This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.The study, published in May by the DoD’s internal health care system, examined the causes of 2,530 active duty U.S. Army soldier deaths between 2014 and 2019. It found that suicide was the leading cause with 883 reports, followed by 814 accidental deaths.Deaths from natural causes in the time period were 534, and 94 homicide deaths were reported.
In longtime suicide hotspot postings such as Alaska – service members and their families contend with extreme isolation and a harsh climate – the rate had doubled.A 2021 study by the Cost of War Project concluded that since 9/11, four times as many service members and veterans have died by suicide as have perished in combat.