. >> reporter: according to investigators, on september 19th, 38-year-old james shelton was discovered in his vehicle, dead from an apparent gunshot wound. 19-year-old ethan stuart took his life on the very same day. five days earlier, sailor vincent forline's death was also ruled a suicide. all three served on the aircraft carrier uss george h.w. bush based in norfolk, virginia. james shelton's wife jennifer said she thought he beat his depression. >> i know it felt dark where he was, but he was so close to getting better. >> reporter: the navy said the suicides, which didn't happen on the ship, were not connected. the ship's commanding officer said there is never any stigma or repercussion from seeking help. still, jennifer shelton said her husband was afraid he'd lose his job if he revealed his illness. >> as father of six, he needed every dollar that he was making. so he was concerned about taking medication for his depression because he needed every dollar. >> reporter: there is about a increasing problem with suicides across the military. 325 active duty members died by suicide i

. >> reporter: according to investigators, on september 19, 38-year-old james shelton was found in his vehicle dead from an apparent gunshot wound. 19-year-old ethan stuart took his life on the same day. five days earlier, vincent forline's death was also ruled a suicide. all three men served on the aircraft carrier uss "george h.w. bush" based in norfolk, virginia. james shelton's wife, jennifer, said her husband suffered from depression. >> i know that it felt dark where he was, but he was just so close to it getting better. >> reporter: the navy said the suicides, which didn't happen on the ship, were not connected. the ship's commanding officer said, "there is never any stigma or repercussion from seek help." still, jennifer shelton said her husband was afraid he'she'd lose his job if he revealed his illness. >> as a father of six, he needed every dollar that he was making. so he was concerned about taking medication for his depression because he needed his paycheck. >> reporter: september is suicide prevention month, and the navy has encouraged every sailor to perform one small ac

james shelton's wife jennifer said she thought he'd beat his depression. >> i know that he felt dark he was so close to getting better. >> reporter: the navy said the suicides, which didn't happen on the ship, were not connected. the ship's commanding officer said there is never any stigma or repercussion from seeking help. still, jennifer shelton said her husband was afraid he'd lose his job if he revealed his illness. >> as a father of six, he needed every dollar that he was making. he was concerned about taking medication for his depression because he needed his paycheck. >> reporter: there has been an increasing number of suicides across the military. 325 active duty members died by suicide in 2018. that is the highest number since the department of defense began collecting the data. jeff pegues, cbs news, washington. >>> coming up on "cbs this morning," we continue our series "medical price roulette" with a look at why the prices we pay for health care are intentionally kept secret. >>> plus, in our "eye on earth" series, we'll show you what four communities along the california

. >> reporter: according to investigators, on september 19, 38-year-old james shelton was discoveredhis vehicle, dead from an apparent gunshot wound. 19-year-old ethan stuart took his life on the very same day. five days earlier, sailor vincent forline's death was also ruled a suicide. all three served on the aircraft carrier u.s.s. "george h.w. bush" based in norfolk, virginia. james shelton's wife, jennifer, said she thought he had beat his depression. >> i know it felt dark where he was, but he was just so close to getting better. >> reporter: the navy said the suicides, which didn't happen on the ship, were not connected. the ship's commanding officer said there is never any stigma or repercussion from seeking help. still, jennifer shelton said her husband was afraid he would lose his job if he revealed his illness. >> as a father of six, he needed every dollar that he was making, so he was concerned about taking medication for his depression because he needed his paycheck. >> reporter: and in july, a fourth sailor from that ship also took his life. there is an increasing problem