--- description: According to the head of Special Operations Command, more than a decade of fighting is taking a toll on the military's mental health. title: U.S. Special Ops Troops Committing Suicide in Record Numbers image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb37614ac82dd8af7/69868b3a06f2c1299232e754/480877271.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [U.S. military](/tag/u-s-military/) ## U.S. military Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. Special Ops Are Soldiers Committing Suicide in Record Numbers  by [Charlie Campbell](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Apr 18, 2014 5:56 AM CUT  U.S. military veterans set up 1,892 American flags on the National Mall March 27, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America installed the flags to represent the 1,892 veterans and service members who committed suicide this year. U.S. military veterans set up 1,892 American flags on the National Mall March 27, 2014 in Washington, DC. The Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America installed the flags to represent the 1,892 veterans and service members who committed suicide this year.Win McNamee—Getty Images  by [Charlie Campbell](/author/charlie-campbell/)  ## Charlie Campbell Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Editor at Large Apr 18, 2014 5:56 AM CUT _Updated: April 18, 6 a.m. ET_ U.S. special operations forces personnel are committing [suicide](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/17/us-usa-military-suicides-idUSBREA3G2EK20140417 "undefined") in record numbers, according to a top military official, due to the traumatic effects of years of war. Admiral William McRaven, who leads the Special Operations Command, told a conference in Tampa, Fla. that members of elite units like the Navy SEALs and Army Rangers have proved prone to depression and self-harm over the past two years, reports Reuters. “And this year, I am afraid, we are on path to break that,” he said. “My soldiers have been fighting now for 12, 13 years in hard combat—hard combat,” McRaven added. “And anybody that has spent any time in this war has been changed by it. It’s that simple.” Although precise figures were not provided, it is well known that the U.S. military has been struggling with suicides for a long time. In 2012, the estimated 350 active duty servicemen and servicewomen across the American armed forces that committed suicide surpassed the number lost in combat. \[[Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/17/us-usa-military-suicides-idUSBREA3G2EK20140417 "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/67748/us-military-seals-rangers-suicide/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/67748/us-military-seals-rangers-suicide/"},"headline":"U.S. Special Ops Are Soldiers Committing Suicide in Record Numbers","datePublished":"2014-04-18T05:56:49.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:22:34.097Z","description":"The head of Special Operations Command says more than a decade of \"hard combat\" is taking a tough toll on the mental health of his elite troops","url":"https://time.com/67748/us-military-seals-rangers-suicide/","keywords":["U.S. military","Depression","Suicide","troops"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb37614ac82dd8af7/69868b3a06f2c1299232e754/480877271.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Charlie Campbell","jobTitle":"Editor at Large","url":"https://time.com/author/charlie-campbell/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb37614ac82dd8af7/69868b3a06f2c1299232e754/480877271.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"American Flags Planted On National Mall To Honor Service Members Who Committed Suicide","caption":"American Flags Planted On National Mall To Honor Service Members Who Committed Suicide","creditText":"Win McNamee—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/u-s-military/","name":"U.S. military"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/67748/us-military-seals-rangers-suicide/","name":"U.S. Special Ops Are Soldiers Committing Suicide in Record Numbers"}}]}] ```