Military Suicides: Problem or Symptom

In suicide epidemic, military wrestles with prosecuting troops who attempt it

By Michael Doyle | McClatchy Newspapers

last updated: November 27, 2012 06:06:13 PM

(Note:  Excerpts are provided for brevity; follow link for the complete article:  http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/11/27/v-print/175710/in-suicide-epidemic-military-wrestles.html)

Last year, the 301 known military suicides accounted for 20 percent of U.S. military deaths. From 2001 to August 2012, the U.S. military counted 2,676 suicides.
It’s also becoming more common among veterans. Though timely numbers are elusive, the Department of Veterans Affairs reported that 3,871 veterans who were enrolled in VA care killed themselves in 2008 and 2009.

“This case is not about prosecuting suicide or attempted suicide,” Marine Corps Maj. David N. Roberts said Tuesday. “It’s about prosecuting an act that was prejudicial to good order and discipline.”

Commentary:

I've had the privilege of working with Special Forces and with JSOC units during Operation Just Cause.  My experiences with Special Operations were enlightening for me in that their preparation for combat is much more effective than "regular" military units.

Training for actual combat is not the problem I found in my 20 years of active service.  Every military man and woman is taught how to perform their individual and collective tasks but little is done to prepare them psychologically for the stress of a combat zone.  This reminds me of a family story:  My mother always told me that we were never to bring up the topic of the Battle of the Bulge and the siege of Bastogne (WWII) with her brother.  My wife and I visited my Aunt and Uncle en route to an assignment with US Southern Command in Panama (at that time).  Uncle Tom and I had a moment alone and I simply said, "Uncle Tom, you know I've seen combat so I'd like to ask you why we were never supposed to discuss Bastogne with you?"  To which he replied, "Hugh, I'll discuss it anytime with you; I just won't talk about it with a civilian who has no idea of what war is like".

By the time Operation Just Cause began in December 1989 I had deployed to El Salvador and other locations repeatedly with small teams.  We became familiar with the stress caused by potential imminent danger.  The Special Operations community does not dismiss this kind of stress and the psychological state of its members is considered a priority.  Not so in the Regular or Airborne units; a lot of esprit building activities and hoooas but little in the way of the "touchy-feely".  In fact, to seek help was believed (i.e., known) to be frowned upon; to seek out psychological help was death to a promising career.

This brings me to the issue of suicide in the military.  While I know many unit commanders are doing all within their authority, it may not be enough.  The fact that the Pentagon views the number of suicides as a major problem speaks to these lost lives as a symptom and not the problem.  The article I quote from above speaks to a military that still feels that through harsh discipline the suicide "problem" can be overcome.  One may infer that they believe that the fear of prosecution alone will deter individuals from attempting suicide.  I got news for you, you cannot order the problem away.

I strongly suggest that the mainstream military learn from and adopt techniques already in practice within the Special Operations community.  The solution lies in three areas:

1.  Confidence in my personal preparedness.

2.  Confidence in my unit and its leaders.

3.  Confidence in my ability to control my fear and cope with the stress of combat.

The one thing I learned is that fear takes a back seat in the heat of combat.  The moments leading up to active combat are the most harrowing; it is here we wrestle with the unknown and its phantoms.

A moment I will never forget was a trip from Fort Clayton to Quarry Heights, not a long drive.  I was ordered to report to Quarry Heights to discuss an upcoming operation.  My NCOIC, Tom, and I got in a jeep, shook hands and said our goodbyes; we had worked together for over 4 years.  The military police had flagged all routes from our location to Quarry Heights because of recent ambushes along the main route.  My commander was made aware of this and he ordered us to travel the route anyway.  Tom and I went forward; he was to accelerate through any attack while I engaged the enemy with his weapon and mine.  It was a hard two mile drive but we made it.  No attack, nothing happened.  My point is that an actual attack would have been anti-climactic.  We had already faced the battle and won.

We are taking normal young men and women and placing them in very tough and unnatural circumstances.  My hat is off to them as we never had to face IEDs.  Repeated combat rotations is the legacy of the Clinton Administration's downsizing of our military despite the reliance upon and overuse of our Reservists and National Guard.  In any case, we have young men and women continually under stress and too many of them are having trouble coping.

Instead of our top military leaders pondering the pros and cons of prosecuting those who attempt suicide and fail (cry for help?), these same leaders should reacquaint themselves with FM 22-100 - Military Leadership.  There is a time for unflinching discipline but not where it concerns individuals contemplating suicide.  Unit cohesion and leadership are a critical first step but the actions taken to improve our coping mechanisms are indispensable.  Someone in the unit, someone in the chain-of-command (squad leader, section chief, platoon sergeant,or platoon leader) should have seen the warning signs.  Failure to see the behavioral warning signs of those under our command is to a unit the equivalent of initiating an operation with no intelligence on the enemy and no planning.

Equipment is expensive but readily expendable in combat, our men and women are at a premium and must never be thought of as easily replaced. Our military men and women must be certain that the door to the "open door policy" is, in fact, open.  Commanders and Staffers, your actions will always speak louder than words.  Now stop talking and get to work!

My reaction would be to ascertain the facts surrounding each tragic event:  Who knew what, when did they know it, who did they inform, and what was done.  In light of the many who tragically died we must conclude that not enough was done to avert the tragedies.  In tough times it is harder to carry out the responsibilities of leadership and easier to focus on pressing issues.  But it is in the area of military leadership, I believe, where we will most surely discover that the high number of suicides is symptomatic of leadership's absence.  The absence of leadership may be the real problem.