As Soldier suicides persist, the Army stresses awareness
during week-long observance
By Patricia Radcliffe
Casemate Staff Writer
In 2007, 115 Soldiers died by their own hands. Another 38 were added to their ranks by late May of this year. The Army wants to take that number down to zero.
In pursuit of this goal, the service has maintained a year-round education, awareness and counseling program that makes people more cognizant of the warning signs of suicide and how they might help a comrade in distress. That effort is capped off by Suicide Prevention Week — a period when extra emphasis and publicity is afforded to the program. This year’s observance is set for the coming week and its theme is “Shoulder to Shoulder: No Soldier Stands Alone.”
According to Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Juan Crockett, the Post Chaplain, preventing Soldiers from committing suicide isn’t difficult, but it does take fortitude.
