A short op-ed piece from the New York Times, reprinted here in full. Thumbs up to the Obama Administration for including suicide in a war zone as cause for a presidential letter of condolence. It doesn't change the causes of suicide, necessarily, but as the NYT says, it does recognize that not all sacrifice involves enemy fire. MP+
July 6, 2011
Death on the Battlefield
In an enlightened reversal of the ways of war, President Obama has decided to begin sending letters of condolence to the families of combat troops who commit suicide. Until now, White House policy across several administrations extended the president’s personal sympathy to the kin of troops killed in combat, but denied the honor for those who committed suicide in war zones.
The change is heartening for grieving families and for the nation, too. The policy amounted to official stigmatizing and showed a lack of gratitude for some who faced combat fire.
The military’s concern had been that drawing attention to those who struggled with mental health problems and took their own lives might encourage more suicides. But after an 18-month study, the administration came to the obvious conclusion that condolences could be a positive factor. Mr. Obama will be signing letters in the future “to destigmatize the mental health costs of war” and help prevent more tragic deaths, the administration said.
Suicide in the military and among veterans is a pressing problem the government is struggling to understand. There were more than 295 suicides last year among active-duty personnel, a majority outside combat zones.
The honor for families of those who killed themselves in battle zones will not be retroactive. But in changing the policy, the White House called to extend comfort to Gregg Keesling, the father of a soldier who committed suicide in 2009 on his second tour in Iraq. Mr. Keesling was in the forefront of growing protests about the cruel neglect of these grieving families. “He was a good soldier,” Mr. Keesling told CBS News, “and that’s the part that I want to know — that the country appreciates that he fought.”
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Mad Padre
Followers
Blog Archive
-
▼
2011
(150)
-
▼
July
(14)
- Book apps: A reading revolution, or the end of rea...
- Marijuana a Possible PTSD Cure
- "Where Do Human Rights Come From?": Secular vs Div...
- Help for a veteran in "a perfect storm of things g...
- Language Play of the Week
- Canada's youngest RC Bishop is a Blogger
- Notable Quotable: James Traub on What's Going Rig...
- A Rare Honour for a US Soldier
- This IHOP Serves 24/7 Prayer, Not Pancakes
- Crazy Generous: A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday Af...
- "He Was a Good Soldier": White House Letters of C...
- "The Thirst For Fairness Runs Deep": The Evolutio...
- "A Carbon Copy of Reality": Video Game Technolog...
- “Canadian Forces have stayed here for a long time”...
-
▼
July
(14)
Labels
- Advent (5)
- Adventures in Alberta (11)
- Adventures in Atlantic Canada (17)
- Adventures in Ontario (2)
- All (1)
- All Saints Collingwood (110)
- All Saints King City (128)
- American Civil War (2)
- Angl (1)
- Anglican Church (321)
- Anglican Military Ordinariate (6)
- archaeology (1)
- Beer (2)
- Blogs and Blogging (13)
- Book Reviews (58)
- C.S. Lewis (1)
- C.S. Lewis and Narnia (1)
- Canada At War (18)
- Canadian Armed Forces (25)
- Canadian Forces Chaplain School (2)
- Canadian Military History (1)
- Chaplain Stories (23)
- Chaplaincy Issues (7)
- Children's Ministry (9)
- Christianity and Islam (4)
- Christianity and Society (13)
- Christmas (2)
- Church and Society (8)
- Church History (11)
- Climate (1)
- Climate and Environment (1)
- Conversations (1)
- Cool Stuff (11)
- CS Lewis (1)
- Cultural Studies (1)
- Daily Devotional (37)
- Daily Office (2)
- Death and Dying (5)
- Depression and Suicide in the Military (10)
- Drones (3)
- Easter (2)
- ebooks (7)
- Ecumenism (1)
- Epiphany (6)
- Ethics and Society (31)
- Eucharist (1)
- Evangelism (1)
- Family News (5)
- Films (4)
- Firearms (1)
- First World War (2)
- Flowers (1)
- Food Insecurity (1)
- Friday Theology (19)
- Funerals (5)
- Funny Stuff (36)
- Gaming and Ethics (7)
- Good Friday (2)
- Great War (3)
- Grief and Loss (1)
- Hebrew Scriptures (3)
- Holy Week (6)
- Homiletics and Preaching (6)
- Interfaith Dialogue (3)
- J.R.R. Tolkien (1)
- Jordan Peterson (2)
- Judaism (2)
- Language Play of the Week (9)
- Lent (44)
- Lent Madness (1)
- Lent Madness 2023 (20)
- Lent Madness 2024 (20)
- Literacy and Literature (12)
- Literature and War (2)
- Liturgy (2)
- Living History (1)
- Marriage and Relationships (6)
- Marriage and Society (3)
- Me and My iphone (12)
- Mental Health (9)
- Military and Literature (2)
- Military and Society (59)
- Military and Spirituality (40)
- Military and Suicide (13)
- Military Chaplaincy (109)
- Military Culture (7)
- Military Ethics (68)
- Military Families (10)
- Military Goats (11)
- Military History (67)
- Military History American Civil War (5)
- Military Humour (32)
- Military News (220)
- Military Picture of the Week (36)
- Military Rantings (10)
- Military Reading (3)
- Military Service (42)
- Minature Wargames - My Figures (18)
- Miniature Wargames - Battle Reports (11)
- Miniature Wargames - Miscellaneous (2)
- Music (2)
- Oh Canada (10)
- Over There (122)
- Pandemic (1)
- Physical Fitness (1)
- Pluralism (1)
- Poetry (1)
- Prayer (3)
- Psalms (1)
- PTSD Issues (45)
- Random Stuff (1)
- Reconciliation (2)
- Regional Ministry (1)
- Religion and Conflict (5)
- Religion and Society (74)
- Religion In The News (12)
- Remembrance Day (1)
- Royal Canadian Regiment (4)
- Running (37)
- Sacraments (1)
- Saints (18)
- Saints Days (3)
- Seen on the Run (16)
- Self Care (1)
- ser (1)
- Sermon (3)
- Sermons (346)
- Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) (1)
- Spirituality (23)
- Technology and Humanity (1)
- Terrorism (1)
- The Bible and Society (4)
- The Great War (1)
- The Secular (1)
- Theology (35)
- Tolkien (1)
- Tom Holland (1)
- Travel Stories (3)
- Truth and Reconciliation Canada (2)
- Video Gamex (1)
- Volkswagen Westfalia (8)
- Wanderings (8)
- War and Literature (3)
- Worship (4)
1 comment:
So sad. On a related subject, have you seen this article that was recently in the news, padre? "Elevated suicide rate for female soldiers, veterans: study" http://news.sympatico.ctv.ca/canada/elevated_suicide_rate_for_female_soldiers_veterans_study/5cf3b56e .
Post a Comment