WASHINGTON

Nearly 500 American service members took their own lives in 2019, according to a Pentagon report Thursday. 

The Second Annual Suicide Report revealed 344 active component, 65 Reserve and 89 National Guard members died by suicide in 2019.

Among active component service members, 142 were from the Army, 83 from the Air Force, 72 from the Navy and 47 from the Marine Corps.

Those figures compare to a total of 543 service members who took their own lives in 2018.

"Suicide rates in civilian populations are rising, and the military community is not immune to these challenges," said Dr. Karin Orvis, director of the Defense Suicide Prevention Office.

"We are implementing a comprehensive public health approach to suicide prevention that also targets our military population of greatest concern – young and enlisted members – while continuing to support our military families," he added./aa