Felon On Himself

      As part of our Junior Theme, we're supposed to have a "historical look-back" in our paper. Basically what that means is that we research an event that happened in the past that is similar to our current issue that is the main idea of our paper. This is supposed to help show how our issue has been a constant problem in American history and give the argument more strength. At first, I was worried that I would not find anything that would work, but thankfully I found an article that helped lead me in the right direction. The article was called "Felo De Se: Soldier Suicides in America's Civil War" and it looked into the rise in suicides during and after America's Civil War and possible factors.

      The article led me to look into the military and the affect it has had on male suicide statistics. The article concluded that "emotional disorders and alcohol misuse, when combined with the hardships of war, contributed to a steady rate of suicides during the Civil War" (Lande). Men had difficulties keeping up with the harsh military bearing necessary to survive in the war. They were away from their families for extended periods of time and when they finally returned home, they realized they had changed so much they could not relate to their families anymore. A fellow class member Leah Roche echoed these ideas when I talked with her about the research she had been doing for her own Junior Theme on the military. She said that the one of the biggest problems soldiers face, even today, was "reintegration into society." Returning soldiers feel isolated and filled with anxiety from their past traumas, these feelings lead to depression and thoughts of suicide.

      An additional interesting thing I learned from the article was that "Felo de se" was a military term for suicide, meaning "a felon on himself."Suicide was very negatively looked upon in society as most people found it to be a moral sin and not a last cry for help by hurting individuals.

How do you think opinions on suicide at the time affected the suicide rate? How big of an influence do you think the military has on suicide rates for returning soldiers?