Alarming suicide rate among military personnel, Pentagon reports

More military service members committed suicide during the first half of this year than were killed in combat, according to a Pentagon report recently released. Nearly every day this year, a soldier has taken his or her life.

There were 154 suicides among active duty troop personel through June 3 this year and exceeds the number of US Forces killed in action in Afghanistan by about 50%, reports the Associated Press. This represents an 18% increase in suicides over the same time period in 2011, according to the news agency.

Responding to soaring suicide rates in 2009, officials instituted programs and treatment plans focused on mental health issues among combat personnel. After suicide rates leveled off in 2010 and 2011, officials were surprised by the sudden surge in the first half of 2012.