"This is a nightmare that I'm not going to wake up from." Brenda Marles

West Palm Beach VA Medical Center 'failed' veteran who died by suicide, lawsuit says

WPTV
By: Dave Bohman
Jul 27, 2023

This is a case about not listening to the needs of a Marine veteran who was reaching out to get help

WPTV
Brenda Marles describes the heartbreak of losing her husband to suicide and why she is suing the West Palm Beach VA.

According to her lawsuit, he went to the VA in January 2021 complaining "of anxiety, hallucinations, chest pain, insomnia, night sweats, and 'having crazy dreams.'"

The suit claims his PTSD was triggered in part by the Jan. 6 siege on the nation’s capital days earlier.

But after two visits to the West Palm Beach VA, the suit claims Rico Marles told his wife, "he did not believe anyone in the [Emergency Department] took his complaints seriously." Instead, "he felt 'brushed off.'"

After returning from his second VA visit, Brenda Marles said she fell asleep next to her husband. Then heard, "the sound of a pop."

Rico Marles shot himself.

Brenda Marles said her husband's suicide left her diagnosed with PTSD.

"This is a nightmare that I'm not going to wake up from," she said. read more here

I hate to read something like this. Not just because it is so sad, but because it is still happening. Veterans fight our battles and then have to fight the government for what they need to heal and recover. They give up and then it is up to the families to fight for them. That's what happened to us in the '90s. My husband is still here and the VA is doing everything he needs. Once his claim was finally approved they have been wonderful but it was a hell of a battle to get there. The thing that wounds my soul the most is this is still happening and Brenda Marles has to fight the battle as a widow and her own battle with PTSD after her husband committed suicide. WHY?