Published on 20 Nov 2012
The trend is troubling and persistent for US military ranks.
US troop suicides are still maintaining high levels despite years of tracking the effects of mental trauma on soldiers.
With 2012 coming to an end. US officials report that the Army and Navy are already reporting record numbers of suicides.
Similar record numbers are being recorded in the Air Force and Marine Corps--making 2012 the worst year for military suicides since diligent tracking began in 2001. The traumatic effects are war are lasting say experts.
As researchers study the causes of suicides in the military, doctors are evaluating the ratio of suicide rates and frequent deployments.
According to latest estimates, suicides are happening faster than the rate of one per day. Last week, suicides among active military personnel reached 323, breaking the Pentagon's previous high of 310 suicides set in 2009.
The Army accounted for 168 of those deaths, surpassing its high last year of 165; 53 sailors took their own lives, one more than last year. Experts say its a troubling epidemic that indicates failures in the way soldiers are being cared for by the military.
Other branches of the military have not reached record numbers but have reported sustained high self-inflicted casualties. In the Air Force, fifty-six airmen had committed suicide as of mid-November, short of the 60 in 2010. There have been 46 suicides among Marines, whose worst year was 2009 with 52.
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