Among the casualties of war, the public rarely hears about those who die by suicide. But according to a new Army report, 99 U.S. soldiers killed themselves last year — the highest rate of suicide in the Army in 26 years. Nearly a third of the soldiers committed suicide while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

That an increasing number of our troops find themselves in such despair that they are willing to take their own lives is a failure on the part of our government. Multiple deployments, as well as extended tours of duty, are simply stretching our troops too thin — physically and mentally.

For its part, the Department of Veterans Affairs launched a 24-hour suicide hot line. Congress also approved a bill to boost outreach to troops coming home with brain injuries and mental health issues.

But there is still much more work to be done: more federal funding for VA hospitals, increased staff for mental health services — and accountability.

The report blames the suicides on failed relationships and legal, occupational and financial problems.

It's as if the horrific images of war and its toll on humans have become so commonplace that military psychiatrists fail to see the obvious. "Very often a young soldier gets a 'Dear John' or 'Dear Jane' e-mail and then takes his weapon and shoots himself," said Col. Elspeth Ritchie, psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, during a Pentagon news conference.

Or maybe the soldier has been in Iraq for more than the usual 12 months, and is now on a third tour of duty. Maybe that soldier has witnessed the deaths and injuries of friends and strangers. Perhaps all of the above have led to post-traumatic stress disorder that has been left untreated.

These are the brutal realities of this war. To blame personal problems for suicides without acknowledging this basic fact dishonors these troops and does a disservice to those who might be saved from sharing the same tragic fate.