Combat Veteran, National Guard Suicides Skyrocket
Mil & Intel
By James R. Webb | June 22, 2021
A report released Monday by Brown University’s Cost of War Research Series estimates that 30,177 active-duty personnel and veterans have committed suicide since the beginning of the Global War on Terror, compared to the more than 7,000 combat deaths. According to the report, veterans — particularly those exposed to improvised explosive devices — along with members of the National Guard, are taking their own lives at an alarming rate.
According to the report, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) have affected as many as 20% of post-9/11 service members, with the injury being prevalent enough to be deemed the “signature injury” of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Researchers found that suffering a TBI increases a service member’s risk of suicide, with each additional TBI continuing to raise the risk.
combat veteran suicide
Military members take cover as an improvised explosive device detonates unexpectedly during location and inspection. IEDs accounted for about half of all casualties suffered by US troops early in the Global War on Terrorism, with traumatic brain injury considered the “signature injury” of the GWOT. Researchers have found a correlation between blast exposure and suicides. US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brian Ferguson, courtesy of DVIDS.
While the actual rate is still being determined, and the report states that the correlation between TBI and suicides warrants additional study, environmental factors associated with both IEDs and blast injuries appear severe.
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