Why the Many Military Suicides?

by Frederick Hoehn, copyright 2013, all rights reserved.

Chapter 1

General Ray Odierno, United States Army Chief of Staff, spoke recently on C-SPAN.  He spoke on various topics, but one of them was regarding the many military suicides.

He spoke of suicide as "a perplexing problem," and as "a national problem."  He spoke of trying to get them (those who might have a tendency toward suicide) "the proper help."

He said it was "a very concerning problem for us."

During the recent Memorial Day program carried by PBS, the two hosts, actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, did a little sketch where they acted out a supposed conversation between two actual brothers who had been in the military, one of whom later committed suicide.

Some of those family members were present as the program unfolded in Washington, D.C.

The soldier who eventually committed suicide apparently fell into a melancholy state where he would spend time at graveyards.

It is not wrong to honor the dead, nor to show respect for those who've given their lives fighting for our nation.  But just about anything can be overdone.

It is unhealthy to spend too much time at graveyards.  Life goes on.  No soldier should blame himself if his buddies died in the war.  Even if mistakes were made, they all took the same risks.

They knew there were risks when they signed up for the Army National Guard.  They knew their unit might be activated.  They knew that in wars, people die.

But you can dwell too much on the morose, on the negative side.  Those soldiers who died--wouldn't they have wanted the survivors to pursue normal, productive lives?

Surely they wouldn't have wanted the survivors to mourn them for the rest of their lives.

There are demons of melancholy.  There are demons of depression.  They are to be resisted.

Philippians 4:8 tells us, "Finally brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there's any virtue, and if there's any praise, think about these things."

You're disobeying Phil 4:8 if you're going to dwell on the melancholy, and on the "what might have been."

Phil 3:13,14 tells us, "...forgetting the things that are in the past, and reaching out to the things that are ahead, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Forget what's behind, and reach out to what's ahead, the Bible says.  If you think you have a better plan than the Bible, you're mistaken.

Unfortunately, many are ignorant of what God has told us in the Bible.  That mistake can prove to be fatal.

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."  (Hos 4:6)

Suicide is a national problem, but it seems especially visible regarding the U.S. Military.

Of course, there are many pressures on military people.  But then, there are also pressures on civilians.

Jesus compared two men.  The one man built his house on a foundation, the other built his house on the sand.

The storms came, and the winds blew and beat against those houses, and the house with the foundation remained.  The house on the sand came crashing down.

Jesus said if you hear his sayings and do them, you're like the man with the house on the foundation.

The storms of life come to all.  But if you have a foundation on Jesus' words, you'll be OK.

A red letter edition of the Bible is helpful because the words of Jesus are printed in red ink (with the other words in black ink).

Sometimes, things that happen in the natural, visible world have their origins in the invisible, spirit world.

There are no doubt those who don't believe in a "spirit world."  But we know there are such things as angels and demons from the Bible.  Angels have been messengers to various people down through history.

An angel appeared to the parents of the very muscular Sampson, a Judge of Israel, before he was born. (Book of Judges)  But most of the time, angels are invisible.

Demons are fallen angels who rebelled against God when Satan did.

We believe in atoms, don't we, even though we can't see atoms?  If there are no atoms, then how could there be the atom bombs that pretty much destroyed the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Two?

There's a lot of talk lately about preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons.  But how could there be nuclear weapons if there are no atoms?

Generally speaking, suicide has its origin in the spirit world.

God arranged that Rev. Howard Pittman be taught by an angel about the spirit world.

Pittman, of Foxworth, MS,  had a serious health problem that would likely have killed him.  His spirit actually left his body.  Pittman said, "When my spirit left my body, I crossed a dimensional barrier."  He crossed from the natural world into the spirit world.

God healed Pittman, and he came back to teach for several more years.

In addition to our natural, three-dimensional world, there's at least one more dimension, the unseen, spirit world.  But God can open someone's eyes to see into the spirit world, as he did with Kenneth E. Hagin, as I've mentioned before.

Pittman has revealed that demons are specialists, not general practitioners.  That is, the demon that tempts someone to rob a bank is not the same demon that tempts people to commit adultery.

