Army Suicide Numbers Top All of Last Year - East Idaho News
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Army Suicide Numbers Top All of Last Year

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GETTY N 110211 MilitaryFuneralJPG?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1353058469576iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — With less than two months to go before the year’s end, the total number of active-duty Army suicides in 2012 may have already surpassed last year’s figures, according to the latest monthly suicide report from the U.S. Army.

The military branch says in the first 10 months of 2012, there have been 166 potential active-duty suicides, with 105 confirmed and 61 still under investigation.  In 2011, there were a total of 165 confirmed suicides.

For the month of October, the Army says there were 20 potential suicides.  Five have been confirmed as suicides and 15 remain under investigation.

In September, the Army reported 15 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers.  Four have been confirmed and 11 remain under investigation.

Suicide numbers for Army National Guard and reserve soldiers are slightly below active-duty totals.  So far in 2012, there have been 114 potential suicides, with 83 confirmed and the remainder still under investigation.  In 2011, there were 118 confirmed suicides.

Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commanding general, U.S. Army Forces Command, issued a statement in an Army press release saying, “Suicide is preventable and its prevention is a shared responsibility among all members of the Army Family.”

“We all must take the time to do a self-inventory to assess the presence and impact of stressors in our lives.  Of equal importance is the awareness of the needs of others around us.  There are no bystanders in our Army Family,” he said.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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