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Christian Living

bootsontheground 02/04/08

Veterans Commit Suicide at LOWER Rates than Most

Here's a brief note to make a point to support the recent interview CBN aired with Pete Hegseth, the founder of VetsForFreedom.org, a national organization out to educate the American public about the need to win the war on terror.

The interview touched on the fact that a new report shows that military suicide rates have risen over the last year. The reasoning offered was that the stress of being in combat for so long could be causing America's finest to crack under the strain.

But let's be clear on one thing: Our men and women in uniform are not jumping off cliffs like lemmings. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, the suicide rate in the military is actually much lower than the rate for their civilian peers. With this in mind, the headline could just as easily have blared "Combat experience makes adults less likely to commit suicide." or "Deploying to Iraq is about as safe as living in Alaska ." (which is true).

Suicide is a tragedy wherever it strikes, especially for the families. And the military is doing the best it can to help its men and women mitigate stress while overseas - one big way that's done is by offering free internet service on every base in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not only that, military Chaplains are going far above and beyond the call of duty to care for the warriors they serve. From offering laid-back "movie nights" to husband-wife retreats upon return to the states, chaplains are doing a fabulous job.

How you can help:

  1. Pray for our troops.
  2. Honor our servicemembers any way you can. One way is to ask them how things are going "over there."
  3. Give away a copy of the Chuck Dean's excellent book, "When the War is Over, a New one Begins - rebuilding relationships after trauma."

Many of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines I talk to say the most stressful part of combat is coming home. Combat is a no-slack environment, and these tough men and women learn to thrive under that kind of regimented lifestyle. The one sentiment that is almost universal among troops I've interviewed is that most Americans are just so clueless. It's maddening. One Marine summed it up well: "America is not at war. The Marine Corps is at war. America is at the mall."

Fortunately, I'm preaching to the choir here, because my hope is that by reading this blog, you'll be able to understand the mindset of the heroes with their boots on the ground.

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