Table 2.
Military Background Characteristics of U.S. Army Suicide Decedents, 2005–2010a
| Characteristic | No. (%) with Characteristicb (N = 141) |
|---|---|
| Component | |
| Regular | 121 (86) |
| Reserve | 9 (6) |
| National Guard | 11 (8) |
| Pay Grade | |
| E1–E2 | 14 (10) |
| E3 | 21 (15) |
| E4 | 40 (28) |
| E5 | 23 (16) |
| E6 | 14 (10) |
| E7 | 12 (9) |
| E8-E9 | 5 (4) |
| O1–10 | 8 (6) |
| W1–5 or other | 4 (3) |
| Recent Military-Related Stresses | |
| Had any of the four stresses within 3 months of death: | 28 (20) |
| Article 15, AWOL, and/or courts-martial proceedings | 17 (12) |
| Administrative separation | 11 (8) |
| Medical evaluation board | 6 (4) |
| Not selected for promotion, schooling, or command | 3 (2) |
| Deployment/Combat History | |
| Number of deployments: | |
| 1–2 | 53 (38) |
| 3 or more | 11 (8) |
| Unknown | 26 (18) |
| Known to have orders to deploy | 10 (7) |
| Experienced direct combat | 27 (19) |
| Within the last three deployments: | |
| Engaged in combat resulting in wounded | 19 (13) |
| Sustained an injury resulting from combat | 5 (4) |
| Witnessed killing | 15 (11) |
| Killed others | 13 (9) |
Note. E, enlisted ranks; W, warrant officer ranks; O, commissioned officer ranks; AWOL, absent-without-leave.
a
Data were provided from Department of Defense Suicide Event Report (DoDSER) and the Army Suicide Event Report.
b
Percentages for each variable might not equal 100% because of rounding.