Army Suicides Hit Highest for July
The U.S. Army released its monthly press report on suicide statistics with July's count at a record high.
A reported 32 suicides and potential suicides took place last month, which tops the charts since they've been made available 2 ½ years ago.
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff, commented "Every suicide represents a tragic loss to our Army and the Nation. While the high number of potential suicides in July is discouraging, we are confident our efforts aimed at increasing individuals' resiliency, while reducing incidence of at-risk and high-risk behavior across the Force, are having a positive impact."
Currently 151 soldiers have been reported by the Army as having committed suicide this year, but CNN reports that the number is higher at 163. This is due to how the Army handles its investigations of incidents, in which a potential suicide is a death suspected as being such, and the time it takes to determine the cause.
The Army is the only branch of service that reports their suicide count without being asked and they are looking into just why their numbers are so high even while factoring in the branch size as compared to the others.
Currently the Air Force has had 28 suicides, the Marines 21 and the Navy 33.
Gen. Chiarelli concluded saying: "We absolutely recognize there is much work to be done and remain committed to ensuring our people are cared for and have ready access to the best possible programs and services."
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