More Army Guard, Reserve soldiers committing suicide

[struggle4progress]

By Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY

An increase in suicides among National Guard soldiers largely in states across the Midwest — such as Missouri and Wisconsin — is responsible for a 24% increase in Army suicides last year, the service reported Wednesday.

Missouri and Texas each reported seven suicides among their National Guard troops in 2010, Wisconsin had six, and there were five each in the National Guard units of Minnesota, Ohio, Arizona, California and North Carolina.

Soldiers, both active duty and on inactive status, died by suicide at the rate of 25 per month in 2010, Army figures show.

"All of us are stunned by it, and we wished we knew why," says Army Lt. Col. Jackie Guthrie of the Wisconsin National Guard. "It is especially hard when it's suicide, when it's someone hurting in our ranks." ...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/2011-01-20-suicides20_ST_N.htm?csp=34news

[mwrguy]

1. They get more marginal, maladjusted types in the first place

It stands to reason that they'd have a high suicide rate.