Fort Hood - 1 weekend 4 suicides

[kaiser soze]

To come home safe from a war to only take their own lives.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/09/29/texas.fort.hood.deaths/index.html?hpt=T2

(CNN) -- Four soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas died over the week. In all four cases, it appears the soldiers, all decorated veterans from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, took their own lives, according to Christopher Haug, a Fort Hood spokesman

If confirmed as suicides, it would be on top of 14 other suicides on the base this year. Base officials called a news conference for Wednesday afternoon to discuss the problem of suicides at the huge base in central Texas.



What is going on at that Base? 14 suicides this year, a mass shooting last year?!

I'm guessing the base commander is a bit more than frustrated - time to stop being tough and time to help your stretched to thin troops!

[travesty]

The article doesn't say anything about it but I have to ask whether these four were not all recently given orders for another tour in combat?? Sad. Very, very sad.

[kaiser soze]

This is beyond tragic, this is disaster - the effect of these deaths on this Base must be absolutely demoralizing and shaking the ranks and their mission.

very sad indeed - those who serve to protect us are having a hard time holding themselves up

[travesty]

It's sad that we ask them to protect us AND hold themselves up.

[Burnout18]

ummmm my best friend is in the army. He got back from Iraq in July 09 and since then he's (luckily) maintained a steady job so don't think he's going to overboard but....

I noticed my buddy is drinking a lot, extremely stressed out over minor details in life, and very angry at life in general. A lil different from the happy go lucky kid when he left.... But i'll say this; once requested and got permission to go back to combat next spring he's been a lot happier. Its like he has something to look forward too. Sooo i know everyone handles everything differently but i don't know if trav's point about going back over there may be factor. Maybe its coming back from combat and having the empty feeling of "what do i do now?" that leads to suicide or depression. I just feel that knowing he's going back has kicked my buddy out of his funk.

[kaiser soze]

I'm sure the feeling of "what now?" quite often comes to our soldiers - adjusting to normal life is difficult People get used to the adrenaline, the explosions, the hard-core comradery

But also during these lengthy tours much changes at home - family, love, jobs, bills. So who knows what triggers these suicides, seems to be coming from all angles.

We shouldn't forget that evil shit is occurring over there as recently exposed by the civilian hunters (http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/09/27/US-soldier-describes-alleged-atrocities/UPI-58431285604793/) from Fort Lewis.
I'm sure that can be traumatizing to people with a conscience.