Local dad welcomes condolence letters for military suicides

Local dad welcomes condolence letters for military suicides

By Dave Tarrant
dtarrant@dallasnews.com
Jul. 11, 2011
Four years ago, Jeff McKinney was a 40-year-old master sergeant on his second tour in Iraq, who had survived multiple roadside bombs and had just been appointed the top enlisted soldier of his unit.

But after five soldiers in his unit were killed by a roadside bomb, the stress apparently overwhelmed him. Just after finishing a routine patrol on the morning of July 11, 2007, he shot himself.

He left behind a wife and baby in Germany and his parents, who live in Bedford.

Later, Jeff's father, Charles McKinney, was surprised and angry when told by an Army casualty assistance officer that families of a suicide victims did not receive condolence letters from the president, which were only given to service members killed in action.

He felt that his son had more than honorably served his country during his two tours of combat and, in fact, was a casualty of the war. He became an advocate, joining several other military families, to change the policy.

Now he's getting his wish.
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Local dad welcomes condolence letters for military suicides