At least 6256 US veterans committed suicide in 2005 – an average of 17 a day – the network reported, with veterans overall more than twice as likely to take their own lives as the rest of the general population.
While the suicide rate among the general population was 8.9 per 100,000, the level among veterans was between 18.7 and 20.8 per 100,000.
That figure rose to 22.9 to 31.9 suicides per 100,000 among veterans aged 20 to 24 – almost four times the non-veteran average for the age group.
“Those numbers clearly show an epidemic of mental health problems,” CBS quoted veterans’ rights advocate Paul Sullivan as saying.
I so hate seeing people fall into this mass trance that is called patriotism: cheering and encouraging young men to go into war, but letting them down when they come back as emotional and physical cripples. Depending on the wonky political mood of the day they will cheer for you or spit on you when you come back. If people really cared for the lives of the soldiers they would take care to vote for responsible leaders.