Two Iraq Veterans Commit Suicide Near Fort Hood

[sabra]

<<SNIP>>
http://www.click2houston.com/news/4806941/detail.html

Two Iraq Veterans Commit Suicide Near Fort Hood

FORT HOOD, Texas -- Two young Fort Hood soldiers who served in the Iraq war have killed themselves in separate incidents in Killeen since the weekend, post officials said Wednesday.

Sgt. Robert Decouteaux, 24, of Rosedale, N.Y., died Saturday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He had been airlifted from his home to a Temple hospital for emergency surgery, but he died while doctors tried to save his life.

And on Monday morning, Spc. Robert Hunt, 22, of Houston, was found dead in his apartment by Killeen police, who were alerted after members of his unit tried to contact him when he failed to report to work.

Carol Smith, a Killeen police spokeswoman, said Wednesday that Hunt's cause of death was listed as asphyxiation.

<</SNIP>>

[skooooo]

1. so horrible...

and sad

[Justitia]

2. That is absolutely horrible! God...their poor families...

:cry:

[barb162]

3. sad, sad, sad...

I will ASSUME these guys needed therapy probably for post traumatic stress

[Lone_Star_Dem]

5. Decouteaux was being redeployed to Iraq in the fall

That may or may not have been a factor in his decision. I doubt we'll ever know for sure.

The fact that they had some issue(s) that led them to these choices indicates they needed help, be it for PTSD, depression or whatever.

:cry:

[barb162]

6. And medical treatment, especially psych treatment, is so

backed up and frowned upon in the military

[Gemini Cat]

4. Incredible.

And meanwhile, chimpy takes another vacation.

[barb162]

7. Yes, the juxtaposition of his vacation with these two young men

doing this is very hard to take and also all those soldiers who died from Ohio today

[Horse with no Name]

51. Not only a vacation

A vacation ONE hour away from these soldiers--while many are being deployed on their third tours.
ONE hour away...the monkey plays.
ONE hour away...men are dying because of the monkey's policies.

[Imagevision]

8. Alarming rise in suicides among US troops in Iraq -& Recommended

The word should get out the number of suicides the Pentagon is covering up. The deaths of at least 17 US troops in Iraq—15 Army personnel and two Marines—have been confirmed as suicides over the past seven months, according to a recent Associated Press review of Army casualty reports.

Dozens of other deaths are currently under investigation, and the real number of suicides could be significantly higher. Over 500 soldiers have recently been evacuated from Iraq for mental health reasons. The Army has sent a team of mental health specialists to Iraq to assess what is perceived as a growing problem of both depression and suicide.

[Imagevision]

9. Recommend

[Jersey Ginny]

10. Asphyxiation? Forgive me, but how?

How do you stop your own breathing? You put a bag over your head? I'm a social worker and I know many poor folks who have killed themselves-none by asphyxiation. I don't mean to be rude or crass, my heart goes out to the soldiers families and loved ones.

[Imagevision]

11. you choke on your own blood

[wli]

12. carbon monoxide poisoning also possible

All he has to do is go to sleep while his car's running in a garage.

[KoKo]

13. He could have hung himself...whatever it's horrible. Who knows what they

saw or were forced to do there. So many young folks thrown into Bush/PNAC's War...and who could have told them the HELL it was going to be...

[Jersey Ginny]

16. Hanging-Yes, I never thought of the "medical" term

being asphyxiation. Carbon Monoxide poisoning I believe would not be asphxiation. Young people intent on ending their lives often shoot themselves or hang themselves, sadly. These two methods are gruesome for the people who find the bodies. It's a big angry "FU" from the poor sole who took his/her life.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

14. That is also what they call it when you hang yourself

Not that I'm saying that's what he did, I don't know what method he used.

[Horse with no Name]

52. I took care of an organ donor once

(that's all he was by the time he made it to the hospital) who placed a plastic bag over his head and asphyxiated himself.
You'd be surprised at some of the creative ways people attempt suicide.

[musical_soul]

15. That really stinks.

I hope their families make it through.

[Bluebear]

17. Too bad. Now watch this drive.

When is it enough, red America? When?

[saigon68]

57. These "True Christians" love to kill

They especially "LOVE TO KILL" the Brown Man or the "TOWEL HEAD MAN"

[DELUSIONAL]

18. damn it -- when are these guys going to get counselors

and what they need are guys (male or female) who have been through what they have -- PEER COUNSELORS.

