Suicide: Hunter S. Thompson did it because he was bored with life, but why are U.S. Troops committing it?

An article in The Boston Globe says there has been an increase in suicides in the army. But how can this be? Isn't Obama bringing the troops home soon? Why do these men and women feel so desperate to end it all even though seemingly good news is on the horizon? The article says the reason is due to long deployments, multiple deployments, the nature of combat, and the stress of whatever is going on back home, including financial and family needs. An interviewee who serves in the military has said that is it unfortunate that they don’t know anything about a persons past before he or she joins the military or even just before any overseas duty. He thinks it has a strong impact on how a person manages their issues. All the same though, it’s still tragic and a major problem. A young Hunter S. Thompson might have been intrigued by this, even though later in his life, he would commit suicide as well. His gonzo style of journalism could have been put to use here. He would fly to Afghanistan and sit with the troops and not only interview them about this topic, but live the life, with them as well to gain perspective. Hunter would be able to articulate how the troops feel about war, why they joined the service in the first place and the pressure that these men and women are under.

The article in The Boston Globe has shocking statistics. Suicide deaths exceeded combat deaths in 2008 and 2009. Wow. Really? Maybe its because some people who join the military join for the good side of it: the government pay cheque, the free education, the discipline. Hey, maybe they join because they think it’s cool to know how to fire a gun and drive a tank. But when the dark side of the military hits them, and they are being deployed to a war-stricken country, the pressure and intensity is too much for some. The tragedy is that these people who are committing suicide most likely had the best intentions when they joined the service. But as the old saying goes … The road to hell is paved with good intentions.


Check out The Boston Globe article:

http://bostonglobe.com/opinion/2012/06/10/suicide-prevention-must-become-military-core-mission/Wpdm32uj0dbAmhDBvoUMLM/story.html