Is it Enough?

Two military personnel who are now students at A&T say the Army is providing enough mental health counseling. Their comments come despite the deaths of 13 soldiers who were allegedly gunned down by an officer at Fort Hood, Texas and a spike in suicides soldiers who have been to Iraq and Afghanistan.


U.S. military suicide rate is at an all-time high since 1980.


In 2008 there were 128 confirmed suicides by serving army personnel. There were 41 suicides by serving marines, up from 33 in 2007 and 25 in 2006, according to a Marines report cited on cnn.com.



The U.S military has services in place to assist in the physical and mental health of U.S military personnel.



"There are plenty of resources available, but people don't use these resources," says Army Reserve Specialist Leah Anderson, who is also a third year criminal justice major at North Carolina A&T State University. Anderson served in Iraq from September 2008 to July 2009 before returning to school.



Cadette Major Romonte Sullivan of A&T's ROTC program agreed that there is enough support for serving personnel in the military. "There is most definitely more than enough support. You can go to anyone and talk about anything," says Sullivan.



Though it is agreed upon by members of the U.S. military that there is enough support, the suicide rate continues to rise. This past week showed that eight years of fighting two wars and multiple deployments can result in other mental problems beyond suicide in the military.



Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, an Army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, is suspected of firing off more than 100 rounds in Fort Hood, Texas.

13 people were killed and 29 were wounded at the Soldier Readiness Processing Center, as they were receiving routine medical evaluations in preparation for their deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, according to an on-line article written for the New York Times.

It was alleged by Hasan's family that he was no longer content being a part of the U.S. military and he did not want to be deployed to Afghanistan. Soldiers who were victims of Hasan's rampage, allege that his discontent in the military was because the military's decisions conflicted with his personal beliefs. Former classmates at a military college also reported to military officials that he was showing signs and being vocal about his Anti-American beliefs, but still nothing was done, according to the New York Times.

Whether the motive for the shooting was religious or personal has not been confirmed yet, but it is clear that Hasan needed another form of support.

Private Joseph Franklin, who recently enlisted in the Army Reserve roughly five months ago says, "It's hard to say if someone dropped the ball in this situation, but it is obvious that a change must be made."

Specialist Anderson says, "Psychiatrists have issues, too. They deal with everyone else's problems, but who helps them with their problems?"

Cadet Major Sullivan suggested that the mental health resources are available, but may be more beneficial to army personnel if they were made mandatory like PT or medical check-ups.

Despite the increased suicide rates and the deaths of 13 soldiers at the hands of an officer suffering from mental problems, Sullivan and Anderson still express that they feel safe in the military and do not regret their decision to serve their country.