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Suicides among soldiers have increased dramatically in the last several years, up by 46 percent since the US invaded Iraq in 2003. Senior service officials recognize that the wars have affected soldiers in the form of post traumatic stress disorder and other manifestations of mental depression, but still haven't completely figured out how to address the issue.
The Army is conducting new training, handing out "buddy cards" to alert soldiers to problems among their friends, and recently announced a new five-year study to be undertaken with the National Institute of Mental Health.
But one of the more novel solutions is an interactive game called "Beyond the Front," starring Specialist Norton, a character in a kind of modern-day military morality play. The service plans to send out thousands of copies of the game – part of an Army suicide prevention program costing almost $1 million – to educate soldiers about the dangers of not seeking help when they most need it.