Full time counselors -- on call 24/7 --

Well two more young people that bushie murdered.

damn damn and double damn

[Jersey Ginny]

19. Many of the counselors are suffering from trauma also

I live near a VA hospital counselor who is suffering from vicarious traumatization. It's what happens when counselors are overloaded with horrific stories. They start having nightmares, losing sleep, get irritable, etc.

[DELUSIONAL]

20. Yes I know -- they go through hell -- I've talked to some

who are overloaded with the workload.

I went to Grad school with Vietnam vets who wanted to work with returning vets. They would say that they have already been to hell and back again and that they were better equipped to understand what the returning vets had to go through to return to "normal". Some of the guys had gone through the suicide phase -- and got through to the other side.

It seems to me that by returning service people back repeatedly -- over and above what happened in Vietnam -- that we are going to see a whole generation of Vets who served who are going to find it harder to return to civilian life.

Also -- my classmates told me that normal guys do horrible things -- either to survive or from fear -- or just because they can kill without getting into trouble -- and then when these men return their mind replays the death scenes.

I do know that my dad was gung ho about war -- he'd go to any war film made UNTIL he went to Vietnam and then he was opposed to the war and never went to another war movie. He was career military. The military messes with with people's minds and then gives them no psychology safety nets. I've seen the effects first hand.

[Jersey Ginny]

23. Optruth has some chilling video footage

I saw this one clip, that I will NEVER forget, where a helicopter crew shot at some guys on the ground who were planting roadside bombs. What was chilling is that the helicopter gun vaporized one guy. Poof, he was gone. Another guy was hit and injured. I'm thinking in my civilian mind 'call a medic!' Instead the order was to finish him off by blowing up his car. It was so far from police rules of engagement even. There was no civility. I can't imagine what it must be like for these vets to live for so long where the rules of civility/humanity no longer apply and then have to return. What a horror for everyone involved.

[Eloriel]

47. Here's something that can help

Perhaps you'd share these links -- and suggest he look esp. at the PTSD case studies:

Emotional Freedom Technique
http://www.emofree.com/newcomer.htm
Tutorials: http://www.emofree.com/tutorial.htm
Articles: http://www.emofree.com/art.htm
Case Studies http://www.emofree.com/default.htm#EFT%20at%20work
Download manual: http://www.emofree.com/eftmanl.pdf

[dhinojosa]

21. Horrible....you hear that Bush?

oh that's right, you are vacation...

:banghead:

[jillan]

22. And tell me again why the rethugs don't want to give the vets more $

Absolutely heartbreaking:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[atreides1]

39. Why?

Because once they're used up, it's not economically prudent to keep paying for damaged goods.

Cannon fodder has never rated any level of importance.

[deadparrot]

24. RIP.

...

[barbaraann]

25. Killeen--there was a shooting rampage at the Luby's in 1991.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/first100/1001214

Too much tragedy.

[progressivebydesign]

26. Really heartbreaking.

It's ubelievable to me that the rightwing would accuse us of not caring about the troops. I believe we were the ones that tried to save them from dying for a lie. Knowing we were right is of little comfort, as they are still dying for a lie.

[burrowowl]

27. Damn!

Yes, they just come back and a fews months later the U$ sends them back to hell.
BRING THEM HOME NOW!

[roguevalley]

28. Oh god. Those poor babies. I am so sorry to hear this. How lonely

they must have felt.

[lebkuchen]

29. The problem must be profound; military hospitals taking action

Military aims to remove stigma from seeking therapy for post-combat stress

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=30756

A landmark 2004 study by researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research — thought to be one of the first to examine battle-related psychological problems of active-duty soldiers — found that there was a significant barrier to troops seeking mental-health care.

The barrier, according to the study of more than 6,100 soldiers and Marines who’d deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, was the belief that seeking counseling would harm military careers and stigmatize armed forces members as weak. Fifty percent of troops in that study showing symptoms of mental-health problems said it would be bad for their career to see a counselor; 65 percent said they’d be perceived as weak; and 63 percent said commanders would treat them differently.

“We all read the study,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Kolenda, 1-4 Cav commander. “We said, ‘We’ve got to do better.’”

[bobbieinok]

34. shell shock in WWI....didn't many just think the soldiers were cowards

or wanted a holiday????

[lebkuchen]

35. There wasn't much improvement in treatment during Vietnam

either; otherwise, the US wouldn't have so many "street" people.

Marine Lt. General Mattis says it's fun to kill people. Will those serving under him be more likely to feel likewise, or realize perhaps they need to seek treatment?

