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Army recruiters' suicide rate 3 times the overall Army rate

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by 2muchcoffeeman, Apr 8, 2009.

  1. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    Wow. Not going to say anything else because I have my own set of experiences with Army recruiters, but ... damn. :( Explains a lot in terms of how and why they do the things they do — and the damage that can result. Also a harsh indictment of the Army's recruiting command.<blockquote>When Army Staff Sergeant Amanda Henderson ran into Staff Sergeant Larry Flores in their Texas recruiting station last August, she was shocked by the dark circles under his eyes and his ragged appearance. "Are you O.K.?" she asked the normally squared-away soldier. "Sergeant Henderson, I am just really tired," he replied. "I had such a bad, long week, it was ridiculous." The previous Saturday, Flores' commanders had berated him for poor performance. He had worked every day since from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., trying to persuade the youth of Nacogdoches to wear Army green. "But I'm O.K.," he told her.

    No, he wasn't. Later that night, Flores hanged himself in his garage with an extension cord. Henderson and her husband Patrick, both Army recruiters, were stunned. "I'll never forget sitting there at Sergeant Flores' memorial service with my husband and seeing his wife crying," Amanda recalls. "I remember looking over at Patrick and going, 'Why did he do this to her? Why did he do this to his children?' " Patrick didn't say anything, and Amanda now says Flores' suicide "triggered" something in her husband. Six weeks later, Patrick hanged himself with a dog chain in their backyard shed.

    The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now the longest waged by an all-volunteer force in U.S. history. Even as soldiers rotate back into the field for multiple and extended tours, the Army requires a constant supply of new recruits. But the patriotic fervor that led so many to sign up after 9/11 is now eight years past. That leaves recruiters with perhaps the toughest, if not the most dangerous, job in the Army. Last year alone, the number of recruiters who killed themselves was triple the overall Army rate. Like posttraumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, recruiter suicides are a hidden cost of the nation's wars.</blockquote>http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1889152,00.html
     
  2. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    A couple of commanders in that area (the battalion is in Houston, if I recall correctly) have already been replaced over this, and an entirely new Army-wide suicide-awareness program has already been put in place.

    Operations stopped a couple of weeks ago so we could all get the new training.

    Yeah, it's a sad, sad situation. The Army's suicide rates have now passed, for the first time, that of the civilian sector. It's a huge deal that was reacted to quickly by the senior leadership.
     
  3. Smallpotatoes

    Smallpotatoes Well-Known Member

    I have bad experiences with an Army recruiter myself and to be totally honest, without going into too much detail that problems were entirely of my own creation. Alley, Three Bags Full and anyone else who serves or has served has every right in the world to rip into me for the way I handled the situation and they're welcome to PM me for more details.
    That said, I don't envy these guys. Being a salesman is a tough job, trying to sell what they're selling is even tougher with the wars going on that have no end in sight. I wonder if the economy and the tougher job market has helped them, however.
     
  4. alleyallen

    alleyallen Guest

    Now why would we rip you for a personal choice involving military service? Seriously.

    This story was reported really well on the Houston Chronicle's website, but TBF is right. When something like this happens, the military is quick to respond.

    What's tougher is the absolute need for higher numbers versus a declining population willing to join. I just don't know the solution.
     
  5. PeteyPirate

    PeteyPirate Guest

    In the real world, the solution is to pay more.
     
  6. alleyallen

    alleyallen Guest

    While I definitely agree with that (where were you when I needed you from 1989 to 1998? :D ) if you think the defense budget is big now, wait till you see what it's like if you increase pay significantly enough to draw people back in.
     
  7. I have noticed from your sig, Commodore, that you're still pretty pissed at the Dauphin.
    Will you yield, and this avoid...
     
  8. alleyallen

    alleyallen Guest

    NEVER!

    Actually, I introduced my girlfriend to the Kenneth Branaugh (sp?) version of it last night. She was just.....wowed is the best word I can think of.

    Besides, it's the French we're talking about. :D
     
  9. Smallpotatoes

    Smallpotatoes Well-Known Member

    Thank you, Alley. Without going into too many details, at that point in my life I did not have much experience with high pressure sales tactics, initially was going to serve, then backed out.
    I can certainly understand if somebody who served would have a problem with me bacause of that.
     
  10. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    The solution is to stop doing so many things that make you need so many soldiers.
     
  11. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    I certainly don't have a problem with you because you chose not to enlist. Your life. Your choice. I'm down with that.
     
  12. Smallpotatoes

    Smallpotatoes Well-Known Member

    Thank you, Three Bags.
     
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