In Unit Stalked by Suicide, Veterans Try to Save One Another Dave Philipps article, “In Unit Stalked by Suicide, Veterans Try to Save One Another”, published in The New York Times on September 19, 2015, details the thirteen suicides of marines from the second battalion, seventh regiment (2/7) who served in Afghanistan. These Marines were under fire every day trying to crush the grip of the Taliban in the city of Sangin. To clarify, this region had never been in control of coalition troops. Frequently, outnumbered by the enemy and with the lack of equipment, air support, and refrigeration they named themselves the Forgotten Battalion. As a result, the 2/7 suffered more deaths than any other Marine unit. In addition, 140 Marines were wounded so severely they could hardly
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Philipps depiction of combat veterans struggle to assimilate into civilian life without the proper mental health care. His commentary details how the suicide victims and the other men in this unit desperately tried to get mental health treatment from the VA. After all, the government failed these men in many ways. First, the VA was not able or willing to reach out and establish treatment plans for the Marines. Second, the government and the military do not track the suicides to particular units; therefore, they cannot extend help to those battalion’s in need. Lastly, the government states that research shows combat veterans do not have a higher suicide rate, but in fact, “the results appeared to show something paradoxical: Those deployed to war were actually less likely to commit suicide. But critics of the studies say most people deployed in war zones do not face enemy fire. The risk for true combat veterans is hidden in the larger results, and has never been properly examined, they assert” (Philipps, 2015). With this in mind, it is hard to imagine a country who sends men into combat does not even know if it increases their propensity to commit
Philipps depiction of combat veterans struggle to assimilate into civilian life without the proper mental health care. His commentary details how the suicide victims and the other men in this unit desperately tried to get mental health treatment from the VA. After all, the government failed these men in many ways. First, the VA was not able or willing to reach out and establish treatment plans for the Marines. Second, the government and the military do not track the suicides to particular units; therefore, they cannot extend help to those battalion’s in need. Lastly, the government states that research shows combat veterans do not have a higher suicide rate, but in fact, “the results appeared to show something paradoxical: Those deployed to war were actually less likely to commit suicide. But critics of the studies say most people deployed in war zones do not face enemy fire. The risk for true combat veterans is hidden in the larger results, and has never been properly examined, they assert” (Philipps, 2015). With this in mind, it is hard to imagine a country who sends men into combat does not even know if it increases their propensity to commit