[femrap]

60. Our macho, patriarchal culture is to blame....

these young men who maybe had nowhere else to go to make a living or get money for college are turned into murderous killers in boot camp and then sent off to Iraq where atrocities against humanity are committed...ie WAR...

I believe these young men are simply not evil enough to handle it....they can't stand to witness it....and feel they have no choice but to leave this violent world in a violent way....

It is heartbreaking....

Why is our culture so cruel to both kind men and women? More people need to realize the sickness of our culture and fight against it....the suffocating gender roles we place our men and women....violent and submissive...disgusting.

[Robeson]

30. Deja Vu: Nam revisited.

[saigon68]

32. Iraq-Nam Redux

[Skittles]

31. seeing children blown to pieces

war just sucks

[ngGale]

33. There are no words ...

they keep sending them back, over and over.:grr:

:cry:

[Ilsa]

36. They committted suicide right under Bush's* nose.

And I bet he never hears a word of it or looks at the headline in a newspaper.

[whatever4]

37. Why I say...just come home

Soldiers. ANY WAY you can. Just come home. Families? Tell them to just come home. Period. Prison here is better than open warfare over there, and if enough of you just come home, even awol without orders, it will overwhelm the system. They need soldiers, not draft dodgers. Enlistment is already down.

Fight this war the ONLY ethical way you can. In court. Here.

Come home. Overland to another airport if you have to. Just come home. For every one that comes home, it's one (or many, many more) lives saved.

My advice. My only advice. Just come home. And let the friends and families fight FOR YOU while we fight this "war".

Just come home. There is NO shame in walking away from a genocidal war. It is the only ethical thing you CAN do.

[Horse with no Name]

53. problem is with these lengthy and repeated deployments

the divorce rate in the military is at record numbers.
These men are losing their support safety nets because they aren't home and their wives/girlfriends are leaving in record numbers.
They come home and many find themselves alone.
Incredibly sad.

[paineinthearse]

38. Instead of taking 5 weeks on the pig ranch

* should be visiting each and every one of the 1700 families whose sons and daughters who died for his trumped up war.

If he can spread his SS message to 60 cities in 60 days, this is the least he can do.

[smirkymonkey]

42. I know - that absolutely disgusts me!

He doesn't deserve ANY fucking vacation after what he's put these people through. What a fucking cowardly lazy-ass bastard he is. God, I hate that fucker more and more everyday!

Sorry about all the f-words, but this makes me sooooooooo angry! :grr: :mad: :grr:

[shantipriya]

40. suicides

This is absolutely horrible. My prayers for the families left behind!
Isn't it time the country woke up and IMPEACHED Shrub and jail all others in his Adminisration?
What a country!

[sakabatou]

41. What more does Bush need to see that war is horrible.

[0007]

43. junior doesn't know what's going on......all he does is read

funny books, eat hamburgers, take naps, take vacations up the wazoo, and talks like some big out of town jasper for the crime family that runs this country.

Can't believe Americans are going along with his crap.

[meganmonkey]

44. Oh I don't think I can take any more.

of this kind of news

:cry:

[Hell Hath No Fury]

45. Will those who committ suicide...

be added to the list of Iraaq casualities???? Because that is what they are.

[rucky]

46. I'd like to know the REAL casualty count from this war! n/t

[BamaBecky]

48. This is so so sad..............I can't imagine what these boys were

thinking...........

Bama

[Mnemosyne]

49. How horribly sad.

The poor guys and their families... :cry: :cry:

[The_Casual_Observer]

50. At least they didn't kill any innocent people in the process.

Whatever demons were haunting them died with them alone.

[femrap]

54. I have never understood why boys, and now

girls, go off to war. War is the worst of all humanity....a despicable event that encourages death, torture, and evil.....why would anyone want to be a part of that? Why?

[The_Casual_Observer]

55. A twisted notion that somehow "The Nation" is worth more

than the only thing they truly have - their own life. This notion keeps the world in a constant state of war and killing. Notice that the rulers rarely subscribe to this notion themselves however.

[Erika]

56. For health benefits and a chance at education

Bush has cut severely any funds for education and refuses to do anything about health costs. The rich opt out.

[femrap]

59. people enlist to leave poverty....

this breaks my heart. Why should a person have to go fight in a war to get money for college? This is the system that the PNAC neo-cons have devised for the great US of A....sickening.

[anarchy1999]

58. and away we go! This is just quite simply the tip of the iceberg we are

headed for. Our Vets coming home now are getting far less support than in any war before. War on Terror my ass. This is war on US, in many ways.

"asphyxiation", yeah, right Carol, you &*(&^* mouthpiece.