The Army has released suicide data for the month of August.

During August, among active-duty soldiers, there were 16 potential suicides: three have been confirmed as suicides and 13 remain under investigation.

For July, the Army reported 26 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers: 13 have been confirmed as suicides and 13 remain under investigation.

For 2012, there have been 131 potential active-duty suicides: 80 have been confirmed as suicides and 51 remain under investigation.

Active-duty suicide number for 2011: 165 confirmed as suicides and no cases under investigation.

During August, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were nine potential suicides (five Army National Guard and four Army Reserve): none have been confirmed as suicide and nine remain under investigation.

For July, among that same group, the Army reported 12 potential suicides (nine Army National Guard and three Army Reserve); four have been confirmed as suicides and eight remain under investigation.

For 2012, there have been 80 potential not on active-duty suicides (49 Army National Guard and 31 Army Reserve): 59 have been confirmed as suicides and 21 remain under investigation.

Not on active-duty suicide numbers for 2011: 118 (82 Army National Guard and 36 Army Reserve) confirmed as suicides and no cases under investigation.

“The loss of any life is a tragedy, and this loss is preventable,” said Sergeant Major of the Army Ray Chandler. “As an organization, we’ve taken huge strides in providing our Soldiers, Department of Army Civilians and Family members the needed resources to aid in suicide prevention, but our work isn’t done. Army leaders will continue to do everything we can to reverse these trends.”

To that end, leaders throughout the Army are conducting suicide prevention training, resilience-building, and mentoring in observance of Army Suicide Stand Down Day.

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.  

Trained consultants are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and can be contacted by dialing 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or by visiting www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org .

Suicide prevention training resources for Army families can be accessed at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/training_sub.asp?sub_cat=20 (requires Army Knowledge Online access to download materials).

Information about Military OneSource is located athttp://www.militaryonesource.com or by dialing the toll-free number 1-800-342-9647 for those residing in the continental United States. Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource website for dialing instructions for their specific location.

The Defense Center for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DcoE) Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and at www.dcoe.health.mil .

The Web site for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is www.afsp.org/ , and the Suicide Prevention Resource Council site is found at www.sprc.org/index.asp .