And I'm not talking History Channel Heroics
here, I'm talking about about some of the dumb ways people you served around tried to off themselves. Not just the run of the mill hanging
or gunshot etc. These are a few of the memorable unique attempted methods I remember that were attempted at various duty stations to which I had been assigned.

In boot camp Parris Island- two recruits locked themselves in the supply closet and drank a few bottles of ALL laundry detergent. FAILED-very sick sent home as psychos.

While on ship- the USS Belleau Wood- a Navy cook tried to run across the flight deck and throw himself into the rotors of a CH-53 after calling his wife and having a man answer. This was after he tried to go overboard earlier. FAILED- tackled by refueling crew; tossed into the brig.

Camp Pendleton - A Marine puts his sleeping bag on the railroad tracks and takes a nap. Successful-this was investigated as it was very suspicious and considered unlikely but eventually ruled suicide.

In Okinawa a Marine attempted to O.D. on some type of Mr. Muscle weight gainer pills. FAILED
becomes laughing stock and sent home as a psycho.

While temp. assigned as ammo dump guard armorer: (not a suicide attempt;just dumb) An ammo-tech made a bet with a co-worker that eating a ball of C-4
would not have any harmful effects. He chowed down and soon began having convulsions and started doing the funky chicken. He was picked up by helicopter and taken to the hospital. Both techs involved ended up in all sorts of trouble and eventually signs stating "NO EATING ALLOWED IN THE AMMO SUPPLY DEPOT" took on new meaning.

i guess you really dont need a gun to commit suicide
doesnt HCI know that people are creative enough to figure out other ways ?

Camp Lejeune,(2000)
Marine bites on blasting cap. FAILS. Still alive, no lower jaw, blind.

USS Inchon (1987) Marine drinks liquid draino.
Fails. Still alive, no plumbing. Last I heard, still in care @ Bethesda.

Quantico Va. (1994)
Marine shoots self in chin w/ 12 GA. Fails...for 72 Hrs. Can't get help, and slowly bleeds to death. Found in Barracks room on Mon night. Shot was heard(and not reported)on Fri.

And the worst.

Reno (2001)
Washed out 26 y/o (failed physical) shoots self in cabin. Succeded. Failed physical for blood test. Test results switched at testing facility. Kid did NOT have HIV.

Or the one posted here a few months ago where a guy was found dead and had been stabbed 26 (or was it 43?) times and the military labeled it a scuicide.

Goodbye cruel world!
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
*STAB* (ouch!) (hmm... didn't die...)
Ack! *thump*

Not.

Not intentional, but classic stupidity.  A few guys sneak a 6-pack on board, then proceed to close the airtight compartment door and chill it down with a CO2 extinguisher.  Found dead.

[red][size=4] P.R.K.

My dad told me that one guy while in boot camp put a bunch of razor blades in his mouth and jumped off one of the obsticles they had to climb. My dad said it was about 40 feet high. It did not kill him but gave himself 2 compound fractures in the legs. Needless to say the guy went away my dad never heard if the guy died or what.

Six

In basic, there were several fake suicide attempts. A guy in my squad went up to my Drill Sgt. & told the Sgt. that he had taken 2 bottles of Tylenol & he was trying to kill himself. The Sgt. told him that "you better hope that you really took the bill because if you didn't, I kill you myself!" One guy drink a bottle of Pinesol & went hide in the showers.

In my regular unit, a guy hung himself from his bunk. The bunk was lower that his neck. So, he had to hold his feet up. They were rolling his body out when we came back from a 8-mile battalion run. His leg was hanging out of the sheet & he was wearing striped socks. G.I. being very sensitive type, joked about did the guy kill himself because he didn't want to make the run or because all he had where striped socks (our Batt CO had a thing about only clean solid white socks for P.T.).

One guy wanted a medical discharge out. So, he landed with his legs straight while parachuting. He got his wish. He injured his hip so bad that he'll walk with a limp for the rest of his life.

DeMarcus,
We had a guy that wanted a medical also. Told us he would land with feet and knees apart. Broke both legs. Jammed femur so far into hip that the pelvic bone shattered and couldn't be repaired right. After staying at the Martin forever, he had to come back to the company while his paperwork cleared for Medical Dis. 1st Sergeant found out about the on purpose and gave him CQ every other day.

Ft. Jackson.  1984 Trainee squats down in fighting postion at range places mouth over flash suppressor and immediatly ingests 1 round 5.56 FMJ. Range safety standing 6 feet away reports pink vapor erupting from firing postion attracting his attention.  Successful.

Ft. Jackson 1986 (7?).  Trainee drinks a can of Brasso and runs around the barraks wearing his bed sheet like a cape.  Unsuccessful -- Was refered to as super hero Cpt Brasso, until outprocessed as mental defective.

Ft. Jackson 1987 (8?). Trainee draws "disturbing" characatures of soldier killing himself in various ways.  Note pad is stratgeically left of CQ's desk while trainee pulled duty as CQ runner.  Trainee then postions himself in bathroom with razor (the 2 bladed type in the plastic case).  Waits for someone to approach, then "slashes" wrists.  Result: 2 "nasty" scratches (on the order of paper cuts).  Trainee observing suicidal gesture notifies Drill.  Drill observes substandard suicidal attempt deems trainee a No-Go at the station, provides remedeial training and offers trainee his Gerber folder for a retest.  Unsuccessful, Trainee declines retest and is outprocessed after mental evaluation.

Soon after this one, we had 2 copy cat gestures by less imaginative trainees in the same cycle.  Both were recycled, extending their stay in the BT environment.

Ft Benning. 1990  Trainee removes rope from shelter half kit.  Exits billets during the night, Fire guard does not adequately check bunks, so absensce is not reported.  Trainee sneaks to ravine behind billets.  Ties rope to 4 foot high branch and around his neck then sits down.  Despite his feet being on the ground and his butt inches from the ground trainee is successful and gets a go at the station.    

Note:  Trainee is not missed when unit fell in for PT, was not missed at breakfast.  2 other traineees on KP found the victim after stealing cigarettes from dining facility staff and sneaking to the ravine to smoke.
Happily, this was not in my Battalion.

 Old Maint. officer we had found out his wife was getting piped by his buddies.  Drove to Grande Coulee Dam ( the largest concrete dam by volume on earth) and jumped 200 feet into a 230,000volt switchyard.  Rescue was slow in coming to say the least.  This was a 90 minute trip from base.

Not a suicide, but a true story that had near legedary status at Benning for several years.

A LT in my OBC class was found dead, nude and duct taped face to face to an equally nude, and equally dead female civilian.

Female was the wife of an NCO from Benning.  Figured he did it.  Nope, he had an airtight alibi.  He was on TDY attending the SF course at Bragg.  Figured he had some else, maybe a buddy from SF do it.  No evidence to suggest he had any knowledge of his wifes activites or had contracted to have her killed.

Investigation drags on OBC Class graduates curiosity about our classmates fate unsatisfied.  Later I run into a civilian instructor from IOBC and ask if the case was ever resolved.

Turns out it was.  Continued investigation revealed the deceased LT was not the wifes only paramor.  Turns out another LT from my class was also bonein' her.  Turns out other LT was deceased LT's roommate.

LT roomate stops by for some Saturday Night Fever, finds his roomate in his "Sweetheart" and kills them both in a rage.

Must have been an amazing woman!