Nowhere Near Normal Marine Infantry, Gun Crews, with 13 Suicides, Or 23.2% of the Service’S Total
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NCAA MILITARY FACES Tech companies, Navy cancels Chesney, JoJo and like college athletes, E-4 advancement teen romances new eager to cash in exams this cycle to stream this week Back page Page 3 Page 16 Online: Get the latest news on the virus outbreak » stripes.com/coronavirus stripes.com Volume 79, No. 8 ©SS 2020 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2020 50¢/Free to Deployed Areas CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK Report lists military jobs with highest suicide rates BY SETH ROBSON Stars and Stripes Army and Marine Corps in- fantry and gun crews, Air Force service and supply handlers and Navy electricians or mechan- ics are among the military jobs that had the highest numbers of suicides in 2018, according to an analysis released Monday. The Department of Defense Suicide Event Report presents data collected by the services about suicides and suicide at- tempts among service members during the 2018 calendar year. “There were 325 deaths by suicide identified among active- component service members,” the report states. The data included 139 suicides in the Army, 60 in the Air Force, 68 in the Navy and 58 in the Marine Corps, according to the report. The military jobs that had the highest number of suicides in each service in 2018 were: Army infantry, gun crews, with 40 suicides, or 37.4% of the service’s total. Nowhere near normal Marine infantry, gun crews, with 13 suicides, or 23.2% of the service’s total. Navy electrical/mechani- cal equipment repairers, with 13 The US reopening is coming, and it will be anything but routine suicides, or 19.4% of the service’s total. BY SARAH DILORENZO plans emerging in many states indicate From the beginning, the pandemic Air Force service and sup- Associated Press that “normal” is still a long way off. forced impossible choices: physical health ply handlers, with 10 suicides, or White House adviser Dr. Deborah Birx or mental health? Economic well-being 20.8% of the service’s total. NEW YORK says social distancing will be with Ameri- or medical safety? Most states joined the “The suicide mortality rate was veryone wants to know: When, oh cans through the summer. Louisiana Gov. world and turned the dial down hard, clos- 24.8 deaths per 100,000 popula- when, will it go back to normal? ing shops and restaurants, factories and tion,” wrote analysts with the As some governors across the John Bel Edwards warns of a “different schools. Asking people to largely keep to DOD Psychological Health Cen- United States begin to ease re- way of life” until there is a widely available E their homes. Now, the dial is beginning to ter of Excellence who authored strictions imposed to stop the spread of the vaccine — maybe not until next year. New inch in the opposite direction. the report. coronavirus, hopes are soaring that life as York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says: “There is The suicide rate for reservists Americans knew it might be returning. But no return to yesterday in life.” SEE NORMAL ON PAGE 7 was 22.9 deaths per 100,000 while the rate for the National Guard was 30.6 per 100,000, the report Pedestrians and motorists wear personal protective equipment as they pass a small grocery that is one of the few businesses states. open on the street in New York on Monday. The plans emerging in many states indicate that “normal” is still a long way off. That compares with a suicide JOHN MINCHILLO/AP rate for American adults ages SEE SUICIDES ON PAGE 4 PAGE 2 F3HIJKLM •STARS AND STRIPES• Wednesday, April 29, 2020 BUSINESS/WEATHER EXCHANGE RATES Reduced meat selection, higher prices expected Military rates Switzerland (Franc) ............................... 0.9743 Euro costs (April 29) ..........................$1.060 Thailand (Baht) ......................................... 32.44 Dollar buys (April 29) .......................€0.8955 Turkey (Lira) ............................................ 6.9980 Associated Press shortages. plants account for 60 percent of British pound (April 29) .......................$1.22 (Military exchange rates are those available to customers at military banking COVID-19, the disease caused all pork processed, so when even Japanese yen (April 29) .....................105.00 DES MOINES, Iowa — Meat South Korean won (April 29) .........1,196.00 facilities in the country of issuance by the virus, has infected hun- one of those plants closes for days Commercial rates for Japan, South Korea, Germany, the isn’t going to disappear from su- Bahrain (Dinar) ...................................... 0.3777 Netherlands and the United Kingdom. For permarkets because of outbreaks dreds of workers at meat-process- or weeks, the consequences ripple British pound ........................................ $1.2452 nonlocal currency exchange rates (i.e., ing plants and forced some of the across the industry. Canada (Dollar) ...................................... 1.3968 purchasing British pounds in Germany), of the coronavirus among work- China (Yuan) ............................................ 7.0760 check with your local military banking largest to close and others to slow Nationally, although the re- facility. Commercial rates are interbank ers at U.S. slaughterhouses. But Denmark (Krone) ................................... 6.8768 rates provided for reference when buying as the meat plants struggle to re- production. While the output at duced meat supply is expected to Egypt (Pound)....................................... 15.7505 currency. All figures are foreign currencies beef and poultry plants has dimin- cause consumer prices to rise, ex- Euro ............................................ $1.0844/0.9222 to one dollar, except for the British pound, main open, consumers could face Hong Kong (Dollar) ................................ 7.7503 which is represented in dollars-to-pound, less selection and slightly higher ished, pork plants in the Midwest pectations are that the increases Hungary (Forint) ..................................... 329.71 and the euro, which is dollars-to-euro.) Israel (Shekel) ........................................ 3.5007 prices. have been hit especially hard. The will be slight. The U.S. Depart- Japan (Yen)............................................... 106.75 Industry leaders acknowledge viral outbreaks have persisted de- ment of Agriculture said late last Kuwait (Dinar) ........................................ 0.3097 INTEREST RATES Norway (Krone) ................................... 10.3957 that the U.S. food chain has rarely spite efforts by the meat compa- week that it expects beef prices Philippines (Peso) .................................... 50.63 Prime rate ................................................3.25 been so stressed and that no one nies to keep workers at home with to climb 1% to 2% this year, poul- Poland (Zloty) .............................................. 4.19 Discount rate ..........................................0.25 Saudi Arabia (Riyal) .............................. 3.7595 Federal funds market rate ...................0.05 is sure about the future, even as pay if they become sick. try as much as 1.5% and pork be- Singapore (Dollar).................................. 1.4177 3-month bill ............................................. 0.12 they try to dispel concerns about The 15 largest pork-packing tween 2% and 3%. South Korea (Won) ............................ 1,219.53 30-year bond ...........................................1.25 WEATHER OUTLOOK WEDNESDAY IN THE MIDDLE EAST WEDNESDAY IN EUROPE THURSDAY IN THE PACIFIC Misawa 54/41 Kabul 71/51 Seoul 69/45 Baghdad 79/65 Kandahar 94/62 Osan Tokyo Mildenhall/ Drawsko 70/45 63/54 Lakenheath Pomorskie Busan 53/41 49/43 63/48 Iwakuni 61/54 Kuwait Bahrain Zagan Sasebo City 84/77 Brussels 60/55 Guam 83/72 62/50 Ramstein 65/50 83/79 Lajes, 56/50 Riyadh Doha Azores Stuttgart Pápa 96/75 95/71 63/59 5750 62/55 Aviano/ Vicenza 59/52 Naples 64/59 Okinawa Morón 73/70 71/50 Sigonella Rota 67/51 The weather is provided by the Djibouti Souda Bay American Forces Network Weather Center, 90/82 64/51 66/58 2nd Weather Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. T O D A Y IN STRIPES American Roundup ..... 15 Classified .................. 13 Comics ...................... 17 Crossword ................. 17 Faces ........................ 16 Opinion ................ 18-19 Sports ...................21-24 Wednesday, April 29, 2020 •STARS AND STRIPES• F3HIJKLM PAGE 3 MILITARY Navy scraps E-4 advancement exams this cycle BY JOSHUA KARSTEN groups aboard ships or in packed gymnasi- averages rank-based annual evaluation will be conducted in May in small enough Stars and Stripes ums, where social distancing can’t be en- scores and counts for 72% of the calcula- groups to maintain social distancing mea- forced, the statement said Monday. tion. Other factors include awards, previ- sures, the statement said. Sailors looking to tack on their petty offi- About 20,000 sailors are eligible for ad- ous pass-but-not-advance points, time in “Our primary goal continues to be keep- cer crows this cycle won’t be taking an ad- vancement from E-3 to E-4, the Navy said. rank and education. The Navy also direct- ing all Sailors safe and healthy, while en- vancement test, following a decision by the The Navy “has determined that it is in ed sailors to ensure their enlisted advance- suring every advancement candidate has Navy to scrap the exams as a coronavirus the best interest and safety of our Sailors ment worksheets are accurate and up to an equal and fair opportunity to advance prevention measure. to not administer the E-4 exam,” senior date — 35,000 of them are not, the state- The Navy will