ABC News: At Least 5 US Soldiers' Deaths Were Suicides

[VolcanoJen]

Just reported by Martha Raddatz, ABC World News Tonight's Pentagon Correspondent. She commented that this was the first confirmation on the causes of death (suicide) ABC News has been able to receive from the Pentagon.

ON EDIT: Since there is no link yet, I thought I'd type a transcript (thanks to my Tivo) of the way this was reported to Peter Jennings. This is a serious, tragic, important issue that bears disussing.

ABC World News Tonight - Wednesday, July 16,2003

Place in program: Top of the program, a segment discussing Gen. John Abizaid's press conference, and troop morale. After the segment, this exchange took place:

Peter Jennings: One other very delicate point today about morale... suicides.

Martha Raddatz: Yes, Peter. ABC News has confirmed that of those deaths in Iraq, at least five are suspected suicides. These are figures we've been trying to get for several days now, something the Pentagon really does not want to talk about. It's a very delicate subject, as you say.

Peter Jennings: Thank you, Martha.

This is indeed a sad, and delicate, issue. I'll be sure to post a link confirming this as soon as I can find one.

- Jennifer

[Nambe]

1. How truely disturbing!

I can't help but think back to Florica in '02. How many lives could have been saved if Gore would have won?

[Frances]

3. I agree

I think Gore would have taken the threats seriously and would have worked to prevent 9/11 instead of going to Crawford! He may even have been successful.

Certainly we would not have invaded Iraq. Whenever I posted on this board about the war, I always asked DUers to think of the soldiers. I have talked with too many guys who have been in combat to fall for that glory stuff.

[bunnyhop]

14. Gore did win but the USSC stole it from him.

Of course, it didn't help that Gore just sat on his hands while they did it. Democrats better start fighting back.

[Cheswick2.0]

36. he didn't sit on his hands

where were you?

[Skittles]

29. Gore DID WIN

How many lives could have been saved IF BUSH INC. HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED?

[I AM SPARTACUS]

2. Support the troops - "Bring 'Em Home"...and give 'em full benefits...

...so that the suicides stop and they can begin healing from their coerced participation in this illegal, immoral, unconscionable war...

[KoKo]

4. If I was there......I would have committed Suicide, also........so I am so

sad for them........they did what they though was correct....and I know that they though they were fighting for "FREEDOM" and they we fighting for WOLFOWITZ/PERLE and a CORRUPT CORPORATE US GOVERNMENT!

That makes it all the sadder................:-(

[Pikku]

5. That's devastating. It makes me furious.

Especially after hearing Abizaid say that the unhappy soldiers who talked to the press were "out of line."

Sounds like the troops need support beyond yellow ribbons and lip service.

[blondeatlast]

6. The sugar is gonna hit the fan when the soldiers start returning--

and start talking to the press.

Pikku--I LOVE your sig line; what a great line for a poster.

And for Cesar (a personal hero), too:

:toast:

Welcome to DU!

[Pikku]

23. Why, thanks! NM.

.

[blondeatlast]

7. " . . .Something the Pentagon does not really want to talk about."

Bravo to ABC and Martha Raddatz for getting (and broadcasting) the story!

[snippy]

8. Bring 'em on Bush won't give a shit.

[underpants]

9. My Army unit had a suicide attempt a month (usually 6 months at a time)

In spurts. I was in a unit in Germany and we had suicide attempts pretty much monthly ( a unit of about 1,000 not the ~150K in Iraq) and we had a tragic homosexual rape incident.

I feel for them. I was indirectly connected to a couple of these (no not me)and the rape.

It's more of a signal of real trouble and terribly bad morale (we had that in spades).

They have nowhere to run.
__________________________
Jen you just beat me to this story and thanks for the transcript.

[arcane1]

10. can you imagine having SO MUCH faith in the Bushites...

that you enlist and put your life on the line for them, to "save freedom", and after a few of your friends die, and you've killed a few disgruntled shopkeepers, you find out that you were sent there on a LIE? That there is NO THREAT to America, and you are killing or be killed for HALLIBURTON profits??? Meanwhile, your BENEFITS are being CUT so that those same bazillionaire cronies you kill for can scrape a few MORE pennies out of you???


:grr:


'twould be interesting indeed if the Chimp ever decides to show his face in front of a military audience... he'll need to have his crony "hard hat brigade" put on uniforms this time, and make us wonder why all these soldiers are old and grey



on edit- subject-line editing ROCKS!

[underpants]

11. His last refuge seems to be GONE (painted self into corner)

Where is that PANIC button?

[JohnOneillsMemory]

24. "No alcohal and just Fox news"!!!!!!!! I'd shoot myself too.

I just read somewhere that these poor GI's only have Fox news!! That's enough to prove that Fox is a bucket of shit!! "News to kill foreigners by"
Didn't any of you in the service read about the Pentagon papers and Iran-Contra?? Why the fuck did you believe the White House on matters of life and death??!! 'America the Beautiful' is just a fucking song!

[Snellius]

12. Martha Raddatz had tears in her eyes

Her tears were welling up as she gave this report.

[VolcanoJen]

15. I respectfully disagree with you about Martha's composure

I felt Martha was professional, stoic and credible during her report, even as she delivered this horrifying news to Peter Jennings. I did not see any tears welling up.

- Jennifer

[sally343434]

25. You've got to be kidding

It's all scripted, including the crocodile tears. And, gee! They devoted a whole two or three sentences to this "sensitive" issue!

Just another "very special" episode of ABC news. Blech.

