U.S. Soldiers Under Stress, Suicides At Record Levels

by Jarrett Martineau | April 10, 2008 at 03:23 pm

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As NowPublic has reported previously, not only have more than 4,000 U.S. soldiers been killed in the Iraq war, many of America's 'volunteer forces' are also committing suicide at record levels and suffering from intense levels of stress while participating in the lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. soldiers are committing suicide at record levels, young officers are abandoning their military careers, and the heavy use of forces in Iraq has made it harder for the military to fight conflicts that could arise elsewhere.
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Unprecedented strains on the nation's all-volunteer military are threatening the health and readiness of the troops.

While the spotlight Wednesday was on congressional hearings with the U.S. ambassador and commanding general for Iraq, Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard Cody was in another hearing room explaining how troops and their families are being taxed by long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the prospect of future years of conflict in the global war on terror.

"That marathon has become an enduring relay and our soldiers continue to run — and at the double time," Cody said. "Does this exhaust the body and mind of those in the race, and those who are ever present on the sidelines, cheering their every step? Yes. Has it broken the will of the soldier? No."