Army base at Fort Campbell begins training soldiers to prevent suicide

Commanders at Fort Campbell who have dealt with at least 11 suicides this year - the most at any Army base - have set aside routine duties for three days to find and help soldiers at risk of killing themselves as they struggle with the stress of war.

From January to March, the installation on the Kentucky-Tennessee line averaged one suicide per week, Brig. Gen. Stephen Townsend said Wednesday, the first day of regular duties being suspended. After an Army-wide prevention campaign that began in March, no soldier committed suicide for six weeks, he said.

"But last week we had two. Two in a week," Townsend said. "This is not a place where Fort Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division want to be. "We don't want to lead the Army in this statistic."

Army leaders are developing new guidance for commanders to help installations like Fort Campbell deal with rising suicide rates. Across the Army, suicides from January through March rose to a reported 56 - 22 confirmed and 34 still being investigated and pending confirmation.

COMMENT: Too little,too late