Comments on: Iraq - U.S. Media in La La Land! http://www.bloggernews.net/19542 High-quality English language analysis and editorial writing on the news. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:31:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Nancy Reyes http://www.bloggernews.net/19542#comment-77123 Nancy Reyes Mon, 20 Aug 2007 13:34:52 +0000 http://www.bloggernews.net/19542#comment-77123 You state "100 returnees have suicided". This is mathematically incorrect. The US Army has had 99 suicides last year, at a rate of 18/100 000.. However, only one third of these suicides were of soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan, the others were in peacetime deployment. Since one million military personnel have served in Iraq, and the rate of suicide in the US Army in 2005 was 18/100 000, this means that statistically if we use this higher number to estimate the suicide rate, we could estimate 180 suicides over the past four years, or less than 50 a year. However, you need to know that the suicide rate for all American males aged 20-29 is 21 per 100 000 per year, or higher than the rate of soldiers in the US Army. . However, it is comparable to the rate of suicides for physicians, which is also 18/100 000 population per year. You state “100 returnees have suicided”. This is mathematically incorrect.

The US Army has had 99 suicides last year, at a rate of 18/100 000.. However, only one third of these suicides were of soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan, the others were in peacetime deployment.

Since one million military personnel have served in Iraq, and the rate of suicide in the US Army in 2005 was 18/100 000, this means that statistically if we use this higher number to estimate the suicide rate, we could estimate 180 suicides over the past four years, or less than 50 a year.

However, you need to know that the suicide rate for all American males aged 20-29 is 21 per 100 000 per year, or higher than the rate of soldiers in the US Army. . However, it is comparable to the rate of suicides for physicians, which is also 18/100 000 population per year.

]]>