Eighteen U.S. Veterans Commit Suicide Daily

The terrible cost of fighting wars

The cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are becoming clearer with the announcement that 18 veterans commit suicide.

Many more attempts are unsuccessful, Army Times reported. It said there are an average of 950 suicide attempts monthly by veterans who are under treatment at Veterans Affairs centers.

Only seven percent are successful, but 11 percent try again.

Real life in the military is nothing like the war games teens play.

The number of suicides among active duty soldiers set a record last year for the second year in a row with more than 211 dying. The pace has not declined this year.

Two thirds of those who die have not been receiving VA treatment, which figures indicate save 250 lives a year.

Ten-thousand calls are received by suicide hot lines every month.

There is concern that men and women who have served in Afghanistan and/or Iraq contribute greatly to the problem.

More than 300,000 troops have come home suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

This psychiatric illness and others are often tied to suicide and suicide attempts. Some reasons range from the trauma caused by being exposed to IEDs, watching comrades die or guilt felt for killing other people.

Recent research in Canada found that suicide was the third leading cause of Canadian military deaths after motor vehicle accidents and cancer.