There are demons that go around tempting people to commit suicide.  One approached me a while back, and I commanded him to go in Jesus' name.

I didn't see him, but I was aware that a thought of suicide was being presented to me.

Chapter 2

Someone might ask, "Is it sin to commit suicide?"

If you want to go to heaven, Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John chapter 3)

If you don't care about going to heaven, it's no doubt because you are not aware that the alternative is a fiery hell, where there's crying and gnashing of teeth, and where their worms won't die, as Jesus said in the first four books of the New Testament.

You get born again according to Romans 10:9,10.  "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you're saved.  For with the heart man believes for righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made for salvation."

And Jesus told his followers, "He that endures to the end shall be saved." (Matt 10:22)

And, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life." (Rev 2:10)

Suicide is not the will of God, because that person would not be enduring to the end, nor being faithful until death, if they commit suicide.  It means faithful until natural death, not death at your own hand.

We are told to "Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you." (Jas 4:7)

When the demon of suicide comes to tempt someone to commit suicide, they should resist.

But those who are not Christians (which is the majority of people), probably haven't heard that they should do that.  Nor do they have the right to use Jesus' name to command that demon to go, if they're not Christians.

The Christian should command demons to go in Jesus' name.

Odierno spoke of trying to get them (those who might have a tendency toward suicide) "the proper help."  And what is the proper help?

Is Odierno also a priest?  But if he were a priest, wouldn't he be part of the Army Chaplain's Corps rather than Army Chief of Staff?

So, apparently he's not a priest.  Why does this matter?  Because the suicide problem is spiritual in nature.

But when we speak of priests, it matters, too, which religion the priest is of.  Muslim clergymen, for example, would not be so good in dealing with the suicide problem since Muslims have no authority over demons.

Our authority, as Christians, over demons comes from Jesus in Luke 10:19, and in Mark 16:17,18.  But when Jesus gave his followers that authority, it's not for Muslims.  They are not Christian, and in fact, don't even know that Jesus is the Son of God.

Muslims say that Jesus was a good man, and a prophet, but not the Son of God.  That statement is incorrect.  Jesus is the Son of God.

Am I suggesting that Odierno was insincere when he spoke of getting them the right help?  No, I believe he spoke sincerely, but since he's not a Christian priest, I believe he's a little short in the knowledge department regarding what kind of help is needed for military personnel with suicidal tendencies.

As a graduate of West Point, the Army's military academy,  Odierno would no doubt be able to give a good answer to a question about some hypothetical battlefield situation.

But when we get into the area of suicide, I think he's somewhat lacking in qualifications.

He would probably think that the right help is counseling.  Spending time with Psychologists or Psychiatrists.

But wait, wasn't Major Hasan an Army Psychologist?  And didn't the Army provide his education so that he could hold that position?  And didn't he proceed to become the perpetrator of the Fort Hood massacre, and a mass murderer?  Yes, and Hasan also happened to be a Muslim.

So it rather looks like the Army's Psychology program is rather dysfunctional.  Nor do I suspect the other branches of the U.S. Military are doing very much better, and I've served in both the Army and Navy, and was in Air Force R.O.T.C. in college.

Dr. Norvel Hayes, a Teacher, spoke of a Psychologist or Psychiatrist who said, "I've learned that there are such things as demons."

The man had apparently been in that profession for a while before discovering demons, and I'm glad he made that discovery.

But I'm quite sure there are many other Psychologists and Psychiatrists that haven't discovered demons.

Wouldn't it be rather difficult to deal with demons if you are not aware of their existence?  Yes, of course.

When students preparing for the fields of Psychology and Psychiatry are studying for those future vocations, is one of their college textbooks the Holy Bible?  I don't think so.

Which of their professors would give them an assignment of some chapters to study in the Bible for the upcoming quiz, the grade for which will affect their grade point averages?

But if the Bible is not a textbook for those vocations, then how will those professionals be properly prepared to deal with demons?

And if those professors are not giving study assignments in the Bible, how are those professors qualified to teach those vocations?

You're not qualified to deal with demons if you have no knowledge of the Bible, and if you're not a Christian.

