The CBS Evening News (6/7, lead story, 2:20, Pelley) led off its
Thursday broadcast by reporting that the "war in Iraq is over, and the
war in Afghanistan is winding down, but the pace of military suicides is
actually increasing to a record level. Pentagon figures show that as
of this past Monday, 154 service members had taken their lives so far in
2012, an average of more than one a day, and much higher than the 138
killed so far this year in Afghanistan." Pentagon "officials say one
possible reason for this unexpected spike in suicides is the poor
economy, which has also caused an
increase in civilian suicides."
The AP
(6/8, Burns) reports, "Suicides are surging among America's troops,
averaging nearly one a day this year -- the fastest pace in the nation's
decade of war." The "numbers are rising among the 1.4 million
active-duty military personnel despite years of effort to encourage
troops to seek help with mental health problems." The "renewed surge in
suicides has caught the attention of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta,"
who in an
internal memo sent last month to the "Pentagon's top civilian and
military leaders" said, "We must continue to fight to eliminate the
stigma from those with post-traumatic stress and other mental health
issues."
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