Suicide rates among veterans have been notoriously difficult to prevent or pin down.

But two recent reports indicate veterans take their own lives twice as often as do civilians. One of these reports, presented by CBS News based on an analysis by a University of Georgia epidemiologist, has been controversial. It stated that in 2005 alone, 6,256 military suicides occurred.

Paul Quinnett, CEO of QPR Institute in Spokane, which offers suicide prevention training all over the country, says the statistics are hard to collect because not all veterans seek help from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans who die homeless often aren’t identified in medical examiners’ reports as having served in the military.

Quinnett points to a study by Mark Kaplan, of Portland State University, which concluded veterans were twice as likely as the general population to commit suicide. He rejects the idea that the military might attract men and women more prone to take their own lives.

Service members, who are screened for their physical and psychological soundness before they enter the military, are actually less likely to be emotionally unhealthy, Quinnett says. Instead, it’s the high alertness, agitation and exposure to violence and death in combat that harm service members’ psyches.

Like soldiers, police officers also experience higher suicide rates than the rest of the population.

“They’re the ones who really experience the awfulness of the human condition,” Quinnett says.

Fortunately, new federal legislation named for Joshua Omvig, a 22-year-old soldier who killed himself after serving in Iraq, has been signed into law. It calls on the federal government to develop comprehensive programs aimed at reducing suicides among veterans.

Quinnett warns that simply adding an 800-number hotline won’t be enough. Solders are trained to be superhuman fortresses. It’s not realistic to think they’re likely to call for help after they leave the service.

But the Air Force has been effective in getting the message out that it’s an act of courage to seek treatment. And Quinnett also recommends innovations such as telephone outreach, peer-to-peer counseling and annual screenings to help fight the isolation and depression that veterans can experience after they return home.

Americans must realize that even the word “sacrifice” doesn’t begin to encompass the price combat veterans must sometimes pay for their dedication to this country’s service.