Last week, the Army announced that 128 soldiers committed suicide in 2008. Both the absolute number and the rate -- 20.2 per 100,000 -- were the highest in decades.
For the first time since the Vietnam War, that rate matched the civilian level, after adjusting for age and sex, the Army's data showed.
The 2008 figures -- which already represent the fourth consecutive year of growth -- could go even higher after investigations are completed in 15 additional deaths.
And January figures suggest the rate is accelerating. The Army has confirmed seven suicides last month and is investigating 17 additional suspicious deaths.
The final count is expected to surpass the number of combat deaths in January, which reached 16 among all branches of the military.
Although officials said 15-month deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan play a role in the suicide increase, they do not appear to be the whole story. Only about a quarter of the suicides took place in the war zones.
The Army's vice chief of staff has promised "to move quickly to do everything we can to reverse the very disturbing number of suicides we have."
Last year, civilian mental health officials warned of a "gathering storm" of suicides among returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
Several studies have indicated that fewer than half of active-duty soldiers and veterans with serious psychiatric conditions seek help from the military or the VA. (See APA: Suicide Among Vets Could 'Trump' Combat Deaths)
The Army itself has admitted that its culture tends to stigmatize personnel who seek mental health treatment.
Later this month, it will begin a month-long "stand-down" during which soldiers will receive training for peer-level recognition of behaviors that may lead to suicidal behavior, along with intervention at the buddy level.
It will be followed by a chain-teaching program focused on suicide prevention, scheduled to take place through mid-June.