Seventh Iraq war veteran kills himself

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040316-040640-6755r

WASHINGTON, March 16 (UPI) -- A Colorado-based Army Special Forces soldier back from Iraq shot himself in the head in his front yard Sunday night, according to police -- at least the seventh soldier who has committed suicide after serving there.

William Howell, 36, shot himself after following his wife around the yard with a handgun, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. Howell served with the 10th Special Forces group in Iraq and returned to Fort Carson last month, according to the Army.

Another soldier who was attached to that unit in Iraq, Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany, has claimed that the 10th Special Forces Group ignored him when he sought help with mental problems there, and then charged him with cowardice instead. Pogany, 32, also says the Army is ignoring the side effects of an anti-malaria drug called Lariam he took with the Special Forces, which has been linked to mental problems, aggression and suicides.

The Army's Special Operations Command did not respond to a question Tuesday about whether Howell had taken the drug or had sought help for mental health concerns.

more

[leftchick]

1. Seven?!?

I thought I read a while back it was many more than that. So sad...
:(


on edit: I thought so.....

<Like the breeze of late winter, a single word, unspoken, has rippled through the recent funerals of several U.S. service members returned from Iraq. Families and military press officers have different reasons for tight lips on the topic. But suicide among Iraq war soldiers, 29 cases by recent count, says volumes about drooping troop morale and raises further doubts about how accurately the toll on service members is being measured and how much more they will bear.>

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18069

This is one very sad article.

[0007]

4. I think the numbers for suicides are 22 or 23 in Iraq

and maybe 7 for troops that have returned to the States.

[leftchick]

7. I went back and read it again...

<at least the seventh soldier who has committed suicide after serving there.>

It sounds to me like they are parsing numbers again.

[Racenut20]

2. So sad

[dbt]

3. All glories to bu$h!

May this soldier's blood be in his dreams from now on. Let all the True Rewards of the War For Profit share his pillow for the rest of his life, and may he live to be 100.

:cry:
dbt
(I live in a Rogue Nation)

[Mairead]

9. No, not all: Kerry helped.

And plans to continue to help. Let's be clear about this, okay?

[gottaB]

5. Lariam probably contributed

In my experience Lariam triggered psychotic episodes and bouts of tortuous depression. Luckily nobody was killed.

[Columbia]

12. I took Lariam / mefloquine

I got a little testy, but no "psychotic episodes and bouts of tortuous depression." YMMV.

[patricia92243]

6. No wonder Bush is obsessed with Iraq. In his heart of heart, he knows the

war was about revenge for assault on Daddy.

[lebkuchen]

8. This is the soldier who had been dubbed a "coward"

Someone should be fired.

[tlcandie]

10. 1,700 American soldiers ditched their duty?!

From the linked article:

<snip>
The French magazine Le Canard Enchaine reports that 1,700 American soldiers have ditched their Iraq duty.
<snip>

I don't recall having heard this HIGH number before? Sad, truly sad. Not only are our soldiers cannon fodder to this cabal and the military, they are also guinea pigs for all the latest shots that haven't had research to bear them out!

LOTS in this world and even moreso, in this country, needs to change damned fast!

[proud patriot]

11. :-(

So sad :-(