Blog: Suicides in the Military

In the news today was information that at least one person in the military commits suicide everyday.

We as a nation a couple of generations ago discontinued the draft or what was called conscription.

It seems for political and perhaps humanitarian reasons we get involved in wars that require open-ended involvement thus the need in our all voluntary military re-deployment over and over again to the war zones.

That puts extraordinary pressure and stress on families of the military who are required to leave family and serve the requirements of our nation's military.

I am certain that those continued re-deployments and extreme hardships are part of the reasons the military personal are committing suicide. It may be because they probably feel that they in an untenable position of which there is no recourse.

We as citizens can only have minimal control, if any, when decisions are made that affect our lives, our family, the stress of being away over and over again and the personal issues that create the “perfect storm.” These can create a hopelessness that leads to thoughts of or actual suicide.

All the issues that are creating this “perfect storm” are being experienced by very few of our citizens. There has to be a change to allow more of a balanced responsibility in our nation by all citizens, more of a shared responsibility at the time of war, declared or not.

If these wars are to be a continued situation that the leadership of our country gets us involved in, then a change to how we fight and who does the fighting must be addressed.

I believe “the draft” or “conscription” must be brought back. There has to be a shared responsibility by all citizens in our country to serve our country.

Every man or woman after high school, before college or before going out into the work force should have a responsibility to serve their country in some regard like "the draft" in the past. That service should be two years.

I think this required “public service” for a two-year period needs to have some flexibility that allows the service to be in an area of choice by the citizens. It can be in any branch of the military. It can be work in the programs like Vista, the Peace Corps, perhaps a Hospital Corp, Forest Service, serving the needy in poor areas of our nation or providing help to senior citizens.

It can be in areas that the two-year responsibility be served by all able-bodied women or men. Options must also be made available for hardship cases to accommodate local requirements but the responsibility to serve is for all after high school and before college. 

Besides serving our country, I believe just like the GI Bill there has to be some rewards. There has to be some acknowledgement available to those who fulfill their responsibility as citizens.

If a person is not a citizen but a legal resident they also would have the responsibility to serve with the same benefits. My thought is if you serve the two years responsibly, our nation would provide two years of free higher education for all those that receive the certificate of service and that would be given in whatever branch of public service that a person may have chosen.

It does seem unreasonable that so few are sacrificing for so many even through those serving in the military are there by choice. I would think the situation that exists however has created the sad repercussion that is happening with those that see no way out. That then is when the sad decision might be taken to end their lives.   

Regardless of what changes take place, regardless of what we as a nation choose to get involved with, we do have a responsibility to do the right thing for those who serve.