In Memoriam

[Grace]

12 January 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Pfc. Zachary S. Salmon, 21, of Harrison, Ohio, died Jan. 12 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

[Grace]

15 January 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

Spc. Jose A. Torre, Jr., 21, of Garden Grove, Calif., died Jan.15 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with a rocket-propelled grenade. He was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.

[Grace]

15 January 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation New Dawn.

They died Jan. 15 in Mosul, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an Iraqi soldier from the unit with which they were training shot them with small arms fire. They were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Killed were:

Sgt. Michael P. Bartley, 23, of Barnhill, Ill.

Spc. Martin J. Lamar, 43, of Sacramento, Calif.

[Grace]

17 January 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Cpl. Joseph C. Whitehead, 22, of Axis, Ala., died Jan. 17 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

[Grace]

17 Jamuary 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation New Dawn.

Maj. Michael S. Evarts, 41, of Concord, Ohio, died Jan. 17, in Tikrit, Iraq, in a non-combat related incident. He was assigned to the 256th Combat Support Hospital, Twinsburg, Ohio.

[Grace]

Army Releases December and 2010 Suicide Data

The Army released today suicide data for the month of December and for 2010. During December, among active-duty soldiers, there were 12 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 11 remain under investigation. To compare and update, in November, the Army reported 11 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, one has been confirmed as a suicide, and 10 remain under investigation. For 2010, there were 156 potential active-duty suicides of which 125 have been confirmed as suicides, and 31 remain under investigation.

During December, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 16 potential suicides: none have been confirmed as suicide, and 16 remain under investigation. To compare and update, in November among that same group, there were eight total suicides. Of those, two were confirmed as suicides and six are pending determination of the manner of death. For 2010, there were 145 potential not on active duty suicides of which 106 have been confirmed as suicide, and 39 remain under investigation.

“Our research and analysis of the suicide cases of this past year continue to reinforce that there are no universal solutions to address the complexities of personal, social and behavioral health issues that lead to suicide within the Army,” said Col. Chris Philbrick, deputy director, Army Health Promotion, Risk Reduction Task Force.

“Regrettably, the numbers of suicides in the Army family did not diminish in 2010, but, we are committed to educating and informing our soldiers and their families to better understand the increasing rate of suicides in the force and reduce the number of soldiers, civilians and family members we lose to suicide. Our unit leaders, first-line supervisors and close friends must continue to be vigilant to the warning signs of risky behavior, and to look for ways and opportunities to reach out to those who need help,” Philbrick said.

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Trained consultants are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and can be contacted at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or by visiting their website at http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

The Army's comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.preventsuicide.army.mil.

Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) at: http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf and Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/p600_24.pdf.

Suicide prevention training resources for Army families can be accessed at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicid...asp?sub_cat=20 (requires Army Knowledge Online access to download materials).

Information about Military OneSource is located at http://www.militaryonesource.com or at the toll-free number 1-800-342-9647 for those residing in the continental United States. Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource website for dialing instructions for their specific location.

Information about the Army’s Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program is located at http://www.army.mil/csf.

The Defense Center for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury outreach center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, and via electronic mail at http://www.dcoe.health.mil.

The website for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is at http://www.afsp.org, and the Suicide Prevention Resource Council site is found at http://www.sprc.org/index.asp.

The website for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors is at http://www.TAPS.org, and they can be reached at 1-800-959-TAPS (8277).

[Grace]

Italy

Cpl. Maj. Luca Sanna

From: Oristano, Italy
Age: 32
Unit: 8° Reggimento Alpini (8th Alpine Regiment)
Died: January 18, 2011

Fatal incident occurred in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan
Sanna was one of two Italian soldiers who were cleaning their weapons at an ISAF combat outpost near Bala Morghab in Badghis province, Afghanistan, on January 18, 2011, when an Afghan Army soldier asked to use their equipment to clean his weapon. The two soldiers noticed the Afghan soldier's weapon was loaded and asked him to unload it. The Afghan soldier then shot the two soldiers and fled the combat outpost. Sanna was killed while the other Italian soldier was wounded.