AP reports on Capt. Linnerooth two months late

Army psychologist couldn't heal himself, lost battle to PTSD
UPDATE January 17, 2013
Department of Veterans Affairs Statement on Dr. Peter Linnerooth
UPDATE
Former Army psychologist critical of military commits suicide
By Andy Greder, Sarah Horner and Will Ashenmacher
Pioneer Press
Posted: 01/13/2013


On Jan. 2, Linnerooth, 42, killed himself in Mankato.

Linnerooth was awarded a Bronze Star after an honorable discharge in 2008 and became critical of the military's limited work on providing mental health care to soldiers, especially to those with PTSD, in the pages of Time magazine and the New York Times. Capt. Linnerooth will be buried with full military honors at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 14, at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

456 people read this post since it went up on 1/13/13. Odd how it only took Sharon Cohen two months to do this story if it mattered that much. She did do a good job on it though.  You should read about his life and the loss felt by many.

Vet Who Saved Many in Iraq Couldn't Escape Demons
By SHARON COHEN
AP National Writer
March 16, 2013 (AP)

He had a knack for soothing soldiers who'd just seen their buddies killed by bombs. He knew how to comfort medics sickened by the smell of blood and troops haunted by the screams of horribly burned Iraqi children.

Capt. Peter Linnerooth was an Army psychologist. He counseled soldiers during some of the fiercest fighting in Iraq. Hundreds upon hundreds sought his help. For nightmares and insomnia. For shock and grief. And for reaching that point where they just wanted to end it all.

Linnerooth did such a good job his Army comrades dubbed him The Wizard. His "magic" was deceptively simple: an instant rapport with soldiers, an empathetic manner, a big heart.

For a year during one of the bloodiest stretches of the Iraq war, Linnerooth met with soldiers 60 to 70 hours a week. Sometimes he'd hop on helicopters or join convoys, risking mortars and roadside bombs. Often, though, the soldiers came to his shoebox-sized "office" at Camp Liberty in Baghdad.

There they'd encounter a raspy-voiced, broad-shouldered guy who blasted Motorhead, Iron Maiden and other ear-shattering heavy metal, favored four-letter words and inhaled Marlboro Reds — once even while conducting a "stop smoking" class. He was THAT persuasive.
read more here

Does AP have a greater audience than a small time press like Pioneer? Sure they do but small media outlets get the story out when they happen, and so do the people who track these stories.