WASHINGTON – Less combat is not translating to less stress for U.S. troops. Members of the military committed suicide at a record pace of almost one per day in 2012, and some experts think the trend will grow worse this year.
Pentagon figures obtained Monday by The Associated Press show 349 suicides among active-duty troops last year, up from 301 the year before and exceeding the Pentagon's own internal projection of 325.
Last year's total is the highest since the Pentagon began closely tracking suicides in 2001. It exceeds the 295 Americans who died in Afghanistan last year, by the AP's count. Among the services, the Army had the most suicides, 182, up 10 percent from the prior year.
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