US soldiers ordered to share suicide plans

Thu, 28 May 2009 17:55:13 GMT

http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?i...tionid=3510203

Amid gloomy reports of high suicide rates in the US military, a senior American commander urges his soldiers to "tell somebody" before taking their lives.

"If you don't remember anything else I say in the next five or 10 minutes, remember this -- suicidal behavior in the 101st on Fort Campbell is bad," CNN quoted Brigadier General Stephen J. Townsend as saying to his forces.

"It's bad for soldiers, it's bad for families, bad for your units, bad for this division and our army and our country and it's got to stop now. Suicides on Fort Campbell have to stop now," he said.

Fort Campbell has the highest suicide rate in the Army and a suicide prevention program is underway to help soldiers overcome feeling despair and hopeless.

US wars on Iraq and Afghanistan has reportedly left American military forces mentally scarred for life.

The Washington Post published a fact-based report on Sunday, estimating that more than 20 percent of the US combat forces deployed to in Iraq and Afghanistan war zones return home psychologically damaged.

According to the report, the soldiers mostly suffer from major depression and long periods of combat-related stress, and show severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).