May 25, 2013
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The four-star general who has been at the forefront of the Army's search for solutions to its suicide problem says a turnaround to the problem is in sight, even though suicides are still on the rise.
Lloyd J. Austin III told The Associated Press the suicide trend is going in the wrong direction -- and has been for some time. But he says that during his 13 months as the Army's vice chief of staff, the foundation has been laid to reverse the trend. A key step is convincing leaders across the service that this is an Army-wide problem.
The Army had 183 suicides last year among active-duty soldiers -- the highest ever. This year has started badly, with 19 suicides in January, up from 16 in January 2012.
