Think it doesn't happen here? Think again!

I read that “On August 3, Russian conscript Ivan Shinkaryov flipped the safety catch on his rifle and shot himself dead. It was sad but unremarkable: In Russia at least 1,000 conscripts die each year in non-combat incidents.”…. And, “In the past eight years, 17 of the recruits in Shinkaryov's Interior Ministry Troops unit no. 3377 have died. Most committed suicide, the rest were killed by fellow conscripts or died in firearms accidents and from beatings.

Accounts of life inside unit no. 3377 tell of bullying by older recruits -- a ritual known as "dedovshchina" -- sordid living conditions, psychologically disturbed conscripts and officers powerless to help. (see full article at: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0822-02.htm)

(My first thought on reading this opening: Wow! Is the author of this article really as cold as he sounds about other peoples’ pain? As a mother of a soldier, I can barely touch the edges of the hard knot of pain I experience with my kid exposed to horror and death in the so-called Global War on Terror … I can’t even get near the experience of how it would be to know – belatedly – that my kid had been carrying so much pain that the only way he could think to stop it was to kill himself.)

In 2004 I interviewed Natalia Zhukova, the head of the Soldiers’ Mothers Committee of Nizhnii Novgorod and a leading activist in a decade-long battle against rampant and brutal hazing in Russia’s armed forces.

At that time, Natalia had just received recognition from Human Rights Watch. They write “honoring Ms. Zhukova sends a signal that individuals can make a difference in fighting for basic human rights. In the Russian military, every year hundreds of thousands of new recruits face grossly abusive treatment at the hands of more senior conscripts. As a result, dozens die annually, and thousands sustain serious — and often permanent — damage to their physical and mental health. Hundreds commit or attempt suicide and thousands run away from their units. While the government stands by as hazing takes its toll, a powerful network of soldiers’ mothers’ groups has emerged throughout Russia that works tirelessly to end the abuses.

“Natalia Zhukova and her colleagues have heroically taken on the powerful Russian armed forces over their abysmal human rights record. … And they manage to save countless young Russian men from violence and possible death everyday.”

What excites me about Natalia’s stand, and that of thousands of mothers throughout Russia, is their unswerving dedication to their own sons and the sons of other mothers. These women have learned that only by standing together can they succeed – and succeed they have – in saving many of their children from the Russian military system. These women actually go onto the Russian military bases, stare down the officers, and retrieve their kids.

Yes, Russia has a conscript army. Yes, it is different over here in the U.S. where we have a so-called “volunteer” military. (In reality, however, this is “volunteer” for those who know their rights – or find them out in time to retract the volunteerism that could get them killed.) But, suicide amongst American military is not uncommon. Oh, how many times on a GI Rights Hotline call have I said, “Private (or Sergeant or other title), you just told me you are thinking of killing yourself. I need you to promise me that you will not do that. I need you to promise me that, if you get to the point of wanting to act on those thoughts, you will call the suicide prevention line – 1- 800- suicide.” The relief that I hear in their voices when they say, “I promise” can make a stone cry. Sound farfetched? It is not. Some of our kids are suffering in the military.

And we mothers must do more to relieve this suffering. It is not just for our own kids. It is for our community and our culture and the communities and cultures we affect. Let’s think deep and hard about who we want to be as people. And then act to end the pain.