FROM THE EDITOR: The Forgotten Fallen on Memorial Day

Suicide is a growing problem among active-duty service members. Memorial Day is a good time to become aware, while honoring those who have died in the line of duty.

May 25, 2026

By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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us a flag on green grass field during daytime — Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash

As often happens at golf courses, my partner and I on Monday were paired with a single player. The bracelet on his wrist connected us.

The bracelet bore the name of a fallen fellow Marine our partner had served with over his two-decade career in the Corps. I didn’t probe — I don’t have a right to that information, especially with someone I’ve just met, unless they’re willing to volunteer it.

But the bracelet left me wondering. A multi-tour combat veteran, the bracelet on his wrist likely commemorated a comrade felled on the battlefield. Increasingly, however, the fallen are brought down not by enemy fire, but by their own hands.

As part of the Marine Corps family — my son serves and has been deployed to combat zones — I’ve become aware of the rising number of deaths by suicide among active-duty personnel.

The 2024 Annual Report on Suicide released by the Department of Defense in March reveals that the worrying trend of active-duty suicides which began climbing in 2011 is still rising.

While the 2024 totals are down from 2023, the trend line remains clear. For more than a decade suicides among active-duty military are on the rise.

Among the four branches of the military — Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force — the Marine Corps has the highest rate of active-duty suicides.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, young men under the age of 30, and people who have served in the infantry, are the most likely to die by suicide.

Why rates have been steadily rising is challenging to understand. The Department of Defense reports that adjusted rates are in line with suicide rates among the general population.

From the report:

In 2023, suicide rates were higher in the Active Component than in the U.S. population.* However, overall military suicide rates have not differed meaningfully from those of the U.S. population for most years since 2011. This result indicates that the military suicide rates resemble trends in the country as a whole.

However, direct comparisons with the general population are difficult, as a Congressional report on military suicides makes clear.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the suicide mortality rate for the U.S. general population was 14.2 per 100,000 in 2022 (the most recently available data). DOD asserts that between 2011 and 2022, military suicide rates were similar to the U.S. population after accounting for age and sex differences. Direct comparisons between the general civilian population and the military can be deceiving, as the military services are disproportionately comprised of younger individuals and more males. These sub-populations are generally at higher risk for suicide and may be exposed to military-specific risk factors.

So it is not immediately known if what is happening in the military, especially with active-duty members, corresponds with what is happening in the general U.S. population.

However, a Congressional report does put a fine point on who is most affected and the problems that they are facing.

Men make up 93% of military suicides, and half of those are by junior enlisted personnel (E1-E4).

Further:

44% had intimate relationship problems
42% had at least one mental health diagnosis
29% had administrative or legal problems

This Memorial Day, it is important to remember both those who died in the line of duty, and those active-duty members who have taken their own lives.

We ask a lot of those who serve. Thanking them for their service is a kind gesture.

Being aware of the toll it takes on active-duty soldiers and their families, however, and watching out for those who are living with that toll is a small thing we all can do.

Know a member of the military struggling? The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention has a rich resource page.