Report Says 9 Suicides Aboard The Aircraft Carrier USS George Washington Were Due To Some of the Toughest Living Conditions In The Military

 

USNI News: Junior Sailors on USS George Washington Endured Some of the Toughest Living Conditions in the Military, Says New Navy Investigation 

Since 2017, junior sailors assigned to aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN-73) were subject to some of the toughest living conditions in the military, according to a new Navy investigation released on Thursday. 

Sailors assigned to the carrier over its almost six-year-long maintenance period at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding experienced poor living conditions, up to three-hour commutes and isolation from their families and peers as part of life in the shipyard. 

Complaints about the life as a George Washington sailor, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, fell on deaf ears within Navy leadership, according to the quality of life investigation released on Thursday and reviewed by USNI News.  

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Update #1: Investigation into USS George Washington suicides finds US Navy failed to provide a basic quality of life for sailors (CNN)  

Update #2: Navy releases reports, action plan on suicides on board USS George Washington, Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (WAVY.com)  

WNU Editor: It does not take a genius to know that this is probably one of the main reasons why the Pentagon is having a recruiting problem.

Suicides Among Active U.S. Army Personnel Are Skyrocketing

Pentagon: 46% spike in suicide among U.S. Army’s active-duty forces in Q2 compared to same period last year pic.twitter.com/ukOxqNEjFO

— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) October 13, 2021

Daily Mail: Suicides among active duty soldiers are up 46 percent compared to last year, as 60 take their lives in just three months, Army reveals 

* Suicides among active-duty members of the US Army are up by 46 percent this quarter compared to the same time last year, according to a Pentagon report 

* In the second quarter of this year, 60 active-duty members of the Army took their own lives, compared to 41 in the second quarter of 2020 

* In total, 139 military personnel both active and reserve who died by suicide in the Q2 of 2021 was 139 compared to 130 suicides in Q2 of 2020 

* In comparison, 67 members of the military succumbed to COVID-19 since the pandemic began 

* 'Suicide rates among our service members... are still too high, and the trends are not going in the right direction,' said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin 

* Last month, the military released data showing that suicides in the armed forces increased by 15 percent in 2020 - 580 service members took their own lives 

Suicides among US Army active-duty soldiers were up by 46 percent last quarter compared to the same time in 2020, according to a new Pentagon report. 

In the second quarter of this year, 60 active-duty members of the Army took their own lives, compared to 41 in the second quarter of 2020. The number of suicides was also up 41 percent among Navy personnel, from 12 in the second quarter of last year, to 17 in 2021.  

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WNU Editor: These numbers are always shocking to me. And it appears that no one knows what needs to be done .... The active-duty Army is facing a record suicide rate. Leaders have no idea how to fix it (Task & Purpose). 

More News On Suicides Among Active U.S. Army Personnel Skyrocketing  

Army Hopes Identifying Suicide 'Red Flags' Earlier Will Finally Ease Crisis -- Military.com  

Suicides in the U.S. Army's active-duty forces jumped 46-percent compared to last year: Pentagon -- FOX News  

More US soldiers killed themselves in a few months than died from Covid-19 since start of pandemic, Pentagon reveals -- RT

Suicide Rate Among Active Duty Service Members In The US Military Increased By 41.4% From 2015 To 2020

Fliers are on display during the Suicide Explained & Suicide Intervention training inside the Bay Breeze Event Center at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., Sept. 17, 2021. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue.  

CNN: Suicide rate among active duty service members increased by 41% between 2015 and 2020 

(CNN)The suicide rate among active duty service members in the US military increased by 41.4% in the five years from 2015 to 2020, according to data provided in the annual report from the Department of Defense on suicide in the military. 

The suicide rate among active duty service members increased by 9.1% in 2020, according to data from the report, which was released Thursday. From 2018 to 2020, it rose 15.3%. 

The suicide rate among reserve members of the US military went up by 19.2% in 2020, but the rate has overall gone down since 2018, the report shows. The suicide rate among National Guard members increased by 31.7% in 2020, but has also gone down overall since 2018.  

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More News On The Suicide Rate Among Active Duty Service Members In The US Military Increasing By 41.4% From 2015 To 2020  

Military suicides rise 15% as senior leaders call for action -- AP  

Suicide spikes 15% among US troops in 2020 from the previous year -- USA Today 

Suicides up 15 percent among US troops in 2020 -- The Hill  

580 Service Members Die by Suicide in 2020, New Pentagon Report Says -- Air Force Magazine  

Military Suicides Jump By Alarming 15% - Pentagon Downplays Pandemic's Impact -- Zero Hedge

Is There A Suicide Epidemic At Fort Drum Army Base?

