Washington ( CNN ) -- More U.S. soldiers killed themselves last month than in recent Army history , according to Army statistics released Thursday , confounding officials trying to reverse the grim trend . The statistics show that 32 soldiers killed themselves in June , the highest number in a single month since the Vietnam era . Twenty-one of them were on active duty , while 11 were in the National Guard or Army Reserve in an inactive status . Seven of those soldiers killed themselves while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan , according to the Army numbers . The spike comes after the monthly suicide numbers had dropped following a January high of 28 , and Army officials admit they still have n't answered the question of why troops are committing suicide at a record rate . `` There were no trends to any one unit , camp , post or station , '' said Col. Chris Philbrick , head of the Army 's suicide prevention task force . `` I have no silver bullet to answer the question why . '' He said he could offer only what he has said before : `` Continued stress on the force and the opportunities we have been facing in terms of the challenges in the Army continue to cause these events to take place . '' Including the June numbers , 145 soldiers have killed themselves this year , more than half of the total number for all of 2009 , according to Army statistics . In 2009 , a record-breaking year for suicides in the service , 245 soldiers killed themselves . In another attempt to put a halt to the trend , the Army released a suicide prevention video , a follow-up to one released last year . The updated video is designed to `` hit home '' with soldiers and instill the importance of getting help , Philbrick said . The video , titled `` Shoulder to Shoulder : I Will Never Quit , '' begins with the compelling story of a soldier whose wife said she was divorcing him . The soldier , Spc . Joseph Sanders , says his wife was his whole world . `` I grabbed my rifle , put it under my chin and pulled the trigger , '' Sanders says . The gun did not fire , he says , and when he took the rifle apart he discovered that a key part was missing . His Army buddy then tells viewers he removed the part because Sanders was showing signs that he could kill himself . Asked why the Army thinks this video will be more effective than the first one , Philbrick said the soldiers will relate to it better . Watch the video on the Army 's Suicide Prevention website . The first video , made up of a mix of actors and real soldiers , `` sucked , '' he said . It was rushed out , and troops did not believe in it . He said some even openly laughed at it . `` This video has all real soldiers with real stories , '' Philbrick said . The video is part of a series of efforts to cut the suicide rate . Last year , the Army required all soldiers around the world to stop working and spend a day watching the first video and receiving suicide prevention training . Philbrick said the alarming June numbers will not bring another Army-wide training day , called a stand-down . He said the new video will be incorporated immediately into the standard suicide prevention training for new troops and the yearly training all soldiers go through .
The 32 Army deaths in June were the highest number since the Vietnam era . Monthly numbers had been dropping from 25 in January . The Army has released a more compelling suicide - bombing video . The video ` ` has all real people with real stories , '' officer " .