The suicide rate in the U.S. Army is the highest it has been in 26 years, hitting a rate of 17.3 suicides per 100,000 soldiers in 2006, the Associated Press reported Aug. 15.

Among active-duty soldiers, 99 suicides were reported last year, up from 88 in 2005; 28 of the soldiers who killed themselves were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan.

An Army report said that job-related stress, legal and financial problems, and failed personal relationships -- sometimes caused by long overseas deployments -- were factors in the suicides.

"There was a significant relationship between suicide attempts and number of days deployed," the report said.

Many of those who committed suicide had a prior history of mental illness, including post-traumatic stress disorder.