Odierno may think, "Who better to deal with those who might have suicidal tendencies than the Psychologist and Psychiatrists?"

I'll tell you who, a born-again Christian Priest, with the Baptism with the Holy Ghost and the speaking in unknown tongues, who lays hands on the sick and they recover, and who casts demons out of people.  That's who, Mr. General, sir.

Of course, that might be a rather rare breed, but Jesus did say, "Seek and you'll find."

In Navy boot camp, I was chosen, on the basis of my test scores, to be my company's Recruit Chief Petty Officer, under the company commander, Chief Machinist's Mate Seely.

One night, after lights out, MMC Seely wasn't around, but one of us recruits, Seaman Recruit Alejandro, as I recall, had a seizure.  The lights came on, and the matter came to my attention.

Apparently, Alejandro had had problems prior to entering the Navy.  I didn't know much about Epilepsy, nor about demons back then at age seventeen, but I went to Alejandro, as he was having the seizure.

As I massaged his hand, I kept repeating to him, "Relax, relax, relax."

God helped us at that time, and Alejandro came out of it.  When the Medics arrived, he was pretty much back to normal.

But on a later occasion, Alejandro had another seizure, this time, during the day.  A Navy Lieutenant who was present tried to administer some help.

Should I have approached the Lieutenant and said that I could probably handle the situation better than he could?  I expect that would probably not have been well received, a Seaman Recruit telling the Officer that the recruit knew best.

Alejandro did not survive that incident, he passed away.  How could it be known ahead of time that the Lieutenant would not succeed?

Perhaps the Navy should have been more careful about who it would accept into the Navy.  An Epileptic is not the best candidate for military service.

But again, epilepsy has its roots in the spirit world, and there are demons of epilepsy that need to be cast out.

I believe it was Dr. Lester Sumral, of LESEA Broadcasting, who said the deaf and dumb spirit is one of the easier demons to cast out, while the spirit of epilepsy is one of the more difficult to cast out.  Perhaps the epilepsy spirit is one of those requiring prayer and fasting to cast out.

Scriptures quoted are from the Holy Bible, Hoehn Version and the New Testament, Hoehn Version, both available as ebooks for the Kindle reader at Amazon.com

The Lord bless you.  Frederick Hoehn.

www.FredHoehnMinistries.com

___James chapter 1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes that are dispersed around, greetings.

2 My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations,

3 Knowing this, that the testing of your faith works patience.

4 But let patience have its perfect work, so you'll be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives to all men liberally, and won't find fault, and it shall be given to him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.  For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

7 For let that man not think that he'll receive anything from the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted,

10 But the rich, in that he is made low, because as the flower of the grass he'll pass away.

11 For the sun has no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withers the grass, and the flower of it falls, and the grace of the fashion of it perishes, so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

12 Blessed is the man that endures temptation, for after he's been tested, he'll receive the crown of life, that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

13 Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God," for God can't be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt any man,

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it produces sin, and sin when it's finished, produces death.

16 Do not err, my beloved brothers.

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, nor shadow of turning.

18 He chose to father us with the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 So, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,

20 For the anger of man doesn't accomplish the righteousness of God.

21 So, lay apart all filthiness and the unnecessary naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man seeing his natural face in a mirror,

24 For he sees himself, and goes his way, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

25 But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues in it, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

26 If any man among you seems to be religious, and doesn't bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is for nothing.

27 Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

___James chapter 2

1 My brothers, don't have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

2 For if a man with a gold ring comes to your assembly in fancy clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes comes in also,

3 And you have respect to him that wears the fancy clothes, and say to him, "Sit here in a good place," and say to the poor, "Stand there, or sit here under my footstool,"

4 Aren't you then partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?

5 Listen, my beloved brothers, hasn't God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him?

6 But you have despised the poor.  Don't rich men oppress you, and bring you before the judgment seats?

7 Don't they blaspheme that worthy name by which you're called?

8 If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor like yourself," you do well,

9 But if you have respect of persons, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as sinners.

10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

11 For he that said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not kill."  Now if you don't commit adultery, yet if you kill, you've become a breaker of the law.

12 Speak in such a way, and do, as those who'll be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy, and mercy rejoices against judgment.

