Soldier Suicides and Love

A May 30, 2008, an AP Article (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MILITARY_SUICIDES?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2008-02-13-12-14-25) examined the startling fact that suicide rates among soldiers have increased to the military’s highest ever: a total of 115 in 2007. About one third killed themselves on the battlefield, but 26 percent had never been to war. Male soldiers committed 96 percent of these suicides.

It may seem unusual to discuss battlefield deaths in a blog that focuses on relationships and families, except for one dramatic finding. To quote the AP article: Fifty percent of soldiers who killed themselves had recently suffered a failed relationship with a spouse, girlfriend or other loved one.

Scary, isn’t it, that, in the face of life or death challenges of the military, or soldiers are dying from the effects of relationship problems? And, by the way, these are not men who have had a history of mental instability (at least not as far as anyone knew).

There are profound implications by these findings, first and foremost is the need for psychological resources for our soldiers. But there are more subtle considerations here that should be addressed. For all the women in the world (many of them have sat across from me in my office) who say, “My man can never express his feeling,” or “He’s just an emotional blank slate,” this startling finding of suicide among these young men tell a different story. Men do have feelings; sometimes they are so strong they can’t be described in words. Sadly, many of these young men expressed their feelings with the trigger of a gun aimed at themselves.

These findings also reinforce a strong belief on my part that men feel incapable of solving relationship problems because they are not taught skills to heal difficulties with their lovers. They can take apart and rebuild a rifle in two minutes, but they stand helpless in the face of an unraveling marriage. I believe men have the capacity to learn relationship skills, and their lives are in danger if they do not. Women need to help foster men’s loving, caring, and committed side, so that they can work with their men to have the lifelong relationship they are seeking.