Obama hopes to help 'destigmatize the mental health costs of war,' an official said. | AP Photo Obama to recognize military suicides

Reversing a longstanding policy, President Barack Obama said Wednesday he will begin sending condolence letters to the families of members of the armed services who commit suicide while in combat zones because those troops have “served our nation bravely.”

Obama had been weighing a change in policy since December 2009 and had been urged to make the change by members of Congress and relatives of soldiers who have killed themselves. It goes into effect this week for any military suicides that take place in Iraq, Afghanistan or other combat zones.


“This decision was made after a difficult and exhaustive review of the former policy, and I did not make it lightly,” Obama said in a statement. “This issue is emotional, painful and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely. They didn’t die because they were weak.”

It is long-standing practice of the president to send condolence letters to the families of those who are killed in the line of duty.

Obama’s announcement came after White House officials confirmed the policy change late Tuesday.

“The president feels strongly that we need to destigmatize the mental health costs of war to prevent these tragic deaths, and changing this policy is part of that process,” a senior White House official said in a statement to POLITICO ahead of the president’s comments.

The change is part of the Obama administration’s broader efforts to improve mental health services for members of the military.

“As commander in chief, I am deeply grateful for the service of all our men and women in uniform and grieve for the loss of those who suffer from the wounds of war — seen and unseen,” Obama said in his statement. “Since taking office, I’ve been committed to removing the stigma associated with the unseen wounds of war, which is why I’ve worked to expand our mental health budgets and ensure that all our men and women in uniform receive the care they need.”

“The fact that they didn’t get the help they needed must change,” he added. “Our men and women in uniform have borne the incredible burden of our wars, and we need to do everything in our power to honor their service and to help them stay strong for themselves, for their families and for our nation.”

In fiscal 2009, 160 members of the Army committed suicide, and 1,713 suicide attempts were reported. Between 2005 and 2009, 22.8 percent of Army suicides took place in combat zones. Across all the armed forces, more than 1,100 service members committed suicide in that same five-year period.

This spring, a group of 11 senators wrote to the president to ask for a change to the “insensitive” practice of not sending condolence letters.

“Unfortunately, perpetuating a policy that denies condolence letters to families of service members who die by suicide only serves to reinforce this stigma by overshadowing the contributions of an individual’s life with the unfortunate nature of his or her death,” wrote the senators, 10 Democrats and one Republican, Richard Burr of North Carolina. “It is simply unacceptable for the United States to be sending the message to these families that somehow their loved ones’ sacrifices are less important.”

In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who co-chairs the Military Family Caucus with Burr, said the president’s letters “will honor the sacrifice of our nation’s service men and women and their families and do a great deal to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health treatment that prevents so many from seeking the care they need.”

CBS News first reported the policy shift, citing Gregg Keesling, the father of an Army specialist who committed suicide in combat two years ago, who has been asking for a letter since his son's suicide.

“He was a good soldier, and that’s the part that I want to know — that the country appreciates that he fought; he did everything that he was asked to do,” Keesling said of his son, Chance Keesling, who was in Iraq when he took his own life.

“It didn’t turn out well for him, but at least this country could write a simple letter and that president represents our country and just say thank you for our son’s service,” Keesling added.

Keesling said he’s been told that he’ll get recognition from the White House, though not an official condolence letter since the policy is not being implemented retroactively.