US officials wary of troops suicide

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Berlin, Jan 6 - At least 13 US troops have committed suicide in Iraq since the start of the US military campaign in March of last year, the European edition of the American military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported Monday.

The US army viewed the suicide problem as so acute that it dispatched a 12-member mental health advisory team to Iraq in late September.

The group was supposed to develop a suicide prevention programme and study a wide array of mental health concerns among US troops such as severe depression and anxiety.

Meanwhile, the US army, responding to commanders' concerns about unit readiness, has decided to extend the tours of thousands of soldiers in Iraq who were due to end their service or retire before their units' return home, an army spokesman said Monday. Under a so-called "stop loss/stop movement" order that is expected to go into effect soon, those soldiers will be required to remain in service for up to 90 days after their units return to their home base in the United States or Europe, the spokesman said.

more: http://www.iribnews.com/Full_en.asp?news_id=195876

[PennyLane]

1. Inquiries.........

......to the military regarding this subject brought the response that
the rate of suicides in Iraq wasn't any higher than in the rest of the military. Why is it we must get these stories from foriegn
sources? Don't bother to answer that........x(

[The Zanti Regent]

5. Why do we have to get this from the foreign press?

Because the American "Press" is owned by the GOP!

Hurry up and vote for the Press Whore of the Year at http://www.mediawhoresonline.com/

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

6. Considering that the FCC is run by Colin's son, I'm surprised

Rupert hasn't become the new State Broadcasting Company and allowed 100% of the airwaves.

Who says air is free?

[Judi Lynn]

2. You'd think any actions which don't seem to have a clean purpose

which harm others would have a destructive effect on any basically moral beings.

Was it Haldeman who said they had lost their moral compasses? Well, the Republican Party's gotten WORSE since then, hasn't it?

http://www.iribnews.com/newspic/04/01/06/[e-mail]
~ From the article ~

The people who make the decisions about this fiasco are safely insulated from the personal experiences, and must imagine they are guilt-free, since they PERSONALLY didn't kill anyone.

The people having to do the dirty work are shielded from the responsibility of making the decisions. They are simply being good soldiers.

Nice and neat, isn't it?

Not when the reasons for the war are bogus.

[saigon68]

3. These reasons were cited by Hitler's Henchmen

They were bogus then---

They are bogus now

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

4. Spot on, JudiLyn. n/t

[alfredo]

7. How many vets from this conflict have committed suicide?

That is another figure.


All Things considered is doing a report on the wounded. You should be able to hear it later today or go to the archives tonight.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

8. And how many have attempted, but failed?

I'll bet that's a substantially higher figure.