Mullen issues call for more community support - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Mullen issues call for more community support

The nation’s top military officer on Wednesday called for increased government and local community support for service members, their families and the families of fallen soldiers, citing their sacrifices and increased stress levels brought about by eight years of war and repeated, frequent deployments.

“I am very concerned about the stress … that our people are under,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, told a lunch audience at the National Press Club in Washington. “Today’s active and reserve troops are the best I’ve ever served with … and yet, we’ve asked them to deploy multiple times, for longer periods of time than they expected, and there is extraordinary stress and pressure on them … and not just on the members, but also on the families.”

In addition to concerns he’s heard from service members — some of them grievously wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and their families, Mullen said the growing military suicide rate is tangible evidence of the high stress.

“The suicide rate is up in all our services,” Mullen said. “We see a growing stress on family members — spouses and children. We have the signature wounds of these wars, which are traumatic brain injury, whether it’s mild or severe, post-traumatic stress — and in that regard, really, for our force, I think stress is the enemy, more than anything else.”

The Army, the largest service, has seen an especially large increase in suicides this year. Through May, the Army reported 82 possible suicides, with 45 confirmed, according to the Pentagon. During the first five months of 2008, the Army reported 51 suicides.

And on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that military children sought mental health care 2 million times last year — twice the number who did so at the outset of the Iraq war. AP also reported that the number of children and military spouses of active-duty and reserve personnel has been steadily increasing.

Mullen said the military is trying to address these issues. “And the key, more than anything else, is leadership focus on these great young men and women,” he said.

He lauded the nation for its support of the military over the past eight years. But he wants more from the communities that veterans and their families call home.

“The American people have been spectacular in their support of our men and women in uniform — and I am very grateful for that, and so are they,” Mullen said. “As a country, I would hope we keep our focus on our people, particularly those who have been wounded, and their families, and the families of the fallen. These are people who have paid, in many cases, the ultimate price. And I think we as a country must repay that debt.

“Their dreams haven’t changed,” Mullen said. “And I think the way that actually is able to occur is the joining of the Department of Defense [and] VA, but most importantly, communities throughout the country [who] reach out to those who’ve given so much, and touch them where they need support, and make a difference that sustains their lives over periods of time.”

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