According to data obtained by Defense One, the suicide rate among active-duty service members has decreased over the last two years in comparison with 2012, which was one of the worst years for suicide in the military since 2002, when the Pentagon started tracking the numbers.
These numbers come as new legislation is being considered in both the House and Senate — the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, named after an Iraq War veteran who committed suicide in 2011. And while the bill demonstrates a shift in priority to address the suicide rate among service members and veterans, for some families, the legislation is too late.