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September 5, 2008 5:35:39 PM CDT

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Soldier Suicides Set Record

Posted May 30, 08 3:51 AM CDT in US 

(Newser) – The Army recorded it highest ever number of suicides last year, with 115 soldiers killing themselves, Reuters reports. The rate is staying high this year, with 38 soldier suicides so far. The military said the statistics showed no direct link between the increase in suicides and repeated deployments to combat zones—but admitted the stresses of war were taking their toll.

Source Reuters

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Col. Elspeth Ritchie, a doctor in the Office of the Army Surgeon General, discusses efforts to study and understand suicide among American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, Thursday, May 29, 2008.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
A convoy of armored US Army vehicles drive toward Madain, Iraq in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, File)
An American soldier passes death notices on patrol central Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2008.   (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed )
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US military  • US Army  • suicide  • American troops  • soldier  • suicide rate


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