Jeff Lucey's Dad talks about Condolence Letters to families like his

"How often do you have to study a suicide epidemic?" asked Jeff's Dad. The answer is, congress has been more interested in listening to the tragic outcomes instead of what can be done.






Obama Reverses Policy Denying Condolence Letters to Families of U.S. Soldiers Who Commit Suicide

The Obama administration has reversed a longstanding U.S. policy to deny presidential condolence letters to families of soldiers who have committed suicide, saying it hopes to reduce the stigma associated with the mental health costs of war. Service member suicides have increased as some troops serve repeated tours of duty and suffer post-traumatic stress. The new condolence letter policy went into effect this month, but will not apply retroactively. Mental health and troop advocacy groups welcomed the change but said those who die outside war zones also should be recognized, and that more should be done to prevent suicide among service members. We speak to Gregg and Jannett Keesling, parents of Chancellor Keesling, a U.S. soldier who took his own life during his second tour of duty in Iraq; and Kevin Lucey, whose son, Jeff Lucey, took his own life after returning home from military duty in Iraq.
Obama Reverses Policy Denying Condolence Letters