Sgt. Convicted in Case that Grew from Army Suicide

Sgt. Convicted in Case that Grew from Army Suicide
to read the article, click here.

--submitted by Cilla McCain

Medicating the military

Use of psychiatric drugs has spiked; concerns surface about suicide, other dangers

By Andrew Tilghman and Brendan McGarry - Staff writers

Posted : Wednesday Mar 17, 2010 12:18:59 EDT

At least one in six service members is on some form of psychiatric drug.

And many troops are taking more than one kind, mixing several pills in daily “cocktails” — for example, an antidepressant with an antipsychotic to prevent nightmares, plus an anti-epileptic to reduce headaches — despite minimal clinical research testing such combinations.

The drugs come with serious side effects: They can impair motor skills, reduce reaction times and generally make a war fighter less effective. Some double the risk for suicide, prompting doctors — and Congress — to question whether these drugs are connected to the rising rate of military suicides.

Read the rest of the story by clicking here.
 
--submitted by Lois Vanderbur

DOD Releases Annual Sexual Assault Response and Prevention Report

The Department of Defense today released the fiscal 2009 Annual Report on Sexual Assault in the Military.

In fiscal 2009, a total of 3,230 restricted and unrestricted reports of sexual assault were filed, involving military members as either victims or subjects, which is an 11 percent increase from fiscal 2008. There were 714 restricted reports filed in fiscal 2009. Under the restricted (confidential) reporting option, service members may choose to obtain medical, mental health care and other services without becoming involved in the military criminal justice process. This year, 123 victims converted their reports from restricted to unrestricted, which is included in the overall total of 2,516 unrestricted reports.

"One sexual assault is too many. As such, the best way to combat sexual assault is to prevent it," said Clifford L. Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

To advance the prevention of sexual assault, the department provided its DoD Sexual Assault Prevention Strategy to the senior leaders of each military service and the National Guard Bureau in fiscal 2009. Each military service held leadership summits in fiscal 2009, keynoted by their service secretary, chief of staff and commandant of the Marine Corps, to emphasize the importance of command's role in prevention. The department also deployed a multimedia prevention campaign, "My Strength is for Defending: Preventing Sexual Assault is Part of My Duty," across the military services.

The full report is available at: http://www.sapr.mil/. For service specific information, contact the individual military services at 703-697-2564 for Army, 703-697-5342 for Navy, and 703-695-0640 for Air Force.

Source:  verbatim Department of Defense Announcement

Murder in Baker Company

Please visit the following link for a chance to win a copy of the book "Murder In Baker Company."

Click here.

Forward to your friends as well.

Army Releases February Suicide Data

The Army released suicide data today for the month of February. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 14 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 13 remain under investigation. For January, the Army reported 12 potential suicides among active duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, two have been confirmed as suicides, and ten remain under investigation.

During February, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were five potential suicides: all five remain under investigation. For January, among that same group, there were 15 potential suicides. Of those, seven were confirmed as suicides and eight are pending determination of the manner of death.

"In our continuing efforts to sharpen our current focus on suicide prevention, we are conducting a comprehensive review of existing programs Army-wide, related to health promotion, risk reduction and suicide prevention," said Col. Chris Philbrick, director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. "We will use the results of this review to increase the effectiveness of our efforts."

"Because suicide affects every member of our Army family and no one is immune to depression, anxiety and stress; we are also expanding our training resources and support programs to address these issues with our Department of the Army civilians and family members," Philbrick said.

The Army's comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp.

Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) at: http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf and Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/p600_24.pdf.

Suicide prevention training resources for Army families can be accessed at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/training_sub.asp?sub_cat=20 (requires Army Knowledge Online access to download materials).

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year.

The Military OneSource toll-free number for those residing in the continental U.S. is 1-800-342-9647; their Web site address is http://www.militaryonesource.com Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource Web site for dialing instructions for their specific location.

The DCoE Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at Resources@DCoEOutreach.org and at http://www.dcoe.health.mil/.

Information about the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program is located at http://www.army.mil/csf.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: http://www.afsp.org.

Suicide Prevention Resource Council: http://www.sprc.org/index.asp.
 
--verbatim, Department of Defense Announcement

Are Veterans Being Given Deadly Cocktails to Treat PTSD?

A potentially deadly drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has been linked to the deaths of soldiers returning from war. Yet the FDA continues to approve it.

March 6, 2010

 Sgt. Eric Layne's death was not pretty.

A few months after starting a drug regimen combining the antidepressant Paxil, the mood stabilizer Klonopin and a controversial anti-psychotic drug manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, Seroquel, the Iraq war veteran was "suffering from incontinence, severe depression [and] continuous headaches," according to his widow, Janette Layne.

Read the rest of this article by clicking here.
--------------------------
Hearing on Exploring the Relationship Between Medication and Veteran Suicide.

Marine's death came at hands of U.S.-paid security forces

By Chuck Goudie
Daily Herald Columnist

Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Birchfield, 24, left, was killed while on patrol in Afghanistan on Feb. 19. Navy HM3 Christopher "Doc" Marsh, right, said "Josh was truly one of a kind. He was the glue that held his squad together."

