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Good news: Suicides among US military personnel have suddenly dropped

Pentagon officials are 'cautiously encouraged' by the numbers.

Finally some improved stats concerning military suicides.

It's no secret that the U.S. military has been battling a suicide problem. Since 9/11, more U.S. military personnel have died by suicide than have died in combat. Suicide rates among U.S. military personnel are higher than the civilian population and have been steadily increasing for the past two decades. In fact, a study released in 2021 reported that "2018, 2019, and 2020 have consecutively marked the worst years of active service member suicide since the previous peak year in 2012."

However, the numbers since 2020 tell a different story—one that offers a glimmer of hope.

According to a new Pentagon report and preliminary data for 2022 reported by PBS News, there has been a dramatic decrease in suicides among active duty military in the past 18 months. The Air Force and Marine Corps saw a more than 30% drop from 2020 to 2021, while the Navy saw its numbers of suicides decrease by 10%. The Army had a slight increase from 2020 to 2021, but has had a 30% decline during the first six months of 2022 compared to the first six months of 2021.

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My Marine instructor insulted me by using the r-word. This is how I responded.

My boot camp experience was tough. But the toughest part was the insults.

This story was originally published on The Mighty.

I’m not here to criticize the United States Marine Corps on how they train new recruits.

They’ve been doing it for more than 200 years, so they must know what they’re doing.

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