Soldier Suicides

Soldier suicides can take many forms: a decision to avoid capture, torture, humiliation, or execution; an [Page 1588]honor-bound choice after defeat; a strategy to use against the enemy; and a desperate action stemming from mental health issues, either preexisting or due to service. Soldiers and officers alike have contemplated suicide both in the heat of battle and during peacetime. Throughout history, men and women in the military have considered suicide for personal and often unknowable reasons, but, ultimately, many have done so with one of these larger four motives in mind. Soldier suicide has occurred throughout the world and in possibly every conflict, yet only in the modern era have military authorities chosen to treat suicide as a preventable and significant concern.