The suicide rate is not as sensational as it seems. Chalk this one up for media sensationalization. They are reporting real numbers, not relative numbers. According to the CDC's 2001 numbers (the newest), the national suicide rate is 10.7 people per 100,000. According to the research, the suicide rate in Iraq is 17.3 per 100,000. The national rate for all males is 18.2 per 100,000 which is HIGHER than Iraq! Considering our military is predominantly male, I make nothing special of these numbers
Here are the numbers in percentage terms.
Rate in Iraq 0.000173%
Rate in the US 0.000107%
Rate for males in the US 0.000182%
CDC Source
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/tab...husupdated.pdf
Dan