Pfc. David L. Potter, missing name on monument

When you read this article you'll discover how some people said his name did not belong there. Yes, that attitude lives on. Some people just don't get that had he not served this country, he probably would still be alive. Potter committed suicide in Iraq but what cannot be dismissed is that he had been kept in Iraq even though he had already been diagnosed with PTSD and tried to commit suicide before this.

Missing name on monument a mistake; it can be righted
Ken Herman, Commentary

FORT HOOD — The obits and news stories noting the death of Pfc. David L. Potter of Johnson City, Tenn., told us a little about his 22-year life.

He was born in New Hampshire, graduated from high school in Tennessee and studied art at East Tennessee State University. He joined the Army reserves to help pay for college. He signed on for active duty and was stationed at Fort Hood.

Family members said he didn't seem to be the military type, but he was inspired by the service of his father and an older brother.

"He'd hoped to one day become a pastry chef," a Knoxville, Tenn., television station told viewers.

From Fort Hood, Potter was deployed to Iraq and served as a cook and security guard. He died in Baghdad on Aug. 7, 2004, of what the Army called "non-combat related injuries."

Potter killed himself. The Hartford Courant, in a 2006 study of military suicides, noted that he had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression while in Iraq.

"Potter remained with his unit in Baghdad despite a suicide attempt and a psychiatrist's recommendation that he be separated from the Army, records show," the Courant reported. "Ten days after the recommendation was signed, he slid a gun out from under another soldier's bed, climbed to the second floor of an abandoned building and shot himself through the mouth, the Army has concluded."
read more here
Missing name on monument a mistake