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Military suicides on the rise

Posted at 11:34 PM, Jan 14, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-15 06:55:16-05

A scary trend for our troops in Afghanistan, as more troops committed suicide than were killed in combat.

Not only that, but more troops killed themselves last year than the Pentagon had expected.

In 2012, there were 349 suicides among active-duty troops, 325 is what the Pentagon had projected.

Here's how the suicides breakdown by branch:

The Army had the majority of suicides with 182.

The Navy had 60.

The Air Force had 59.

The Marine Corps had 48.

The Department of Defense told NewsChannel 3 it is "Deeply concerned about suicide in the military" which is one of the most urgent problems it's facing.

By next year, they hope to have results from the largest mental health risk study ever conducted in the military.

They are hoping to use that data to shed light on the issue and come up with intervention plans.

If you or a loved one are in need, the Military Crisis number is 1-800-273-8255.

You can also chat confidentially online at veteranscrisisline.net.