Of all the American soldiers that were in the Vietnam conflict, more died committing suicide after the war was over, than those that died in battle, what does this tell us?
by 
Omar Little
ANSWERS: 8
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Where can those statistics be verified?
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That they saw and experienced things they could not come to grips with, and that the military is not handling mental health like it probably should.
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Where'd you come up with that nonsense?
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Well if the statistic is true then I would have to say that it just validates our not taking well enough care of our veterans after the war. And I DO believe we haven't taken good enough care of them.
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It shows that America still has a long way to go in providing help to those who are mentally ill. The stigma attached to such illness is a cause for shame on this country. +5
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it tells us that war makes you mental, and that the death toll from the vietnam war is higher than most people think. Those in which you speak...They didnt really survive the war...they just survived longer. Of course...."old soldiers never die, they just fade away"-Douglas MacArthur
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Myth: The media have reported that suicides among Vietnam veterans range from 50,000 to 100,000 - 6 to 11 times the non-Vietnam veteran population. Mortality studies show that 9,000 is a better estimate. "The CDC Vietnam Experience Study Mortality Assessment showed that during the first 5 years after discharge, deaths from suicide were 1.7 times more likely among Vietnam veterans than non-Vietnam veterans. After that initial post-service period, Vietnam veterans were no more likely to die from suicide than non-Vietnam veterans. In fact, after the 5-year post-service period, the rate of suicides is less in the Vietnam veterans' group." - Testimony by Dr. Houk, Oversight on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, 14 July 1988 page 17, Hearing before the Committee on Veterans' Affairs United States Senate one hundredth Congress second session. Also "Estimating the Number of Suicides Among Vietnam Veterans" (Am J Psychiatry 147, 6 June 1990 pages 772-776) http://www.vhfcn.org/stat.html
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If that statistic is true, it tells us that not every casuality is a physical one. Sun Tzu said that if you can win the battle of the mind you will win the battle on the field.
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