When I was finishing my training for the Army, one of the sergeants gave me a glimpse into his career. He told me that on his third deployment to Afghanistan, he was only there for a month because he got extremely sick and had to be sent home. It was a lie. He later revealed to us that he was shipped back early because he almost killed himself. Suicide is one of the most devastating and tragic forms of death that can befall our loved ones. The thought of anyone hating their lives so much that they would rather die is already repulsive but when it is a service member, that feeling amplifies tenfold. We may be heroes but we are not made of stone. Active duty military suicide will never be completely swept away but I feel like it is our duty to do everything within our power to minimize the scale.
The possible causes of the suicides are extremely varied but I have narrowed it down to two main reasons. Firstly and most obviously, post traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. These are mental illnesses that can be helped with various different forms of therapies and medicines. They are also easily applicable to civilians as well but living in an environment where you face the possibility of death at every moment is sure to enhance the frequency. We know what causes them and we know the solutions. The only struggle is to ensure that everyone who is suffering will come forward to get the help they need. The second and more abstract cause is transitioning from a civilian to a soldier and in vice versa. Normal human beings do not enjoy killing each other; the military is then tasked to change that trait. Every soldier should be ready to slay the wicked without hesitation, question, or remorse. There is something inherently dehumanizing about warfare, where people become targets and tragedies become statistics. Basic training is designed to break people down as individuals in order to build them up as soldiers. From a certain perspective, Boot Camp is designed to objectify humanity. While treating people like objects and animals may be an effective strategy to kill people, it is not the best for trying to keep them alive.
I do feel like the military gives a good effort in prevention of suicides. They have a program called A.C.E., which encourages other soldiers to step up and assist their battle buddies who have suicidal tendencies. First and foremost, the military is a team and a family. Soldiers already put their lives in each others' hands so in many ways, the A.C.E. program is just an extensions of that duty. One of the problems with the current system is that once someone is found to suicidal, they are not allowed around weapons. It is common sense that if someone is serious about hurting himself then that person should not be around a device capable of inflicting instant and painless death. The issue arises when service members are on suicide watch for months on end. Qualifying with a weapon is part of being in the military; everyone has to do it at least twice a year. If a soldier is not qualifying then that person's career is basically on hold. They're unable to move up and eventually will be separated from the military if the condition becomes severe enough. This deters service members from seeking help. There is not a perfect solution to fix the current policy. My solution would be to contract full-time psychologists whose job it would be to handle it situation on a case by case basis. The military usually preaches that nobody special and then issues out a regulation detailing what style of hair is appropriate, where tattoos are allowed, and other basic life functions. It would be a mistake to handle suicide with the same tactics.
The number one goal is to get as many people as possible to come forward to get the help they need. The current is effective but still needs improvement. The main issue is the fear of being barred from weapons qualification due to an inefficient, impersonal, and drawn out process. War will never change; it will always turn people into tools. However, it is our duty to do everything we can to help the heroes of our country and part of that is ensuring that no one hates their lives to the point where they would rather end it.
