Ft. Hood Struggles With Suicides

Four apparent suicides among military personnel took place over the weekend at Fort Hood, a Texas-based army installation that has already experienced 14 confirmed suicides this year.

In one instance, a Sergeant, Michael Timothy Franklin, was found dead along with his wife.

In response to the weekend’s deaths, Ft. Hood’s Senior Commander Major General William Grimsley issued a statement earlier this week announcing efforts to direct at-risk personnel to prevention programs.

“Fort Hood takes suicide prevention seriously,” Grimsley said. “We have adopted an holistic approach to raise awareness of programs available to Soldiers and their family members to obtain the help they need.”

The installation also announced that Army Chaplains will be available 24/7 and have advised those on base to notify the chain of command if they suspect an individual is suicidal.

Suicide among service-members has become a growing crisis for the military. A recent study from the Army indicates that there were 1,713 suicide attempts and 239 confirmed suicides within the entire branch last year.

A report on the crisis released this summer places partial blame on commanders for ignoring warning signs among soldiers, such as drug abuse and crime, in order to meet personnel demands strained by the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to Army Vice Chief of Staff, 60 percent of confirmed suicides are among service-members who had served only one deployment. However, three of the deaths that took place at Ft. Hood this weekend were among soldiers who had served multiple deployments. All had served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and two had deployments in Afghanistan.

The Defense Department issued a review of Ft. Hood’s protection procedures after a gunman killed 13 on the base last November. Recommendations approved by Secretary Robert Gates last month widens commanders’ abilities to access medical and psychiatric records. The installation has also adopted a stricter registration policy for personal weapons.