I can imagine Jennings' banter after his acting gig on the news:

Well, that's a wrap! Now let's hit the tennis court! Meet you at the limousine!"

[kainah]

16. Maybe those tears will clear her vision

I'm glad to see that she has reported this and that it apparently affected her. She has been TERRIBLE, in my opinion, covering *. I used to respect her reporting a great deal but ever since * came into office, she's been totally neutered. As recently as last Friday, on Washington Week in Review, she was portraying the uproar over the Niger statements as nothing but a Dem propaganda campaign. I was furious at just about everything that came out of her mouth. She tried to diminish the significance of everything her colleagues said that was negative.

These suicides are terrible news but I do hope their deaths may have helped convince Raddatz that this is a serious, serious situation * has dragged us into.

[LeftCoast]

13. While very tragic, these numbers seem in line with existing stats

The US currently has about 150,000 troops in Iraq. They've been there since March 19th so that's about 4 months. There have been five deaths attributed to suicide. That works out to a rate of about 7 per 100,000. According to the info I've found we would actually expect about 11.73 deaths per 100,000.

See link:
http://amsa.army.mil/1Msmr/2003/v09_n01_Article2.htm

[dArKeR]

26. I like when people post facts but it still makes my stomach sick.

When we go to do something and we've already planned and know how many will probably die. I wouldn't want to die and I don't want any Americans to die so why does Bush accept our citizens will die?

[NNN0LHI]

17. Wonder how many spouses or parents have done the some thing at home...

...here stateside while waiting to hear that their loved ones have been killed or mutilated over there for Bush's big fucking photo op on that carrier with a salami in his pants?

Don

[Neutrino]

18. As bad as Vietnam was, I don't remember suicides!

The depth of despair. Rest in Peace.

[Teaser]

19. Usually they were reported as "misfires while cleaning weapon."

I've actually seen a few of these reported now.

The more things change...

[revcarol]

20. Especially that last one...

Marine shot...reported as non-combat death. How many Marines do you know that shoot themselves while cleaning their weapons,or any such nonsense. They were SOOOOOO quiet about it, I thought immediately, "suicide."

[DarbyUSMC]

21. There were suicides in Nam

I found one while posting a tribute online at The Wall. <http://thewall-usa.com/>

They say Accidental Self-destruction rather than suicide.

[Papillon]

33. Thank you for the link to the wall.

I went there and found the name of a friend who died in Vietnam and left a personal note.

[saigon68]

22. I DO THEY ARE DYING LIKE FLIES

Ask any counselor in the VA.

Ask any service representative in a Veteran's organization like the VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled Veteran's of America(DVA) or VVA.

They'll tell you.

MORE VETERANS'S OF VIET-NAM COMMITTED SUICIDE SINCE 1975, THAN WERE
KILLED IN THE WAR.

I know---- I do this job, as a public service to Veteran's and America.

You won't get an argument from me that this is a war for oil and maintaining the "Upper Crust" in
America

[Atlant]

27. Kick (relative to a related note in LBN)... (NT)

[Submariner]

28. The suicides have surprised me

I must admit I was not that familiar with the military suicide problem. They must have screened out the potential suicide candidates when I went to the boats.

I knew the screening was used to get rid of the claustrophobics, and when I think about it now, they must have had a way to detect those personalities susceptible to suicide, because I never heard of, or saw, such a thing at 300 feet.

The guys I rode with didn't want to off themselves, we just maintained our short-timer calendars awaiting the day we could get out and yell "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many did you kill today?".

What they should be doing imho is flying these guys out monthly for 3 day weekends in London, Paris, or Amsterdam for some liberty and wimmens companionship. These guys need a morale booster to keep their spirits up.

Now that I think about it, maybe I can get Halliburton/Bechtel/Bush-Cheney to hire me as an entertainment director. Nothing better than a former pig-iron sailor babe-magnet for finding a party with loose wimmens :)

Now I probably shouldn't be joking in a serious post such as this, but Iraq was just all so avoidable, but happened anyway.

[Skittles]

30. EXCUSE ME

SOME SOLDIERS ARE WOMEN. I KNOW BECAUSE I USED TO BE ONE.

[Submariner]

32. Excuse me Skittles, didn't mean to smite

I was reflecting on the era I was in (late 60s) when no women were in subs, or on ships for that matter. Taking into account women like I should have, the military should also fly these women out in groups for a weekend of lib in Europe every month or so.

[Melinda]

31. One of these was a young woman.....

I about her tragic death read in a soldiers letter home which is circulating on the net. Her death was extremely upsetting to the young man who wrote the letter, and one has to believe it devastating to all of her unit. I recall she was in the 3rd infantry, and was in her early 20's.

And I honestly wish I couldn't recall even that much. I'm haunted by a long ago spectre of another war and young American deaths, and each casualty of this war reopens horrific memories and scars that shall never ever heal. May these poor 5 (7? - how many more?) young men and women who answered their countries call find peace, somewhere....

[opihimoimoi]

34. A very sad aspect of war

I wish I could find a way to end it all and bring um home with the honor they deserve

[snippy]

35. We all need to find a way to end it and bring them home with honor.

We should turn Iraq over to the UN and pay all or at least most of the costs of UN peacekeeping. If removing Saddam was an honorable and good thing in and of itself, then our troops are no longer needed in Iraq provided that other countries will assume peacekeeping and reconstruction responsibilities.

[Paragon]

37. You rock, Jen

I looked for this myself on the net the other day and could find nothing. Thanks.

[LWolf]

38. kick

:kick: