Over 500 US Military servicemen suicided in 2021

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Oct 2022 23:16
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More US military members have taken their own lives than ever before, with numbers growing at an unprecedented rate over the past decade.

Suicide rates among US military members increasing alarmingly

A report published by the US Department of Defense on Thursday revealed that a total of 519 US military service members committed suicide in 2021.

The report states that the results are concerning due to the continuation of the upward trend since 2011.

According to the report, 328 of the 519 who died by suicide in 2021 were active-duty members, 74 were in reserve, and 117 were in National Guard.

"Between 2011 and 2021, there is a gradual increasing trend in suicide rates among Active Component Service members, and no increasing or decreasing trend for the Reserve and National Guard. However, the 2021 suicide rate for the Active Component was lower than 2020," the report said.

The majority (93% on average) of service members in all three groups who committed suicide in 2021 were male white Americans aged 20-24 years.

The report also noted that suicide rates within the military were close to those of the US population between 2011 and 2020.

It further added that the suicide rate per 100,000 in 2021 was 24.3 for active-duty members, 21.2 for those in reserve, and 26.4 among National Guards.

A similar report published in September by the University of Alabama and Duke University revealed that the suicide rate among veterans may be more than double what federal officials estimate annually due to undercounting of drug overdose deaths and mistakes in service record maintenance.

Drug overdoses account for the majority of uncounted deaths (about 60% of the instances), according to the report. Lorraine noted that despite evidence suggesting the fatalities should be categorized as suicides, many drug deaths in the places his study looked at were classified as accidents or deaths of unclear cause.

Suicide rates among #US troops rose by 15% in 2020, according to a #Pentagon report that the Defense Secretary described as “troubling". pic.twitter.com/OCBfozm465
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 6, 2021