Military PTSD-suicide in the news

Military PTSD-suicide in the news would not be happening if the other bills done over all these years actually worked......

Parents of Norfolk sailor who died by suicide hope Brandon Act passes this time; Event in VB will provide mental health resources for military

WASHINGTON (WAVY) — Legislation to provide better access to mental health services for military members will be re-introduced next week on Capitol Hill, and the parents of the sailor for whom the bill was named are hoping it will become law.

Brandon Caserta was 21 when he died by suicide on Naval Station Norfolk. He had washed out of SEAL training in San Diego, but so do the vast majority of those who even qualify for the training. The course is known as BUDS, or Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL training, and Caserta was mocked with the label “BUDS dud.”

Caserta ended his life by jumping into the rotor of a helicopter. A military investigation found that his lead petty officer’s abusive actions were a likely contributing factor, and that officer was removed from the position. read it here

Canadian Armed Forces reports 16 military suicides in 2020

OTTAWA — The Canadian Armed Forces says 16 service members took their own lives last year.

That represents a slight decline from the 20 military suicides reported in 2019, which was the largest number in five years.

The new figures nonetheless bring the total number of Canadian military personnel who have died by suicide over the last decade to 191. That is more than the 158 service members who were killed while serving in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. read it here

Canada" “Our (PTSD suffering) soldiers are chastised, treated like lepers.”

Canada treats veterans poorly, Fredericton doctor tells Desmond inquiry

Chronicle Herald
Aaron Beswick
Published: 6 hours ago

Smith filled out the form. Eleven months later, Desmond would use his licence to kill Shanna, his daughter Aaliyah and mother Brenda before shooting himself.

GUYSBOROUGH, N.S. — A Fredericton family doctor who works with many veterans took a harsh view of how Canada treats soldiers who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Shanna and Lionel Desmond hold their daughter Aaliyah in this photo from Shanna Desmond’s Facebook page.

“Our (PTSD suffering) soldiers are chastised, treated like lepers,” Dr. Paul Smith told the Desmond Fatality Inquiry on Monday.

“It’s all about pills and psychotherapy. It’s pathetic. There’s nothing about developing relationships, which (are) what makes the world happen.”

Lionel Desmond appeared at Smith’s office in July 2015.

He’d just been discharged from the military, his marriage was on the rocks and money was short.

Diagnosed in 2011 with PTSD and suspected brain damage from concussions during a tour on the frontlines of Afghanistan in 2007, Desmond had already been prescribed antidepressants and drugs to help him sleep.
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Canadian Troops Learned of Suicide by Tweet

Jason Kenney's tweet confirming soldier's death sparked anger, frustration 
OTTAWA CITIZEN
LEE BERTHIAUME
Published on: March 2, 2015

“Yeah, thanks to Jason Kenney!?!?” Perry wrote. “How is he tweeting this before the (chain of command). My soldiers had to find out from CBC.”

Canadian reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo is pictured in an undated photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Facebook
THE CANADIAN PRESS

Internal emails show a minister’s tweet sparked confusion, frustration and anger as Cpl. Nathan Cirillo’s comrades learned about the Canadian soldier’s death on Oct. 22 from news reports rather than through official military channels.

Cirillo was standing guard with another soldier in front of the National War Memorial shortly before 10 a.m. that morning when a lone gunman shot him in the back. The gunman then drove to Parliament Hill and rushed through the main doors of the Centre Block, where he was killed in a shootout with RCMP officers and Hill security staff.

The unprecedented attack prompted an immediate lockdown of military and federal institutions across Canada, amid fears of a co-ordinated assault on Ottawa and an absence of concrete information.

But 15 minutes later, at 1:40 p.m., then-employment minister Jason Kenney became the first to confirm that the 24-year-old reservist had died, tweeting: “Condolences to family of the soldier killed, & prayers for the Parliamentary guard wounded.” Kenney has since been named defence minister.

The minister’s comment sparked a flurry of news reports. In response, Sgt. Tim Perry of the Canadian Forces’ Ceremonial Guards emailed his commanding officer, Maj. Michel Lavigne, at 1:53 p.m., saying: “I need a padre and confirmation if Cpl. (Cirillo) is dead or not. My guys are learning from CBC on his status.”
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Patrice Vincent, soldier killed in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, was close to retirement

Patrice Vincent, soldier killed in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, was close to retirement
Warrant officer served in the military for 28 years
CBC News
Posted: Oct 23, 2014

The family of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, who was killed Monday when he was struck in a targeted hit and run in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., is struggling to come to terms with his death.

“It's actually hard for us.… When it happens to somebody else in Canada — you hear that on the news — personally it touches me, but when it's closer to your family, it's harder to accept that,” said Vincent’s cousin and former soldier Sylvain Guerette.

'“My cousin was a nice guy … always ready to help, always smiling.' —Sylvain Guerette, cousin of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent

“When you lose a member of your family, especially in the Armed Forces, it's harder because you would like to be there. You would like to do something, but you can't.”

