If you didn’t understand the geography of the Salish Sea, you might think that the little bay where we live is a lake. When the weather is clear and there are no clouds or fog on the horizon, you can see a string of islands from the shore. Most of the Islands we see are part of the Canadian Gulf Islands. Vancouver Island is a huge island with high mountains that lies beyond Galiano Island, a narrow island across the water. Looking south, we can easily see Orcas Island and when the weather is clear we can identify Sucia Island. Sucia and Orcas are part of what is known as the San Juan Islands.

The San Juan Islands were an area of competing claims and tensions between Great Britain and the United States in the 19th Century. Throughout the period of settlement both Great Britain and the United States had claims to various parts of the Pacific Northwest including the place where we now live. After a long period of dispute, the Treaty of Oregon, signed in June of 1846, established the border between British Columbia and the United States. The treaty allowed the British to retain control of Vancouver Island where the territorial capital, Victoria is located. It established the 49th Parallel as the border. The treaty, however, was vague as to the national status of the smaller islands. The British claimed that the boundary cut through Rosario Strait. The United States claimed that it was Haro Strait. The difference between the two countries left both claiming the San Juan Islands.

Both countries had a presence in the San Juans. The British Hudson’s Bay Company established Belle Vue Sheep Farm on San Juan Island while U.S. citizens continued to move to the island and lay claim to land there. Both nations ignored the rights of the indigenous Coast Salish people who had lived on the islands for thousands of years. After a short period of relative peace and calm in the islands, tensions burst to the surface in June of 1859 when US settler, Lyman Cutler, shot a pig belonging to Belle Vue Sheep Farm. The pig had been rooting in his garden. Hudson’s Bay Company demanded that Cutler pay $100 for the pig. When he refused to pay they threatened to arrest him. US citizens on the island asked the US Army to protect their interests.

By the end of July, a company from the 9th Infantry from Fort Bellingham landed on the island, led by Captain George Pickett. Britain responded by sending a warship to the coast of the island. In an attempt to avoid armed conflict, representatives of the two nations agreed to jointly occupy the island until the conflict could be settled. The Americans established and encampment on high ground north of Belle Vue Sheep Farm. The British Royal Marines set tip camp at Garrison Bay.

The official history of the conflict reports that no shots were fired, other than the one that killed the pig, and no soldiers were killed in the conflict on San Juan Island. The dispute between the two countries was resolved by mediation in 1972. A three-member arbitration panel, led by Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany, ruled in favor of the United States and the boarder was established where it currently stands. British troops withdrew. The American Camp ceased to be an official military installation a couple of years later. Private citizens homesteaded the area where the two camps had existed.

Although the so-called Pig War was peacefully resolved, there were fatalities among the soldiers on both sides. Seven British soldiers were interred in a cemetery on Young Hill. Four were drowned. Two died of unspecified causes. The final one was accidentally shot by his brother when the two were hunting. The cemetery remains, having been maintained by private citizens before becoming part of a historical park on the island.

U.S. soldiers also died during the conflict. Two died by suicide. One died of typhoid fever, another of a stroke, and a another drowned. One death was caused by a morphine overdose when a medic treated himself for a toothache and took too much of the medicine. U.S. military personnel were originally buried on the island, but their remains were moved to Fort Townsend in 1874 and when that Fort was closed to San Francisco National Cemetery.

Like all military operations the Pig War resulted in loss and grief for families. The deaths by suicide were of note when I read about the conflict because suicide has occurred throughout the history of armies and military action. More military veterans and active duty service members die by suicide than in battle. It is estimated that four soldiers died by suicide for each battle death. The suicide rate among active duty military service people is 2 1/2 times that of the general population. Suicide rates are also higher among veterans than others of similar age.

Suicide carries significant stigma and often is not discussed or studied. The rates have become so significant that an official Military Suicide Research Consortium has been established by the Department of Defense. The result has been that accurate reporting has become publicly available. Increased support is now available for military members, veterans, and their families.

Despite increase research, however, the exact causes of suicide remain a mystery. A crucial piece of evidence is lost in each suicide. The thoughts and the intentions of the victim die with that person. What we do know is that exposure to trauma is higher for those in military service than those in civilian life. Loneliness and disrupted schedules are also frequent realities for those who serve. It is important to note also that those who serve in the military have an elevated capacity to complete suicide, with access to firearms that are part of the equipment of soldiers.

A brief reading of the story of the Pig War reminds me that the risk of suicide is not a new phenomena. Service, even in peaceful situations, can result in fatal circumstances. The Pig War may have ended peacefully, but loss and grief are part of the legacy of the conflict.