Army Spec. Alex Lotero PTSD and arrested for being AWOL

February 5th, 2008 8:33 pm
Dade soldier is a deserter, Army says


A Miami-Dade soldier who went public with his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder was arrested on a warrant for being a deserter, police and military officials said.

By David Ovalle / Miami Herald

Depression, nightmares and anxiety attacks plagued him after a roadside bomb obliterated his friends in Iraq.

He shared his plight with reporters and a congressional delegation. He complained about inadequate treatment and indifference from military superiors.

Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, Army Spec. Alex Lotero was a public casualty of the Iraq War -- and now the military says he's a deserter.

Shortly after he took his case public, Lotero deserted his base in Fort Carson, Colo., in June 2007, the military said. Lotero, 21, was arrested late last week after he was discovered by Miami-Dade police in Kendall.

Miami-Dade officers were called to a domestic dispute involving Lotero and his girlfriend in Kendall, where he had been hiding from military authorities.

Officer Keyfrem Guzman ran a routine records check on Lotero and discovered the Army had issued an arrest warrant for the goateed, tattooed soldier.

''He had no choice but to arrest him,'' said Miami-Dade Detective Mario Rachid, a police spokesman.

Lotero, who grew up in Miami and graduated from Sunset High, is being held at Miami-Dade County Jail.

According to Fort Carson spokeswoman Dee McNutt, Lotero had been absent without leave since June 2007. When base officials receive the report from Miami-Dade police, military personnel will pick him up from Miami-Dade's jail, she said.

Lotero's story came to light in May 2007 through Washington-based Veterans of America, which lobbies for rights for soldiers returning from combat zones.
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http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/latestnews/index.php?id=10890

How many times are we going to keep doing this? Sending them into combat and then refuse to take care of them if they get wounded is wrong. Lotero was from Fort Carson, the same Fort that did the bulk of the dishonorable discharges for "personality disorders" instead of treating them like the wounded warriors they all are.

The new commander of Fort Carson, Mark Graham, should move mountains to take care of his men the previous commander refused to take care of. He should make sure that Lotero gets the help and justice he needs instead of being locked up in a Miami jail.