No American soldier should die the way Josh Birchfield did.


There was much more to his "supporting combat operations" death than what the military put out.

It was the standard Pentagon release.

A soldier is killed. A clerk types in their name. "____________ died while supporting combat operations."

There is no Pentagon form titled "What Really Happened."

If there was, in the case of the metro Chicago Marine, this is how it would read:

"Lance Cpl. Joshua H. Birchfield, 24, of Westville, Ind., died Feb. 19 after being shot in the head by a doped-up private security contractor hired by the U.S. government. We're sorry we hired the guy, obviously didn't check him out very well and we are devastated that we didn't do a better job protecting our own."

This disturbing information came to me after last week's column, in which I reported how Lance Cpl. Birchfield deserved more attention in dying for his country than Tiger Woods, who at the same hour had commandeered the nation's airwaves to apologize for cheating on his wife.

"Although I respect the fact that you wrote about Josh to let the world know that he died a hero, and he did, your facts are not even close to the truth," wrote one of Lance Cpl. Birchfield's friends and fellow Marines in an e-mail from Afghanistan.

Because the military hadn't yet reported the death, I surmised that Birchfield was in the Marjan province, where Marines had been in regular firefights with the Taliban.

Actually, he was on a routine patrol in the Helmand province.

"He was killed by American Hired Local National Contractors that were high on opium the morning of the 19th."

The author of the e-mail was part of a Marine quick-response team that tried "to bring him back from the fatal gunshot to the head. There has never been a more charismatic and honorable man I have ever met than Joshua Birchfield."

Birchfield was on his first combat tour for the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

His wake last week in La Porte County, Ind., drew several thousand people. To accommodate the mourners, his funeral on Saturday was held in the high school where he had graduated just few years ago.

But none of them knew the real story of what happened.

He was on a security patrol about a half-mile from a Marine forward operating base. About 7 a.m., as day broke, shots were fired at Birchfield's patrol team, according to members of his unit. The ambush was by U.S.-hired security guards who were supposed to be protecting a highway paving project from Taliban-installed roadside bombs.

"The contractors were able to have such proximity to a U.S. patrol because we pay them to work on our FOB (forward operating base), pave the 515 (highway), and provide security from Taliban IED (roadside bomb) implacers in the area," I was told.

Because the U.S.-backed contractors "are ordinary Afghanis, they are subject to corruption and play both sides of the fence between the U.S. military and the local Taliban," reported one of Birchfield's fellow Marines. "These men are armed to the teeth and supposedly here for our protection."

He said the shooter and six other guards were arrested after the killing and are in the custody of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

"They are also drug abusers. The shooter was found to have copious amounts of wet opium on him shortly after the shooting ... we found a bag of wet opium in the compound that the contractors were using to get high."

The Pentagon had no comment on the incident on Sunday.

But the Marine said that Josh Birchfield died for two reasons. "A mix of drugs and gray areas of loyalty between U.S. forces and Taliban seems to be the motivation behind the shooting."

Although Birchfield was the first U.S. service member he recalls being killed by a U.S.-paid Afghan guard, "we have been shot at by the contractors on several cases before this incident. We have been told to refrain from returning fire and attempt to identify ourselves as Marines so they stop shooting."

His fellow Marines held a small memorial service for him last Friday in Afghanistan. They huddled around the boots and helmet he once wore. And the gun he never had a chance to fire at an enemy bought and paid for by his own government.

• Chuck Goudie, whose column appears each Monday, is the chief investigative reporter at ABC 7 News in Chicago. The views in this column are his own and not those of WLS-TV. He can be reached by e-mail at chuckgoudie@gmail.com and followed at twitter.com/ChuckGoudie

Va. War Memorial compromises go to conference committee

Posted to: General Assembly News Virginia

By Bill Sizemore

The Virginian-Pilot

© March 3, 2010

RICHMOND

In an eleventh-hour turn of events Wednesday, a Senate committee balked at a plan to create a two-tier system for honoring Virginia's war dead.

Now the emotional issue that has pitted veteran against veteran likely will have to be resolved by a House-Senate conference committee in the waning days of the General Assembly.

As passed by the House, Del. Bill Janis' bill, HB767, would have restricted the names inscribed on the Shrine of Memory at the Virginia War Memorial to veterans killed by enemy action, qualifying them for the Purple Heart medal. All others who die on active duty would be included on a new, separate memorial wall to be built nearby.

Janis' measure had the support of the memorial's board of trustees, of which he is a member, and the American Legion. It was opposed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who would like to see more inclusive criteria for the glass-and-marble shrine in Richmond.

The two sides faced off before the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee in a heated debate that left some members of the committee agonizing over having to side with one veterans group over the other.

“I hate having to make this call,” said Sen. Stephen Martin, R-Chesterfield County.

In the end the panel adopted a substitute proposal offered by Sen. John Miller, D-Newport News, widening the criteria for inclusion on the shrine to include all veterans killed or missing in action in a Pentagon-designated combat area under honorable conditions.

“It's a matter of simple fairness,” Miller said.

Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, agreed: “I cannot accept the concept of having an A list and a B list.”

Janis, R-Henrico County, argued that Miller's approach still doesn't avoid relegating some of Virginia's dead to secondary status. He argued that the separate memorial would be more inclusive than Miller's proposal because it would pay tribute to anyone who died while on active duty, such as a service member who died of heat stroke during training in the U.S.

What may have tipped the balance on the committee was the determined lobbying of Rick Schumann, a Newport News man whose son, Marine Lance Cpl. Darrell Schumann, was killed in a helicopter crash in the Iraq desert in 2005. Under Janis' bill, he would not qualify for inclusion on the shrine because the helicopter was not brought down by enemy fire.

“All those who make the ultimate sacrifice should be honored,” Schumann told the panel.

Several senators also took note of an analysis by The Virginian-Pilot that found about one in six of the nearly 12,000 names now inscribed on the wall were non-combat-related deaths.

Bill Sizemore, (804) 697-1560 (804) 697-1560, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com

--submitted by Patti Woodard

Suicide Rates Reach High Among American Troops and Veterans

From January 2009 until September 2009 the number of U.S. active troop suicides has already met last years total count with 140 confirmed suicide cases reported by the Army’s Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli. In addition, 71 U.S. troops not on active duty have committed suicide this year, one-third have committed suicide before leaving to go overseas. This is a twenty-six year record high and according to the U.S. Military it is not the fault of the military or the wars in the Middle East, but due to unbalanced personal relations. Top military officials claim this number is rising not because of multiple relocations and stress of battle but because marital problems, legal problems and financial problems. However, journalist Penny Coleman of Alternet, argues that troops commit suicide because of multiple deployments and the stress of combat. Coleman insists that labeling these deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan as accidental noncombatant deaths covers up the soldiers suicides.

The rise of suicides among veterans has also increased, with 6,256 suicides confirmed in 2005 alone. There are multiple reasons for this, including remembering past wars as the U.S. move through the Middle East, or veterans not being able to get appropriate mental and physical healthcare. It is documented that 25%-50% of troops returning from combat have serious mental illnesses, usually linked with depression.

Suicides have also increased among females in the military, producing questions about female rights and equalities in these wars. From April 2009 to September 2009 there were 99 documented cases of U.S. female troops that were suspected of committing suicide. Forty-one deaths were labeled as “non-combat related” deaths. Multiple cases brought before the U.S. Congress by women have reported rape and sexual harassment from private contractors America has hiring. The cover-up by the U.S. military and these private contractors reveals what may be happening in our Middle East wars to our female troops.

The armed forces today are reporting a suicide rate three times higher than the statistical norm, and are blaming the deaths on individual troops and their “underdeveloped life coping skills.” Troop suicides in Afghanistan or Iraq are often blamed on bad news from marital partner at home and are considered unpreventable because of their rash, unpredictable actions.

Troop suicides may not be caused by personal problems, but rather stem from their occupation in Iraq. The government must take a closer look into the problem before more preventable deaths occur. By looking into any stress caused by both personal problems and occupational hazards, the government would be protecting those who protect our country.

Student Researchers: Claire Apatoff, Erin Kielty, Tom Rich

Faculty Evaluator: Clarissa Peterson, Associate Professor of Political Science, DePauw University

Faculty Instructor: Kevin Howley

Works:

Alarabiya.net (2009) US Army Probes High Suicide Rates Among Troops

Agence France Presse. (2009). As Suicides Spike, US Army Search For Answers. AlterNet.org

Coleman, P. (2007). Pentagon Denies Increase in Troops’ Suicides a Result of War. AlterNet.org

Wright, A. (2008). U.S. Military Is Keeping Secrets About Female Soldiers’ Suicides. AlterNet.org

Coleman, P. (2009). 120 War Vets Commit Suicide Each Week. AlterNet.org

http://www.mediafreedominternational.org/2010/03/01/suicide-rates-reach-high-among-american-troops-and-veterans/

--submitted by Patti Woodard

Non-Combat Deaths Plague Russian Army

By Galina Stolyarova

The St. Petersburg Times

Fifty-eight young men died as a result of non-combat-related causes in the military detachments of the northwestern district in 2009, Igor Lebed, chief military prosecutor of the Leningrad Military District, said Thursday.

Nationwide, the figure totaled 273 deaths, according to the country’s Defense Ministry. Suicides account for more than half of non-combat deaths in the armed forces. According to statistics released on Thursday, 137 people committed suicide in the Russian army in 2009. A further 88 people died as the result of accidents, 20 died in traffic incidents, 17 were murdered, seven died in incidents involving the misuse of weapons, and four died as the result of hazing.

The Defense Ministry estimated that on average, up to 500 recruits die from non-combat-related causes every year in Russia.

But human rights groups contest official statistics and claim the actual number is at least twice as high. Worse still, human rights groups insist hazing cases are often reported as accidental deaths.

The St. Petersburg Soldiers’ Mothers human rights organization said recruits are driven to suicide by hazing, violence and physical abuse. Some of the letters kept at the organization’s headquarters were written by recruits who later committed suicide.

These letters are sometimes brought to the pressure group by desperate parents wishing to sue the military authorities.

“Every month, deserters and their relatives flock to us with absolutely chilling stories of torture, forced prostitution and slave labor,” said Ella Polyakova, head of Soldiers’ Mothers.

Investigations into suicides and alleged abuses typically lead nowhere.

Obtaining evidence from a closed structure like the Russian army, which has its own military prosecution system, has proven difficult.

“It is a shame that the Russian armed forces are more concerned about their image — which they want to preserve at all costs — than about establishing the truth and protecting the victims of abuse,” said Polyakova.

“Unfortunately, in Russia, victims’ testimonies are not treated seriously enough,” she said. “Even if we submit a whole pile of testimonies, the prosecutors can easily refuse to open a criminal case, claiming that there is not enough evidence.”

“Basically, what happens is that the prosecutors weigh the testimonies of the deserters against the word of the officers; needless to say the victims do not stand a chance,” Polyakova added.

Army Releases January Suicide Data

The Army released suicide data today for the month of January. Among active-duty soldiers, there were 12 potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and 11 remain under investigation. For December, the Army reported ten potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, three have been confirmed as suicides, and seven remain under investigation.

During January 2010, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were 15 potential suicides. For December, among that same group, there were seven total suicides. Of those, five were confirmed as suicides and two are pending determination of the manner of death.

"In the new year, we won't just maintain our current focus on suicide prevention, we're going to sharpen that focus," said Col. Christopher Philbrick, director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force. "We've made significant changes in our health promotion, risk reduction, and suicide prevention programs, policies, and initiatives. But over the last year, you could describe our Army effort as shining a flood light on the problem of suicide. Now in 2010, we're going to move from a flood light to a laser light— identifying our most effective programs, so we can target and reinforce what's working and fix what isn't."

In January, the Suicide Prevention Resource Council and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention selected the Army's "Ask, Care, Escort" model for inclusion in their national registry of programs reflecting "best practices" in suicide prevention. The Army's model is one of only thirteen suicide prevention programs, nationwide, included in the registry.

"One suicide prevention approach that is working is the Army's 'Ask, Care, Escort' model of suicide prevention," said Philbrick. "The 'Ask, Care, Escort' model is fundamentally about engaged, concerned leadership, and caring for your fellow soldier. That's something the Army knows how to do."

Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63, Health Promotion at: http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf and Army Pamphlet 600-24 Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/p600_24.pdf .

Suicide prevention training resources for Army families can be accessed at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/training_sub.asp?sub_cat=20. Army Knowledge Online is required to download materials.

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCOE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The Military OneSource toll-free number for those residing in the continental U.S. is 1-800-342-9647; their Web site address is http://www.militaryonesource.com/ . Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource Web site for dialing instructions for their specific location.

The DCOE Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at Resources@DCoEOutreach.org .and at http://www.dcoe.health.mil/ .

The Army's comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp .

More information about the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program is located at http://www.army.mil/csf/ .


Source:  Department of Defense Announcement, verbatim

Marine's suicide shines light on depression, disorder

http://www.thestate.com/local/story/1138263.html

Tuesday, Feb. 02, 2010, The State, Columbia, SC

By CHUCK CRUMBO - ccrumbo@thestate.com

Mills Bigham was a 19-year-old Marine in Iraq when he made his first kill.

While on a foot patrol, someone hurled a grenade at Bigham's squad. Bigham, who was at the point, turned and fired.

"I pulled the trigger quickly, twice. Pop ... pop," the Columbia Marine wrote in his journal.

Two bullets hit the attacker's chest, knocking him to the ground. Within minutes, he was dead.

The grenade was a dud. Bigham checked the attacker's identification. He was 12.

Less than four years later on Oct. 19, Lance Cpl. Mills Palmer Bigham sat in his red Chevy Tahoe, put a .410-gauge shotgun to his forehead and pulled the trigger one last time.

He was 23.

Family said Bigham, a graduate of A.C. Flora High School , suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In hopes they can prevent another veteran's suicide, Bigham's family recently founded Hidden Wounds, a nonprofit organization headquartered in Columbia .

"My brother fell through the cracks," said Anna Bigham, the Marine's sister.

About one out of every five veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have some form of PTSD and depression, according to a federal study.

Last month, the Department of Veterans Affairs said the suicide rate among veterans between 18 and 29 years old climbed 26 percent from 2005 to 2007.

The VA also said 20 percent of the 30,000 suicides reported in the U.S. are committed by veterans. The suicide rate among veterans is nearly twice the rate for civilians, according to reports.

Through Hidden Wounds, the Bighams aim to provide temporary counseling and support to sufferers of PTSD, depression and traumatic brain injury until they can enter the Veterans Affairs health care system.

Temporary help is needed because the VA reports it has a six-month backlog in processing claims, the Bighams said.

Some veterans need help sooner, Anna Bigham said. That's why the family founded Hidden Wounds.

A spokeswoman for the Dorn VA Medical Center said the hospital supports the Bighams' efforts.

Like so many service members coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan , Mills Bigham found it difficult to cope with the demons of war that haunted his memories.

Anna Bigham said her brother seemed to feel like he was out of place after completing his enlistment in October 2008.

In the Marines, her brother had a built-in support group of buddies, many of whom were dealing with similar issues.

But once PTSD sufferers return to the civilian world, many feel like they're "a fish out of water," according to a VA study.

This sense of isolation can deepen feelings of depression and suicidal tendencies, the report added.

Anna Bigham said her brother seemed to be overwhelmed with guilt.

"In his last three or four months he didn't go out in the daytime," Anna Bigham said. "He told me, 'I feel like everyone can see what I've done. I can't go on this way.'"

Hidden Wounds also hopes to help the veterans' families learn tell the signs of PTSD and depression and help their loved ones seek care.

John Bigham said he knew his son suffered from nightmares, ringing in the ears and had "sparks of anger," all signs of PTSD.

"But I didn't put it 100 percent together until he died," John Bigham said.

Mills Bigham wrote about his first kill in his journal on Oct. 3, just 16 days before he took his own life.

Bigham said he wanted to tell the story "so you can understand the way death may or may not affect the living party."

As he approached the fallen attacker, Bigham said he could see "it is abruptly clear he is leaving his world, and soon."

"He is suffocating in his own blood. He is blowing blood bubbles through his red teeth. He is crying.

"There are bubbles coming from the two holes in his chest. One to the left of his heart, and the other to the right.

"Death took him and there were no new bubbles.

"He cried no more. I checked his ID. He is 12.

"I wept that night."


Those interested in finding out more about Hidden Wounds can check its Web site at hiddenwounds.org




--submitted by Laura Kent

Cpt. Roselle Hoffmaster

Hoffmaster was young (age 32), a 2000 graduate of Smith College, a surgeon commissioned into the Medical Corps in 2004. She went to Iraq because, while happily married, she had no children so far and thought she should take the place of someone who did have kids. She appeared to be widely liked, admired, treasured. I've written about her twice in this space.

Last month, her husband notified me privately that he had just received the results of the probe and that, indeed, her death had been ruled a suicide. Now a local paper in Massachusetts, The Republican, has received the report and posted a summary. It reveals that she took her own life by shooting herself in the head while alone in her room.

Just hours before she killed herself, Hoffmaster, a surgeon commissioned into the Army Medical Corps in 2004, had been berated by a senior officer, the report shows. She later told another officer who counseled her that night that she "couldn't do it anymore" and wanted to quit the military, the report states.

The report includes a statement from one officer who believes the Army did Hoffmaster a disservice by failing to properly prepare her for duty in Iraq.

The investigation includes numerous interviews with military colleagues and family members, many of whom attested to Hoffmaster's positive attitude and expressed disbelief that she would commit suicide.

Hoffmaster was found dead on her cot by one of her roommates, whose M9 Beretta pistol was still in her hand. Several witnesses said that she had broken down in tears that day after being yelled at by a supervisor for failing to carry out one of her medical duties.

One officer told investigators that Hoffmaster was "swamped from the day she arrived at the unit" and "had about four of five months of catching up to do with a new Army program that she was completely unfamiliar with."

Because Hoffmaster was a last-minute replacement for another surgeon who left the unit, she was not able to attend a readiness training center in Louisiana, the officer said, or to get acclimated to her new unit. The officer told investigators he felt the Army did Hoffmaster a disservice and called the situation "a 'perfect storm' to create tension and anxiety."

Despite her distress that day, Hoffmaster was by all accounts a strong, positive, focused person who worked hard to achieve her goals and put the needs of others before her own.

The story reflects my own experience. Whenever I wrote about her (including in my book on Iraq and the media) old friends of her would email to say what a truly great person she was and how they just can't believe she would kill herself.

Now The Republican relates that family members say she gave no hint of being anxious or depressed and that they did not believe she would take her own life.

"She was a positive person and would not have committed suicide," Hoffmaster's mother says in the Army's report. "I believe that Roselle fumbled with the gun after a long day, and it took her life."

Hoffmaster's husband, Gordon Pfeiffer, said: "It was as if we were best friends rather than a married couple. All of our buddies wanted to have a marriage like ours."

-- Ann Wright

==Another news story==

The Republican -- A U.S. Army investigation has concluded that Capt. Roselle M. Hoffmaster, a 2000 graduate of Smith College in Northampton, took her own life by shooting herself in the head while alone in her room in Iraq.

The voluminous report was released to The Republican this week, 16 months after the Army announced that the 32-year-old Hoffmaster, an Army surgeon, had died while on deployment in Kirkuk on Sept. 20, 2007. The investigation includes numerous interviews with military colleagues and family members, many of whom attested to Hoffmaster's positive attitude and expressed disbelief that she would commit suicide.

As the report describes it, Hoffmaster was found dead on her cot by one of her roommates, the M9 Beretta pistol that delivered the fatal shot still in her hand. The highly redacted report deleted the names of virtually everyone involved in the investigation, but several witnesses said that Hoffmaster had broken down in tears previously that day after being berated by a supervisor for failing to carry out one of her medical duties.

One officer told investigators that Hoffmaster was "swamped from the day she arrived at the unit" and "had about four of five months of catching up to do with a new Army program that she was completely unfamiliar with." Because Hoffmaster was a last minute replacement for another surgeon who left the unit, she was not able to attend a joint readiness training center in Louisiana, the officer said, or to get acclimated to her new unit. The officer told investigators he felt the Army did Hoffmaster a disservice and called the situation "a 'perfect storm' to create tension and anxiety."

Despite her distress that day, Hoffmaster was by all accounts a strong, positive, focused person who worked hard to achieve her goals and put the needs of others before her own. At Smith, she is remembered as a top student who was not easily frustrated. Because of her ethical concerns about doing laboratory experiments on live animals, Hoffmaster chose to work with frozen cells, according to her faculty adviser Mary E. Harrington, a professor of psychology.

Carla M. Coffey, Hoffmaster's track coach at Smith, called her "the total package."

"She had the smile," Coffey said. "You just don't find people like that."

After graduating from Smith, Hoffmaster got her medical degree at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She was a native of Ohio. She enlisted in the Army to help pay for her medical school costs. According to friends quoted in the report, Hoffmaster volunteered for assignment to Iraq because she had no children and wanted to spare doctors who did.

Hoffmaster knew little about Army culture when she deployed to the Middle East around Labor Day of 2007, according to accounts in the report. She spent about a week in Kuwait before she was sent to Forward Operation Base Warrior in Kirkuk, Iraq, with the 10th Mountain Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team. She shared a room there with two other female Army captains.

As the report describes the sequence of events, Hoffmaster received a verbal reprimand from a supervisor at about 5 p.m. on Sept. 20 for not completing a pre-screening for blood donors. After Hoffmaster walked out of the meeting crying, the supervisor told another officer that Hoffmaster needed to "toughen up."

A female major pulled Hoffmaster aside and gave her a pep talk, telling her she was "in the Army now" and that "everything would be OK." Hoffmaster told the major that "she couldn't do it anymore and that she wanted to quit," according to one of Hoffmaster's roommates, who overheard the conversation.

That same roommate told investigators that she returned to her room at about 11:30 p.m. and saw Hoffmaster lying in a awkward position on her bed. When she noticed blood and signs of injury, she summoned officials. Hoffmaster was already dead when a doctor arrived shortly before midnight.

The roommate told investigators that the gun found in Hoffmaster's hand was her own. Hoffmaster's was still in a holster by her bed.

Hoffmaster's parents, whose names were also redacted, said their daughter had a learning disability that made it difficult for her to do mechanical tasks, despite her high IQ. They and other family members said she gave no hint of being anxious or depressed and that they did not believe she would take her own life.

"She was a positive person and would not have committed suicide," Hoffmaster's mother is quoted as saying in the Army's report. "I believe that Roselle fumbled with the gun after a long day, and it took her life."

Hoffmaster's husband, Gordon Pfeiffer, described their marriage in idyllic terms.

"It was as if we were best friends rather than a married couple," he wrote in the report. "All of our buddies wanted to have a marriage like ours."

According to the report, Hoffmaster had been prescribed Zoloft for depression but had apparently not taken any of the pills from her most recent prescription. A civilian doctor who had treated Hoffmaster for depression in the U.S. told investigators that she seemed happy in her marriage and her life and never indicated that she had contemplated suicide.

Hoffmaster's family held a memorial service for her in West Chester, Pa.

--submitted by Ann Wright

Soldier's mother says U.S. Army is covering up murder

New details three months after daughter's death

February 04, 2010 11:36 PM

Colleen Murphy told a roomful of reporters she does not know who would have wanted her daughter dead or why, but she believes someone in the army is covering up whatever happened to 29-year-old Staff Sergeant Amy Seyboth-Tirador.

"I've been told too many lies...I don't trust them," Murphy said, referring to army investigators.

Five days after Seyboth-Tirador's death, Murphy and her former husband, Gerard Seyboth were saying it was not an accident and not a suicide. They said they had been briefed by two generals. They offered no theories on a motive, except that their daughter's work in intelligence gathering may have made her a target, something Murphy still sees as a possible scenario.

"I don't know if Amy found something out in her job, I don't know if it was an issue between people, but Amy was set up to be in place for the perfect suicide," Murphy says.

She says the unit her daughter's husband, Mickey, worked in arrived at her camp two weeks before her death, and says the couple were having troubles in their marriage - but Murphy says her daughter expected to try to fix the problems and was looking forward to coming back to the states in ten months.

