REPORT In March no U.S. troops died in combat, the first time in over a decade

According to Think Progress, March 2014 marked the first time in over a decade that zero U.S. fatalities among American troops engaged in conflict were recorded. These findings were based on numbers provided by the Department of Defense.

NBC News reports that this was only the 3rd month since the conflict in Afghanistan began more than 12 years ago that no U.S. service members perished in combat in any theater of “Operation Enduring Freedom.” Two coalition soldiers lost their lives in March, but both were considered non-combative casualties.

President Obama has ordered the Pentagon to move forward with an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

While this news is encouraging, a report via USA Today in early March highlighted the increasing rates of suicides for soldiers who have served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. From 2004-2009 the number of American servicemen and women that served in those conflicts who took their own lives doubled.