26 Marine suicides so far in 2009 - Military News | News From Afghanistan, Iraq And Around The World - Military Times

26 Marine suicides so far in 2009

The Corps recorded 26 suspected or confirmed suicides in the first half of 2009 despite broad-based efforts introduced to reduce the number of Marines taking their own life, officials said.

The statistics were disclosed Monday at the Sergeants Major Symposium, an annual meeting of the Corps’ top enlisted leaders in Washington. The 26 dead Marines put the Corps on pace for 52 in 2009, which would be the most since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003.

“We’re looking at all options to get a handle on this,” said Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, the Corps’ top enlisted adviser. “We’re trying to pinpoint what we can do, and we’re going to stay engaged until we find a fix for it.”

Last year, the Corps lost 42 Marines to confirmed or suspected suicides, up from 25 in 2006 and 33 in 2007. The recent numbers have alarmed Marine leadership, prompting additional “all-hands” prevention training in March that included videos made by commanders, a slideshow outlining recent statistics and an overview of warning signs shown by Marines at risk of killing themselves.

On Monday, senior enlisted leaders discussed a next wave of suicide-prevention training that has been in the works for months. Noncommissioned officers throughout the Corps will be trained to watch for suicide signs more carefully, with “master trainer” sergeants who went through 3½ days of training this month at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., now fanning out across the service to teach NCOs how they can be a better help to at-risk Marines.

The new training package will include a 30-minute video featuring professional actors playing Marines, and 11 documentary film clips featuring Marines who considered killing themselves and survivors of Marines who did, the Corps’ senior enlisted leaders were told Monday. It will focus in part on eliminating the stigma of reporting a Marine who is considering suicide, officials said.

“Peer groups have to recognize the signs at ankle level, not chest level,” said Sgt. Maj. Michael Timmerman, the senior enlisted adviser with the Personal and Family Readiness Division at Marine Corps headquarters.

Kent said he wants NCOs to feel empowered to report that a Marine in turmoil may be considering suicide, but he believes senior enlisted leadership and officers also need to be actively involved.

“We still have to provide the guidance, oversight and support,” he said of senior enlisted leadership. “We have to give [NCOs] the tools they need” to prevent suicides.