June 2010 deadliest month for US army
By IANSFriday, July 16, 2010
WASHINGTON - Thirty-two American soldiers killed themselves in June this year, the highest ever in a month for the US army.
Twenty-one of the suicide victims were on active duty, while 11 were on reserve and on the National Guard troops, Prensa Latina reported.
A total of 245 soldiers killed themselves in 2009, with about 70 percent of cases occurring among recruits who have not seen combat, US Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli said.
Every year, over eight million US citizens think about the possibility of killing themselves, and 32,000 of them actually commit suicide, a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said.
The study covered 46,190 people aged over 18 in 10 US states during the last five months. It showed that young people in the age group 18-25 years were more likely to think about suicide than people in the 26-49 years group.
