VA/iDoc Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans

I know it is late for the memorial day thoughts because I do not necessarily enjoy the war movies which are now so common on the American TV that "memorial day" remembrance seems to be running throughout the year. So, I dont watch TV much on memorial day any more. 

 t It is really a sad situation (Suicides among veterans) that is overlooked by the media who continue to post every death and have reached a mark of four thousand something. There are however those who died in Iraq and Afghanistan but are not reported and they are more numerous than the "war casualties", a miscalculation or undercalculation---for I think that all the suicides in our 'fighting troops' are also war casualties. Imagine a young man who is fighting for his country, turns the gun from the 'enemy' towards himself. What is driving him to such a desperate step? Should'nt we look into it? I feel that a serious study of these statistics and the psychopathology lurking under these circumstances, is warranted. The current report is at an alarmingly high level of 18 suicides per day, or 126 suicidal deaths per week or 540 suicidal deaths per 30 days. That is to me an outrageous figure. what would be the ratio of suicidal deaths to 'combat' deaths, I dare not calculate. It is too horrendous even to imagine. I am not a psychiatrist but I know (like many of you) what PTSD means and how many lives are wasted, and how many families are forced to endure pain and suffering by this 'simple' mental illness. For some reason these statistical figures of "wounded" veterans over the past five years are not considered prominent for reporting lest the nation may become too alarmed by the 'favorite pastime' of this administration.