When the kill zone follows them home

James Keenan, a member of the New Hampshire National Guard, made sure the rest of the members of his patrol made it safely out of the "kill zone" but no one saved him. The problem was, the only gun pointed at him at the time of his death, was in his own hands. Pulling the trigger was every memory he had.

Family and friends tried to help him and he asked for help from the VA. He was given drugs. Drugs that came with a warning about increased risk of suicide. For him, the kill zone followed him home after the danger to his life was supposed to be over.

Friends, family coping with a hero's suicide

By SHAWNE K. WICKHAM
New Hampshire Sunday News
Published Aug 14, 2011

A member of the Army Honor Guard presents a folded American flag to Robert Keenan during the funeral of his son, James. Holding another flag is James Keenan's mother, Sheila, and the soldier's son, Robbie, looks on.

According to the citation recommending him for the Bronze Star with Valor, Keenan “was facing the opposite direction and without hesitation traversed his turret 90 degrees and began engaging the ambush so that the last two vehicles in the patrol could move out of the kill zone.”

James Keenan was a “true-blue American hero,” and that's how his family wants people to remember him.

Keenan, a decorated New Hampshire Army National Guardsman, volunteered for two tours of duty in Iraq, earning the Bronze Star with Valor for saving his entire squad in an ambush nearly seven years ago.

The evening of June 29, Keenan died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in his Newmarket apartment.

Keenan, 33, left behind his parents and sister, a 7-year-old son, Robbie — and far more questions than answers.

And comrades say his death is a warning that returning troops and their families need more help to cope with post-combat stress.

According to a Newmarket police report, Keenan's girlfriend told police he had been “despondent” and was having “war-related nightmares''; he had gone to the Manchester VA two days earlier and had been given medication.

Police found drugs prescribed for depression and panic attacks in the apartment, including three that carry Food and Drug Administration warnings about possible increased risk of suicidal thoughts or actions.
read more here

Was he patriotic? Yes or he wouldn't have been willing to go when he didn't have to go.

Was he brave? Yes or he wouldn't have earned the Bronze Star for Valor and a lot more men would not have made it back home.

Did he care about others? Yes or he wouldn't have risked his life in combat any more than he would have been willing to risk it back home in the National Guards.

He wasn't ashamed to admit he needed help any more than he was ashamed to seek it out.

So what went wrong? Why is this hero no longer here? Why does another family have to bury someone they love after the combat boots came off? Why do the members of his company have to wonder what will happen when they need help to heal from where they were sent?