While the anecdote about the 7-year-old attempting suicide is very heartrending, you can't help but wonder about other factors at work here.

There are many 7-year olds whose parents go away for any number of reasons, and they don't try to kill themselves.

There are many 7-year-olds whose parents actually die, in war or otherwise, and they don't try to kill themselves.

We absolutely need to take proper care of the families of our soldiers, but lets not get hysterical about a purported epidemic of child suicides.

When you factor how many times that your parent is given another tour of duty and you have to say goodbye again and wonder if it is the last goodbye, I think the trauma of what those kids goes thru becomes apparent.

They are bombarded with news, papers, stories and caskets on the news. Some local to them.

I was a military brat whose stepfather was gone usually 9 months at a time on a nuclear submarine.

Any mental illness I have was not from that. And yes, it was during Viet Nam.

Military brats just get used to it. Yes, adding an active war to the mix does raise the anxiety level, but a good military mom living on or near the base has plenty of opportunities to ease their kids' discomforts.

This is another example of the military leaving the reservists and their families high and dry when it comes to helpful family resources.

Well said.