26 Marine suicides so far in 2009

The Corps recorded 26 suspected or confirmed suicides in the first half of 2009 despite broad-based efforts introduced to reduce the number of Marines taking their own life, officials said. The statistics were disclosed Monday at the Sergeants Major Symposium, an annual meeting of the Corps' top enlisted leaders in Washington. The 26 dead Marines put the Corps on pace for 52 in 2009, which would be the most since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003. "We're looking at all options to get a handle on this," said Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, the Corps' top enlisted adviser. "We're trying to pinpoint what we can do, and we're going to stay engaged until we find a fix for it." Last year, the Corps lost 42 Marines to confirmed or suspected suicides, up from 25 in 2006 and 33 in 2007.