By: Ryan Jaroncyk, THL Contributor There's an epidemic in the
U.S. military. Repeated deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq are
leading to record suicide rates and an explosive rise in Post-
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Here are some sobering facts
and figures: - CNN reported that the military suicide rate for
2008 was the highest level among soldiers since the Pentagon
began tracking it twenty eight years ago. - A Pentagon study
revealed that 10% of the returning soldiers met the military's
criteria for PTSD. - The New England Journal of Medicine studied
four combat units and found that 17% of Iraq war veterans and
11% of Afghanistan war veterans suffered from PTSD. In addition,
25% of returning soldiers were drinking excessively. - A study
by the RAND Corporation revealed that 20% of veterans from Iraq
and Afghanistan will suffer from PTSD or severe depression;
sadly, only about 50% of these veterans will get the treatment
they need. - An older study by the Government Accountability
Office (GAO) discovere