Military suicides outnumber combat deaths – economy and leadership to blame

By ROBERT LAURIE – There’s a good chance that this is the most depressing statistic you’ll see all year.

According to a new Army report, as of November, 303 active-duty, Reserve and National Guard soldiers had committed suicide in 2012.  During the same period, 212 men and women in uniform were lost due to combat fatalities in Afghanistan.

It’s depressing, and disgusting.

Our military has sacrificed precious blood and treasure in Afghanistan for an ill-defined, and as such probably unwinnable, war.  They’ve been given an arbitrary withdrawal date which has nothing to do with the accomplishment of any military goal and everything to do with politics.  While they wait to leave, they’re still forced to fight, but their Commander in Chief has offered them little in the way of an objective.

When they finally do earn a ticket home, they return to a broken, barely functional, America.  The economy is in the dumper, jobs are nigh-on impossible to come by, and – as a result of their low pay – former soldiers find themselves in an extraordinarily difficult financial position. All too often, this is leading to depression, substance abuse, and suicide.

Given the lack of leadership, coupled with the reality of the U.S. fiscal situation, are we really supposed to be surprised about the ugly numbers?

The President, the government, and every American citizen should be ashamed that we’re doing so little to support the men and women who protect our nation. This is the darkest scandal of the Obama administration.

This next song is dedicated to all our friends who made it back alive from the Persian Gulf …