The writer A.Alvarez once spoke of suicide as the savage God. In polite society we may just consider it a savage subject. Yet with the staggering number of suicides on a monthly basis the topic begs to be tamed and spoken of as the “women come and go and speak of Michaelangelo.”

“A black stormcloud of pain shrouded Achilles/ On is bowed head he scattered dust and ash/in handfuls and befouled his beautiful face/ letting black ash sift on his fragrant khiton/ Then in the dust he stretched his giant length and tore his hair with both hands.”  Homer

While this explosive display of anguish and pain is the by product of war, you will not see it reported on the evening news.  The proverbial, “tearing ones hair out,” is a clear metaphor for the intolerable pain and psychic suffering that is part of the package called combat.  Some gentle souls, frequently those with a solid moral upbringing, simply do not have the mettle or internal tools to cope. They do indeed warrant consolation.

We just recently celebrated the author Ernest Hemingway.  A reminder is in order that this man served in five wars and also had head injuries. He committed suicide. The burden of memory overcame him.

Many military historians speak of the storied legend of the Lost Battalion of WWI. These men were surrounded for days by the Germans. Had no food or water, yet they continued to fight. Major C.W Whittlesey maintained cohesion and refused to surrender and emboldened his dwindling survivors to fight forward. For this bravery, the Major was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. This story is well known to the Army archivists. What is not reported is that Whittlesey committed suicide just after the war.

Us Vietnam veterans are reminded of the phrase and poem;  “Chesty Puller is Not On The Wall.”  The legendary Marine General Chesty Puller’s son committed suicide after the war.

Admiral Zumwalt’s son committed suicide.

I wonder if the parents of these noble men thought that condolences were in order?

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        
July 6, 2011

Statement by the President on Change of Condolence Letter Policy

As Commander in Chief, I am deeply grateful for the service of all our men and women in uniform, and grieve for the loss of those who suffer from the wounds of war – seen and unseen.  Since taking office, I’ve been committed to removing the stigma associated with the unseen wounds of war, which is why I’ve worked to expand our mental health budgets, and ensure that all our men and women in uniform receive the care they need.

As a next step and in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the military chain of command, I have also decided to reverse a long-standing policy of not sending condolence letters to the families of service members who commit suicide while deployed to a combat zone. This decision was made after a difficult and exhaustive review of the former policy, and I did not make it lightly.  This issue is emotional, painful, and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely.  They didn’t die because they were weak.  And the fact that they didn’t get the help they needed must change.  Our men and women in uniform have borne the incredible burden of our wars, and we need to do everything in our power to honor their service, and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation.