Memorial grows at spot of soldier's suicide

Memorial grows at spot of soldier's suicide
By CATHY KELLY
Posted: 05/27/2009 01:30:57 AM PDT

SANTA CRUZ -- Red, white and blue flowers now mark the oceanfront spot where a soldier shot himself Friday, as people paid tribute to the accomplished infantryman.

Cards and notes at the scenic spot along West Cliff Drive thank Army Pfc. Roy Brooks Mason Jr. for his service to the country and convey condolences to his family.

Mason, 28, of Fairfield, was a decorated soldier who had been deployed to Iraq twice.

He was stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., and was reported missing from there Tuesday.

About 1:15 p.m. Friday, Mason called emergency dispatchers from a call box near West Cliff Drive and Stockton Avenue and told a dispatcher a dead body would be in a red Chevrolet Cobalt there, a car he had recently rented in Colorado. He asked that someone "clean up the area" before children saw anything.

Tuesday, those who had heard about Mason's death struggled to make sense of it.

One man parked near the overlook said he wasn't surprised to hear of the loss, as he had served in the Marine Corps and knew that "soldiers go through a lot."

Ingrid Smith of Santa Cruz stopped and took a moment to straighten a story about Mason that had partially fallen off a bench.

Smith said hearing about Mason's death angered her, as she believes the military needs to change the way it deals with those who need help.
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