14 What does it profit, my brothers, though a man says he has faith, and doesn't have works?  Can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister needs clothes, and lacks daily food,

16 And one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you don't give them the things that are needed for the body, what good is that?

17 Even so faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead, being alone.

18 Yes, a man could say, "You have faith, and I have works, show me your faith without your works, and I'll show you my faith by my works."

19 You believe that there is one God, you do well, the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But don't you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see how faith worked with his deeds, and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God."

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also wasn't Rahab the prostitute justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For like the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

___James chapter 3

1 My brothers, don't be many masters, knowing that we'll receive the greater condemnation.

2 For in many things we offend all.  If any man doesn't offend in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.

3 See, we put bits in the horses' mouths, so they'll obey us, and we turn around their whole bodies.

4 Look also at the ships, which though they're so large, and are driven by fierce winds, yet they're turned around by a very small helm, wherever the captain wants.

5 Even so, the tongue is a little member, and boasts great things.  See how great a matter a little fire kindles!

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of sin, so is the tongue among our members that it makes dirty the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and it is set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of animals, and of birds, and of snakes, and of things in the sea, gets tamed, and has been tamed by mankind,

8 But no man can tame the tongue, it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless God, the Father, and with it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God.

10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing.  My brothers, these things ought not to be.

11 Does a fountain send out at the same place sweet water and bitter?

12 Can the fig tree, my brothers, produce olive berries?  Or a vine, figs?  So no fountain can yield both salt water and fresh.

13 Who is a wise man, possessing knowledge among you?  Let him show out of a good lifestyle his works with meekness of wisdom.

14 But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, don't glory, and don't lie against the truth.

15 This wisdom doesn't descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be reasoned with, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

18 And the fruit of righteousness is planted in peace by those who make peace.

___James chapter 4

1 Where do wars and fightings among you come from?  Don't they come from your lusts that war in your members?

2 You lust, and don't have, you kill, and desire to have, and can't obtain, you fight and war, yet you don't have, because you don't ask.

3 You ask, and don't receive, because you ask wrongly, so you can consume it on your lusts.

4 You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?  Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world is an enemy of God.

5 Do you think that the scripture says for nothing, "The spirit that lives in us lusts to envy?"

6 But he gives more grace.  So he says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he'll run away from you.

8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double minded.

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and cry, let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he'll lift you up.

11 Don't speak evil about each other, brothers.  He that speaks evil about his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil about the law, and judges the law, but if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy, who are you that judges someone else?

13 Go on now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we'll go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and make a profit,"

14 Actually, you don't know what will happen tomorrow.  For what is your life?  It is a puff of steam, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.

15 For you ought to say, "Lord willing, we'll live, and do this, or that."

16 But now you rejoice in your boastings, all such rejoicing is evil.

17 Therefore to him that knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

___James chapter 5

1 Go on now, you rich men, cry and howl for your miseries that shall come on you.

2 Your riches are corrupted, and your clothes are moth eaten.

3 Your gold and silver are rusted, and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh like fire.  You've heaped treasure together for the last days.

4 See, the wages of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which you've kept back by fraud, shouts, and the shouts of those who've reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath.

5 You've lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton, you've nourished your hearts, like in a day of slaughter.

6 You've condemned and killed the just, and he doesn't resist you.

7 Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.  See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

8 You also be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is getting near.

9 Don't grudge against each other, brothers, so you won't be condemned, see, the judge stands at the door.

10 Take, my brothers, the prophets, who've spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

11 See, we count them happy that endure.  You've heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

12 But above all things, my brothers, don't swear, not by heaven, nor by the earth, nor by any other oath, but let your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you don't fall into condemnation.

13 Is anyone among you afflicted?  Let him pray.  Is anyone merry?  Let him sing psalms.

14 Is anyone sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he'll be forgiven.

16 Confess your faults to each other, and pray for each other so you'll be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man is does a lot of good.

17 Elijah was a man subject to the same kind of passions that we are, and he prayed earnestly that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't rain on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

19 Brothers, if any of you strays from the truth, and someone converts him,

20 Let him know, that he that converts the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.