Pfc. Tyler Thomas, 21, Spc. Sika Tapueluelu, 26, and Staff Sgt. Angel Green, 24, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, all died within two days of each other in mid-September at Fort Drum army base in New York (Pictured: soldiers returning to Fort Drum on Sep. 6 following their exit of Afghanistan)  

Daily Mail: Soldier, 24, who was among last to leave Afghanistan during catastrophic US withdrawal is one of three suspected suicides in two days being investigated at Fort Drum army base 

* Pfc. Tyler Thomas, 21, Spc. Sika Tapueluelu, 26, and Staff Sgt. Angel Green, 24, are all believed to have died by suicide within 48 hours of each other 

* Their deaths were announced officially by Fort Drum on September 19 

* Green was one of the last soldiers to return from Afghanistan during the chaotic US exit from Kabul and returned to the army base in New York on September 6 

* Their deaths are currently being treated as separate incidents as each soldier served in different platoons and occupied different roles 

* 'We want to know what didn't we catch. What are we missing?' said the soldiers' commander in a statement 

* The soldiers were all part of the 10th Mountain Division which deployed extensively to Iraq and Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks 

* Many members of the division participated in the US military's withdrawal from Afghanistan last month 

Three soldiers at an army base in New York are suspected to have died by suicide within just 48 hours, with one of them being among the last of the troops to leave Afghanistan just one month ago. 

Pfc. Tyler Thomas, 21, Spc. Sika Tapueluelu, 26, and Staff Sgt. Angel Green, 24, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, all died within two days of each other in mid-September at Fort Drum army base in New York.  

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Update #1: Fort Drum investigates three suspected suicide deaths that took place within two days (Army Times)  

Update #2: 3 Soldiers at 10th Mountain May Have Died by Suicide in 2 Days. The Division Is Trying to Figure Out Why. (Military.com)  

WNU Editor: This is a growing problem throughout the US military .... Suicide spikes 15% among US troops in 2020 from the previous year (USA Today).

Pentagon Blames China For Troop Suicides Rising

A U.S. Army soldier from 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat of the 5th Infantry Division based in Hawaii watches while a CH-47 Chinook helicopter prepares to land during an air assault exercise with their Philippine counterparts inside the military training camp of Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province north of Manila, in 2015 as the Philippines voiced alarm about Chinese 

USA Today: Troop suicides rise as Pentagon official points to US military stretched by China 

WASHINGTON – A "disturbing" surge in suicide deaths among troops has alarmed senior Pentagon officials who say demands for U.S. troops around the world have grown unsustainable and are contributing to mental health problems. 

The increase in death by suicide, particularly acute in the Army, appears unrelated to Iraq and Afghanistan, where deployments have declined in recent years. Instead, the unpredictability of life in the military and the constant demand from commanders for overseas patrols by ships and warplanes, as well as the presence of ground troops, has frayed the force, according to a senior Defense Department official. 

The Pentagon divides the world into neighborhoods, six sections of the globe overseen by four-star officers. While demand has waned for Central Command, which includes Afghanistan and Iraq, other commanders have been aggressive about seeking more forces, often citing the rise of Chinese influence, according to the official, who is familiar with the requests but not authorized to speak publicly about them.  

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WNU Editor: Is not having enough troops and equipment to face China and the long deployments it causes a reason for suicide rates among US soldiers rising? You tell me.

3 U.S. Navy Sailors Stationed Aboard USS George H.W. Bush Died By Suicide Last Week

Pilots assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush walk across the flight deck. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Tony Curtis)

FOX News: 3 sailors assigned to USS George H.W. Bush commit suicide in same week

Three Navy sailors assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier committed suicide last week in separate, unrelated incidents, officials announced Monday.

“It is with a heavy heart that I can confirm the loss of three Sailors last week in separate, unrelated incidents from apparent suicide. My heart is broken,” Capt. Sean Bailey, the carrier’s commanding officer, wrote in the announcement.

Bailey said the recent deaths marked the third, fourth and fifth crew members of the carrier to take their own lives in the last two years.

None of the deaths occurred on the carrier, which is docked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, in Virginia, for repairs, according to Navy Times.

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WNU Editor: There is something terribly wrong here. This is clearly not a happy crew. And there are four suicides being investigated, not three .... Investigators probing four suicides involving carrier crew (Navy Times).

More News On 3 U.S. Navy Sailors Stationed Aboard USS George H.W. Bush Dying By Suicide Last Week

Three Navy sailors assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier kill themselves in one week in separate incidents, officials reveal -- Daily Mail
3 sailors assigned to the USS George H.W. Bush died by suicide last week -- Task & Purpose
3 Navy Sailors Stationed Aboard USS George H.W. Bush Died by Suicide Last Week, Four Since July -- Newsweek
3 Navy sailors assigned to USS George H.W. Bush kill themselves in a week -- NYPost
USS George H.W. Bush CO Acknowledges String of Suicides -- USNI News

US Special Ops Suicides Tripled In 2018

U.S. Special Forces soldiers, assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, prepare to leave after an operation with Afghan National Army commandos in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, March 24, 2014. (U.S. Army/Pfc. David Devich)

CNN: US Special Ops suicides triple in 2018, as military confronts the issue

Washington (CNN)Suicides among active duty military personnel assigned to US Special Operations Command tripled in 2018, in a disturbing and as yet unexplained spike, CNN has learned.

Special Operations units saw 22 deaths by suicide in 2018, almost triple the eight cases seen in 2017, according to figures provided to CNN by the command.

SOCOM, as it's known, is the unified combatant command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations component of the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force that take on counterterrorism and other specialized missions.

Based in Tampa, Florida, the command includes some of the military's most highly trained and effective fighting forces, including the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's SEAL Team Six.

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WNU Editor: Non-stop warfare now in its 18th year. I can only imagine the psychological impact it must be having on those who have served multiple deployments.