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| Iraq Vet Mocked, Scorned For PTSD By Superiors, Commits Suicide |
| 2010-11-09 |
| According to a group of soldiers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, officers are still belittling those who seek help. And that's directly responsible for the March suicide of Spc. Derrick Kirkland. A soldier says he personally witnessed a sergeant calling Kirkland a "coward" and a "pussy." Kirkland had just returned from his second tour in Iraq, a tour that was cut short because of his mental health problems. Kirkland was then assigned to a room by himself, and diagnosed with PTSD, given substandard care. Three days later, Kirkland committed suicide by hanging himself. Only one day after, the soldier says he overheard the same sergeant making jokes alluding to Kirkland's death. "Hey, you guys want to hang out later?" The joint base runs a so-called "Warrior Transition Battalion," where wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are supposed to get the help they need, including mental health services. The base's battalion is currently building a $52 million complex that is to house 400 soldiers. In the mean time, it's overcrowded. Kirkland, like many traumatized soldiers, was not placed there. And in April, the battalion turned away some 180 National Guard soldiers on the grounds that they were "weekend warriors" who were faking their injuries, according to the military publication Stars and Stripes. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #2 #1 son is based there now, for his last 10 mos of service. He came home well-adjusted and more mature, but says there are some screwed-up guys. This story, if true, is appalling |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-11-09 19:45 |
| #1 I understand the military macho mentality (and it does have its place) but in such situations it is flat unacceptable. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-11-09 17:18 |