According to Murphy, investigators said Tirador was heard cursing often, "more than usual", in the three days before her death and said she had argued with a superior about reports that were late.

"They're trying to pile up different issues in her life to say, 'Oh, she couldn't take it anymore so she went and blew her brains out."

The military has not released the cause of death - only that it was non-combat related. On Thursday Murphy reiterated what she has said for weeks: She believes someone set it up to make it appear her daughter killed herself. She says contractors found her daughter's body in a generator room at Camp Caldwell in Iraq, her 9mm pistol by her side, residue from a discharged weapon on her hands.

"I know I'll never find the answers out or who pulled the trigger, but I will not allow even our own government to take the dignity and honor away from Amy that she so rightly deserves." Murphy says a medical examiner told her he believes it's a suicide. She says she heard three different versions of where on her daughter's head she was shot.

Murphy says if it's ruled suicide, she expects Mickey Tirador will try to show otherwise by having his wife's body exhumed from Saratoga National Cemetery. She says she has an attorney and a private investigator.

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/army-1270835-murphy-told.html

--submitted by Patti Woodard

A Military Murder

In 2003, four U.S.. soldiers were charged with brutally murdering another member of the Army. A new book examines what happened, and why.

By Kari Lydersen

On December 13, Army Sgt. Lanny Davis, a retired Vietnam vet, died.

But those who knew and loved him say a big part of Davis died six years earlier, when his only son Richard was murdered at Fort Benning, Ga.--just days after returning from Iraq, and before he had even seen his parents. Richards body was found in a field near the base--dismembered, burned to a crisp, with jagged holes in his skull and teeth knocked out. Four of his fellow soldiers were charged.

A fictionalized account of Davis mysterious murder is given in the 2007 movie In the Valley of Elah. In Murder in Baker Company: How Four American Soldiers Killed One of their Own (Chicago Review Press, February 2010), Georgian author Cilla McCain tells the true story. She answers many of the questions raised by the movie, and clears up the queries that commonly run through viewers minds during films based on true stories: "Did that part really happen?" In this case, the most shocking and disturbing events did indeed occur.

Click here for the full article:

http://www.inthesetimes.com/main/article/5442/

Hold the Military Accountable For Negligent Medical Care

Urge Your Representative in Congress to Support

H.R. 1478: The Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act

Sgt. Carmelo Rodriguez, who was a decorated Marine and platoon leader in Iraq, died of skin cancer last year after a series of extraordinary mistakes and misdiagnoses made by military medical personnel. The cancer spread throughout Rodriguez's body and weakened him to the point that he went from being an athletic 190 pound man to weighing less than 80 pounds. Carmelo left behind a loving family, including a seven year old son. His family, however, has no recourse for this tragedy. A 1950 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, known as the Feres Doctrine, denies servicemen and women the ability to seek damages from the federal government for medical malpractice. Unfortunately, the Rodriguez family is not alone.

H.R. 1478, which New York Congressman Maurice Hinchey authored, holds the military accountable for its responsibility to military personnel and if enacted, will encourage the steps needed to improve military care so that more families do not experience what the Rodriguez family has endured.

It is imperative that the United States Congress put our military personnel on equal footing with all Americans. Joining the military should not mean that one has to give up his or her right to hold medical providers accountable.

What can you do to help?

1) Go to http://www.house.gov/

2) Type in your zip code to find your member of Congress

3) Call your member's Washington D.C. office and confidently share the following message:

Or, if you already know the name of your member of Congress, call the House of Representatives' switchboard and ask to be patched through to that office: (202) 224-3121.

"Hi, my name is (your name), and I am a constituent of (your member of Congress). I have a message that I would like you to share with the Congressperson and the legislative assistant handling defense or judiciary issues.

"I ask that (he/she) co-sponsor H.R. 1478, The Carmelo Rodriguez Military Medical Accountability Act. Our servicemen and women already make tremendous personal sacrifices by serving in our military; giving up the right to hold their medical providers accountable for negligent care should not be one of them. I respectfully request a written response and can be reached at (address, phone number). Thank you."

--submitted by Barb Cragnotti

Soldier's Mother Expects Suicide Finding

The mother of a U.S. soldier who grew up in Colonie says she expects military investigators to to conclude her daughter killed herself.

"It's going to come down a suicide," says Colleen Murphy, "and then there's going to be a fight." Murphy says she does not believe her daughter's death was suicide and suggested to CBS 6 News reporter Craig Smith the prospect of exhuming her daughter's body to help prove it.

According to the military, 29-year-old Staff Sergeant Amy Seyboth Tirador died last year on November 4 from a non-combat related injury. No other details have been released to reporters. "Please understand that we go to great lengths to ensure we have all the information possible and investigate the deaths of soldiers very thoroughly before making a final determination in the death," said Chris Grey, the Chief of Public Affairs for the USA Criminal Investigation Command, in an e-mail. Grey said that generally, if a case is completed and ruled a suicide that determination would be made public.

