The sudden spike in deaths is still under investigation after two additional Alaska soldiers were confirmed to have died by suicide earlier this year, the military website said in a report.
The four recent deaths, which are under investigation, include three junior enlisted troops and a midlevel noncommissioned officer, according to multiple soldiers with direct knowledge of the situation.
It is unclear whether the spike in deaths is attributable to any particular stressor on troops in the region. Deaths by suicide can often happen in clusters, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through so-called "suicide contagion," a series of events in which being exposed to suicide or suicidal behaviors through a family, peer group, or media reports can increase the risk of suicide.
"They were my friend, and things have been very bad for [the unit]," one soldier told Military.com on the condition of anonymity, referencing one of the suicides. "It was shocking, and we quickly went back to training. There wasn't a lot of mourning time."
MP/PR
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