Military suicides to be topic of tonight's forum at Lewis-McChord

Military suicides to be topic of tonight's forum
Former Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers are hosting a forum tonight on military suicides, aiming to draw attention to strains felt by service members who go on multiple combat deployments.

ADAM ASHTON; STAFF WRITER
Former Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers are hosting a forum tonight on military suicides, aiming to draw attention to strains felt by service members who go on multiple combat deployments.

It is centered on the March 2010 suicide of Spc. Derrick Kirkland, who hanged himself at Lewis-McChord after he was evacuated from Iraq because of concerns about his psychological health.

Kirkland, of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, twice tried to kill himself in Iraq before his fellow soldiers had him sent back to Lewis-McChord. He raised a shotgun to his mouth in one incident.

When he arrived at Lewis-McChord, a Madigan Army Medical Center psychologist evaluated the Stryker soldier as a low risk for suicide, and the Army placed him in base housing where he was not assigned a roommate, according to documents obtained by The News Tribune. He killed himself within a few days.

Read more

Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Two Lewis-McChord soldiers committed suicide in front of others

Police investigating two apparent soldiers suicides in recent weeks
By Austin Jenkins

Police in Lakewood, Wash., are investigating the apparent suicides of two soldiers from the nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord in recent weeks. In both cases, police say the soldiers shot themselves in the presence of someone else.

The first soldier to die was Spc. Rory Johnson, age 29. He was part of the hard hit 5th Stryker Brigade that deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.

Eleven days after Johnson's death, Spc. Jonathon Gilbert shot himself. He was just 21 and had deployed to Iraq in 2009.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

LEWIS-MCCHORD soldier called liar and coward after three suicide attempts, hung himself
Sgt. Derrick Kirkland is a casualty of the military. He tried to commit suicide three times but when he tried to get help, he was called a liar and coward. While we read glowing reports of how the military has gotten their act together on addressing combat PTSD, the truth is far from what is reported. Will any of the leadership at Lewis-McChord be held accountable? Doubt it since there has already been an "investigation" the members of his unit do not agree with. After all, they were there by his side. What kind of message does this send to everyone else coming home with PTSD? It tells them the DOD is full of of it and they will be less likely to seek help or say a word about how much they need it.

We can excuse it when they refuse to seek help as if that is supposed to make any sense but when they do ask for help, in this case, scream for help, and they don't get it, we'll see the numbers of needless deaths go up.

Military veterans: Soldier suicides now at epidemic rate
By Keith Eldridge Published: Aug 10, 2011

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD -- When the 4th Stryker brigade returned home from Iraq last year, the soldiers were met with smiles and warm hugs.

Missing from their ranks was Sgt. Derrick Kirkland. The husband and father had been sent home from Iraq five months earlier after trying to commit suicide three times.

"The doctors at Madigan (Army Hospital), for some reason after three suicide attempts in a matter of a couple of weeks, rated Kirkland as low-risk for suicide," said Army veteran Mike Prysner.

Fellow unit members say Kirkland returned to his rear detachment unit at JBLM where he was allegedly called a liar and a coward.

"After mocking him on a Friday night, he was sent to a room by himself, which is complete contradiction to anybody who has any amounts of common sense," said fellow soldier Kevin Baker.

"He was placed by himself, and he was found Sunday morning. He'd hung himself in a closet."
read more here

After 8 deployments, Army Ranger takes own life at Lewis McChord
Widow: After 8 deployments, Army Ranger takes own life
By Keith Eldridge Published: Aug 12, 2011
JOINT BASE LEWIS MCCHORD, Wash. - A soldier's widow says his fellow Army Rangers wouldn't do anything to help him before he took his own life - after eight deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Army found Staff Sgt. Jared Hagemann's body at a training area of Joint Base Lewis McChord a few weeks ago.

A spokesman for the base tells KOMO News that the nature of the death is still undetermined. But Staff Sgt. Hagemann's widow says her husband took his own life - and it didn't need to happen.

"It was just horrible. And he would just cry," says Ashley Hagemann.

Ashley says her husband Jared tried to come to grips with what he'd seen and done on his eight deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"And there's no way that any God would forgive him - that he was going to hell," says Ashley. "He couldn't live with that any more."

Ashley says her Army Ranger husband wanted out of the military.

"He just wanted to know what it felt like to be normal again," she says.

Staff Sgt. Hagemann had orders to return to Afghanistan this month for a ninth tour of duty.

Instead, on June 28, Ashley says her husband took a gun and shot himself in the head on base. She claims the Rangers never took his pleas for help seriously.
read more here

Do you think something like this is long overdue?