol treatment have increased, and the
divorce rate has increased slightly overall, with a greater jump for
female soldiers, Casey said.
About a third of soldier suicides occur on deployment, a third occur
after a deployment, and a third involve soldiers who haven't deployed, he said.
The Army is "working very hard" on a program called Comprehensive
Soldier Fitness, which started in October and focuses on mental,
emotional and social well-being to teach soldiers to be more
resilient, Casey said.
"I just can't help but think the additional stresses brought on by
these deployments exacerbate existing conditions," Casey said. "So
what we're trying to do is give every soldier and family member and
civilian the skills that they need to deal with life's challenges."
Casey reiterated his concern that the possible repeal of the "don't
ask, don't tell" policy could affect readiness and military effectiveness.
The 1993 policy bars openly gay individuals from serving in the U.S.
military, but prevents the military from asking a service member's
sexual orientation.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who expressed support of a repeal,
recently launched a review of the policy. The study is expected to
take about a year.
"I've gone out over the past several months and talked to different
segments of the Army, different groups, and gotten their input,"
Casey said. "And there's apprehension and there's uncertainty, and
that's why I think it's so important that we study this."
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Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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