U.S. Army base in Alaska is the epicenter of military suicide crisis
After U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jonathan Baker had suicidal thoughts, the lack of mental health providers in Alaska forced him to wait for help. Correction: An earlier version of this video displayed incorrect hours for the Military Crisis Line.
Jessica Koscielniak and Michelle Hanks, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON − U.S. soldiers were almost nine times more likely to die by suicide than by enemy fire, according to a Pentagon study for the five-year period ending in 2019.
The study, published in May by the Defense Health Agency, found that suicide was the leading cause of death among active-duty soldiers from 2014 to 2019. There were 883 suicide deaths during that time period….