According to Murphy, investigators have asked her questions that lead her to believe that other scenarios have been ruled out and that investigators are heading toward a finding of suicide.

Murphy and Tirador's father, Gerard Seyboth have said their daughter was shot in the back of the head and they say it was not an accident. They have not suggested any theories on what may have happened. They say their daughter worked as an Arabic-speaking translator and interrogator in Iraq. Seyboth described his daughter as a "high-profile target" because of the nature of her work.

-- submitted by Patti Woodard

Army Releases December Suicide Date

The Army released suicide data today for the month of December. Among active-duty soldiers, there were ten potential suicides: one has been confirmed as suicide, and nine remain under investigation. For November, the Army reported 11 potential suicides among active-duty soldiers. Since the release of that report, three have been confirmed as suicides, and eight remain under investigation.


There were 160 reported active-duty Army suicides during 2009. Of these, 114 have been confirmed, and 46 are pending determination of manner of death. During 2008, there were 140 suicides among active-duty soldiers.

During December 2009, among reserve component soldiers who were not on active duty, there were six potential suicides. For the year 2009, among that same group, there were 78 total suicides. Of those, 49 were confirmed as suicides and 29 are pending determination of the manner of death. For 2008, there were 57 suicides among reserve soldiers who were not on active duty.

"There's no question that 2009 was a painful year for the Army when it came to suicides. We took wide-ranging measures last year to confront the problem, from the service-wide stand-down and chain-teach program, to enhanced suicide prevention programs and guidance for our Army units, and the suicide prevention research through our partnership with the National Institute of Mental Health," said Col. Christopher Philbrick, deputy director, Army Suicide Prevention Task Force.

SIn 2010, the Army will continue to update and conduct suicide prevention training and improve procedures to ensure soldiers and families receive the support they need when undergoing key transitions, such as moving to another duty station or separating from the Army.

As part of the ongoing Army Campaign Plan for Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, and Suicide Prevention, the Army Suicide Prevention Task Force will complete a thorough analysis and assessment of each of the Army's current suicide prevention programs to determine which are most effectively meeting the needs of the Army community.

"Our assessment will give us the data we need to make decisions about how our programs should be expanded or adjusted, while at the same time maintaining our focus on saving soldiers' lives," Philbrick added.

The Army's comprehensive list of Suicide Prevention Program information is located at http://www.armyg1.army.mil/hr/suicide/default.asp .

Army leaders can access current health promotion guidance in newly revised Army Regulation 600-63 (Health Promotion) at: http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/r600_63.pdf and Army Pamphlet 600-24 (Health Promotion, Risk Reduction and Suicide Prevention) at http://www.army.mil/usapa/epubs/pdf/p600_24.pdf .

Soldiers and families in need of crisis assistance can contact Military OneSource or the Defense Center of Excellence (DCoE) for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Outreach Center. Trained consultants are available from both organizations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The Military OneSource toll-free number for those residing in the continental U.S. is 1-800-342-9647. Their website address is http://www.militaryonesource.com/. Overseas personnel should refer to the Military OneSource website for dialing instructions for their specific location.

The DCoE Outreach Center can be contacted at 1-866-966-1020, via electronic mail at Resources@DCoEOutreach.org and at http://www.dcoe.health.mil .

Information about the Army's Comprehensive Soldier Fitness Program is located at http://www.army.mil/csf/.

--verbatim official DOD Press Release

Lessons Unlearned

From the Seattle Weekly:

Lessons Unlearned: Pentagon Report on the Massacre at Fort Hood Echoes The Murders at Camp Liberty

Bereaved Kin Push for Military Condolence Letters

To read this article in The New York Times, click here.

Grieving families forgotten

The families of nearly all service members who die in Iraq or Afghanistan, whether they are killed in action or die of non-combat injuries or illnesses, receive a letter of condolence from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Gates deserves commendation for the time and care he takes with these notes, which express gratitude for the service of the deceased and the sacrifices of the family.

But some families do not receive such letters of condolence: the families of troops who die by their own hand in the war zones.

Pentagon officials say there is no official policy to exclude families of suicide victims; it’s simply the way it’s always been done — “going back years, if not decades,” Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said in a December news conference.

That is no excuse for ignoring the pain of these families’ loss, which they feel no less keenly than do families of troops killed in action.

Failing to give official thanks to these families also furthers the harmful belief ingrained in military culture that service members who develop mental health problems in combat are somehow weak, their service somehow tainted.

The suicide rate is at a record high in the military. That suggests troops today are struggling to cope with truly extraordinary levels of mental and emotional stress.

Giving condolence letters to the families of suicide victims would send a powerful message of support and serve as a signal that the service of their loved ones was as valued and honorable as the service of those who died in combat.

Gates should show the same compassion to all families who sacrifice a loved one in wartime service, no matter how they die.

http://www.armytimes.com/community/opinion/army_editorial_families_011810/

--submitted by Patti Woodard

More on this topic:

Virginia Lawmakers Debate How to Honor Fallen Soldiers
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/01/va-lawmakers-debate-how-honor-fallen-veterans