Major Army Base Shutting Down For 3 Days After Rash Of Suicides

[babylonsister]

Army base shuts down for anti-suicide event


FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (CNN) -- A major United States military base is shutting down for three days following a rash of suicides, the base announced.
Troops from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, depart for the Persian Gulf in 2003.

Troops from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, depart for the Persian Gulf in 2003.

Fort Campbell, home of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, is holding a three-day "suicide stand-down training event" starting Wednesday -- the second one it has held this year, a base spokeswoman told CNN.

At least 11 deaths of Fort Campbell soldiers this year are confirmed or suspected suicides, spokeswoman Kelly Tyler said. That's out of 64 confirmed or suspected suicides in the entire Army, according to official statistics.

The base commander, Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend, addressed all 19,000 soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division on Wednesday, Tyler said.

"His intent was to be able to look them in the eye and make them aware that everyone cares about the issue, and make sure they know -- corporal to general -- what help is available," she said. "To make sure that people know we want them to keep living."

more...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/05/27/kentucky.army.suicide/index.html

[fascisthunter]

1. all for private companies too... stealing resources is not keeping America Free

tax payers pay for this, so what do we get in return? a big FUCK YOU, while Wall Street gets bailed out and psychos like Chenney are allowed to walk free.

No soldier for die for this... it's disgusting!

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. k&R... glad they are addressing the issue rather than sweeping it under the rug

[rocktivity]

3. "(The) vice chief of staff of the Army expressed concern about the suicide rate in March

...He cited long deployments, lengthy separations from family and the perceived stigma associated with seeking help as factors contributing to the suicides."

Well, that explains why the FIRST stand-down event didn't work...

:(
rocktivity

[Ocracoker16]

4. I hope that the issue is really being addressed

I am glad that they are doing this suicide stand down training at Fort Cambell. The number of suicides has been real high for awhile. I have heard about various attempts to prevent soldiers from committing suicide, but it doesn't sound like those efforts were effective. It is going to take more than this one event at Fort Cambell to really make a difference.

[Echo In Light]

5. K&R

[smirkymonkey]

6. "We want you to keep living....

so we can send you over to some hell-hole in the Middle-East or Central Asia to die for corporate profits."

[Missy Vixen]

7. Thank you

That was my first thought, too.

If the military truly wanted the suicide rate to decrease, they'd STOP doing stuff like repeated deployments, allowing those already exhibiting signs of mental illness to exit the military and get help, stop loss, bla bla bla.

It's window dressing, and to say that I am sorry for the survivors of those who believe the only way out is suicide is an understatement.

[Ocracoker16]

8. Please keep living because you are no use to us if you are dead

When I first read the article, I had the same reaction to that quote. It seemed to show that the military's interest in preventing suicide is motivated by their interest in having people to deploy to war zones. The military is not concerned about the loss of a life or the impact it has on the soldier's family.

I think that there is a lot of stigma attached to seeking help for mental health issues. However, I think it is the military that creates that stigma. It won't help to tell soldiers that they should feel comfortable seeking help if they are treated like they are trying to get out of doing their duty. The article mentions giving the soldiers information on where to seek help. They should be providing the resources in basic training.

[mmonk]

9. Stop the wars, stop the suicides. Give it a try.