A New Record

Nearly a thousand US soldiers attempted suicide last year. The US Army denies that this has anything to do with current conflicts. I would assume it has a LOT to do with conflicted consciences in many cases. And it's interesting that only 115 were successful, given their proximity to weapons and training in the use of lethal force.

Oh and BTW AFP, your journalists are crap. Spot the errors here:

In a report, the army said the 115 confirmed suicides raised the suicide rate to 18.8 percent per thousand for the active duty army in 2007, or 16.6 percent if based on a larger pool that includes reservists on active duty.

The suicide rate among active service members was 17.3 per 100,000 in 2006, compared to 12.8 in 2005 and 10.8 in 2004. In 2001 the rate was 9.8 per 100,000.

The suicide rate for the US population, adjusted for the age group and gender, is 19.5 percent.

By this reckoning, about 15,000 soldiers would have topped themselves in Iraq last year, and 20 to 40 million would be dead back home.