Guerette said Vincent had been thinking about retirement.
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Cpl. Nathan Cirillo's Dogs Wait For Him To Come Home

Gut-Wrenching Photos: Dogs Belonging to Canadian Soldier Killed in Terrorist Attack Seemingly Wait for Their Master to Return
The Blaze
Jason Howerton
Oct. 23, 2014

(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Peter Power)

TORONTO (TheBlaze/AP) — Canadians mourned the army reservist killed in a terrorist attack on Parliament Hill, with friends remembering Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as a devoted father so ready to make people smile that he was once known as the class clown.

Gut-wrenching photos showing Cirillo’s dogs seemingly waiting for their master to return also emerged Thursday. Cirillo, a 24-year-old a reservist from Hamilton, Ontario, was shot dead as he stood guard before the country’s Tomb of the Unknown soldier, that start of an attack Wednesday that ended with a lone gunman storming into Parliament and opening fire before being shot dead himself.
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Ottawa shooting: Haunting last picture of soldier Nathan Cirillo moments before he was killed

Canada: Cpl. Nathan Cirillo Killed Guarding Tomb of Unknown

Gunman, soldier dead after series of shootings in Ottawa including at Canadian Parliament
By RYAN GORMAN
Oct 22nd 2014

A Canadian soldier is dead after being shot at a Canadian National War Memorial by a suspect who was killed as he stormed the Canadian Parliament, officials said, and there may be more shooters still on the loose.

The gunman was shot dead by the parliament's sergeant-at-arms after he shot Cpl. Nathan Cirillo while he stood guard over the tomb of the unknown soldier at the National War Monument just before 10:00 a.m. Wednesday.
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Michael Zehaf-Bibeau Named As Ottawa Shooter By U.S. Media
The Huffington Post Canada
Posted: 10/22/2014

CBS Evening News says it has identified a dead suspect in the shooting of a soldier in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The network tweeted just before 1 p.m. that the shooter was Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a Canadian who was born in 1982.

NBC reported that he was born as Michael Joseph Hall.

Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, was raised in Quebec, according to CTV News, and was a Canadian convert to Islam, Reuters said.

Canadian authorities had considered him a "high-risk traveller" and his passport was taken away, according to The Globe and Mail.

Global News reporter Domenic Fazioli tweeted that Zehaf-Bibeau's name appears three times in Montreal's court database following arrests for possession of marijuana and PCP in 2004.
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Canadian Veteran Released Early After Standoff, Attempted Suicide, Committed Suicide

How much more had to go wrong for this veteran? He survived a standoff with police. He was taken to the hospital for help. Sounds good until the 72 hours he was supposed to be there turned out to be only 24. Early discharge came after he tried to kill himself in the hospital. Two tours of duty in Afghanistan yet this is how his life ended?

Canadian soldier involved in standoff with police dies by suicide
CTVNews.ca Staff
Published Tuesday, September 16, 2014

A few days after the standoff, Demers attempted suicide and was taken to a psychiatric ward. He was supposed to be on a 72-hour-hold, but was released after 24 hours.

A Canadian soldier who was involved in a 40-hour standoff with Ontario Provincial Police last month has died by suicide.

Master Cpl. Denis Demers, a Canadian Forces medical technician who served two tours in Afghanistan, was found dead on Sept. 12, CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson reported Tuesday.

Demers, 44, was involved in a lengthy standoff with police in Petawawa, Ont., at the end of August. The standoff ended peacefully and Demers was taken to a local hospital.
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Canadian soldiers waiting six months for help with PTSD

Soldiers with PTSD waiting up to 6 months for help
Documents obtained by CBC News show long delays for access to specialized military PTSD program
CBC News
Posted: Aug 01, 2014

For many soldiers, admitting they need help is the first, and hardest step, retired reservist Kurt Grant told CBC News.
(Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)

Canadian soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder have waited up to six months for assessments and treatment, CBC News has learned.

The wait times are for access to a special operational stress and trauma treatment program at seven locations across the country.

Figures for 2013 obtained by CBC News show that, for example, Ottawa-based soldiers in need of a psychiatric appointment had to wait up to four months.

Getting into the specialized program took another three weeks.

In Halifax, soldiers waited almost six months in some cases for access to the program.

Reservist Kurt Grant told CBC News that those wait times can be dangerous.

"People have committed suicide during the wait periods. And people as a result of the wait periods have decided to change their minds," he said.

Grant, a longtime professional soldier who served with the Canadian Forces in Croatia, said it took years to realize he suffered from PTSD.

VIDEO |​ Post traumatic stress disorder: Is the Canadian military dealing with the issue?

ANALYSIS: Why Ottawa ignored the military's PTSD epidemic
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Canadian Soldier sues government after financial loss from move

Veteran soldier sues federal government after costly move
HALIFAX — The Canadian Press
ALISON AULD
Published Sunday, Apr. 13 2014

A 24-year veteran of the Canadian military is taking the federal government to court Tuesday to recover thousands of dollars he lost on his home when he was posted to another base and got little compensation through a program that he says has caused financial hardship for dozens of members.

