FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- "It rips your heart out. It tears you up to see these suicides. It tears you up to see some of the pain that our soldiers and families are going through," said Peter Chiarelli, Army Vice Chief of Staff.

Army suicide rates are at the highest levels since the Army began keeping records in 1980. Last year alone, there were 133 confirmed suicides.

And the statistics have the Army's Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli concerned. Fort Drum was Chiarelli's last stop on an eight day tour of six military installations to see how posts around the country are dealing with soldier's mental health issues.

"This eight day trip has proven to me that it's even more complicated than I thought it was before," said Chiarelli. "These are very tough, tough issues that I don't know if we'll ever totally understand, but all I can tell you, as far as the Army's concerned, we've had too many of them and we have to do everything that we possibly can to lower that number."

The Army suicide rates are definitely an area of concern. And now the question is: What can be done about it?

"Across the force, we have go to find a way to get additional mental healthcare providers and additional substance abuse councilors, so that they can then take care of our soldiers and our families," said Chiarelli.

Chiarelli says the biggest problem right now is the shortage of mental health professionals and the stigma attached with seeing one. He says one of the best practices he's found is leading by example.

"For leaders of all levels to admit when they in fact need that kind of help. To let soldiers know that it's okay to seek help," said Chiarelli.

Other recommendations include tele-counciling over the Internet or phone, which gives the soldier and families the privacy of their own homes and mandatory visits to mental healthcare providers after returning from deployment.

The Suicide Prevention Task Force is expected to release the report with its findings and recommendations in June.