Maj. Marcus Brauer will be in federal court to seek a judicial review of a decision by the Treasury Board that concluded he should receive only $15,000 for an $88,000 loss he took on the sale of his house in Alberta upon moving to Halifax in 2007.

Maj. Brauer said the unique case is being watched closely by other members who have suffered losses on home sales when they get posted to new bases, but usually only collect a portion of those losses through a federal home-equity assistance program.
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Canadian Wounded Troops Forced to Not Criticize Superiors?

Newspaper: Canada muzzles wounded warriors
Marine Corps Times
By Jeff Schogol
Staff Writer
April 4, 2014

Wounded Canadian troops are required to sign an agreement that prohibits them from criticizing their superior officers or how they are being treated, Canada’s The National Post newspaper is reporting.

The form says that wounded warriors cannot “write anything that might discourage others or make them dissatisfied with their conditions or their employment,” the newspaper reported on Wednesday.

A senior Canadian military official said the form is meant to prevent mentally and physically wounded troops from writing something on social media that they may regret later, but he acknowledged the agreement also limits what they can tell news media, according to the National Post.

The Canadian military calls the agreement “guidance,” not a restriction, but the head of the Canadian army has vowed to punish any service member who speaks to the news media without permission following a string of leaked information about how budget cuts have harmed readiness, the newspaper reported.
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Memorial held for Canadian Soldier after Suicide

Memorial held for latest soldier to take his own life
Pressure grows to provide more support to veterans in crisis following latest military suicide
CBC News Canada
Posted: Mar 24, 2014

Master Cpl. Tyson Washburn, 37, died in Pembroke, Ont., in mid-March as the latest in a long list of Canadian soldiers to commit suicide in recent months.
(CBC)

There was a solemn farewell in Central Blissville, N.B., on Monday as the latest Canadian soldier to take his own life was remembered.

Master Cpl. Tyson Washburn, 37, died in Pembroke, Ont., in mid-March as the most recent in a long list of soldiers to commit suicide in recent months, many after struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Washburn joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a cook in 2006 and was deployed to Afghanistan from July to October 2010.

While his family and friends said goodbye in New Brunswick, pressure grew elsewhere in the country to provide more support to veterans in crisis.

Washburn's death came just three days before the last plane load of Canadian soldiers returned home from Afghanistan to promises from government and military leaders that soldiers who fought would be taken care of back home.

But for many who fought, including former soldier Bruce Moncur, those words rung hollow.

"The biggest issue here is the triple-D policy: delay-deny-die policies," said Moncur. "Soldiers are given denials and delays until they get frustrated, throw up hands their hands and don't pursue the services they need."
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Bomb sniffing dog adopted by contractor he saved

Layton man injured in Afghanistan adopts 'hero' dog
Deseret News
By Emiley Morgan
Published: Saturday, March 15 201

LAYTON — On May 9, 2010, John Logie, his body full of shrapnel, was loaded into a helicopter and flown from Afghanistan to Germany after being injured by an improvised explosive device.

He said his K9 partner, Balto, watched as he was loaded up.

"He's looking at me like, 'Where are you going, Dad?'" Logie recalled.

Saturday, the same dog stared down the same man, as Logie arrived to pick up Balto from the Delta Cargo warehouse at the Salt Lake City International Airport as his new owner.

"This is my hero right here," Logie said as the dog was released from his kennel. "He saved my life multiple times and now it's time for him to go home and sit on the couch."

Logie said he began working with Balto when he went to Afghanistan in 2009. Working as a contracted handler first with the U.S. Special Forces, then the Canadian Military, the pair spent almost a year together searching for explosives and clearing the way for troops until the day Logie was injured.

"When you're over there in that kind of condition, the dog is pretty much on your hip 24/7," Logie said. "You sleep with him, live with him, eat with him… He's got a good sniffer on him. He found a lot before I got hurt."

On May 9, 2010, Logie said he and Balto were sent out to clear a compound near some grape fields where explosives were often buried. Picking up some IED residue from a nearby building, Balto pulled Logie toward the structure — and away from a powerful "primary" IED.

Logie hit a secondary IED, which sent shrapnel through his left arm and leg, parts of his right leg and arm and damaged his hearing. But he believes hitting the less powerful explosive spared his life.
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Military intelligence lacking when troops are blamed for PTSD

Military intelligence lacking when troops are blamed for PTSD
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 4, 2014

MP Cheryl Gallant under fire for PTSD comment. What did she say? "The stigma that has to be overcome is a stigma within themselves," Gallant said on January 30.

If she avoids seeing the obvious, that is her problem. The obvious point is that after a decade of attempts to get the stigma out of the way with billions spent by nations, 40 years of research on PTSD, it isn't the fault of soldiers they still don't understand it. The fault belongs to the leaders of the nations sending men and women to fight their battles but refuse to return the favor by fighting for them.

This is not just the twisted logic of Canadian officials. Here in the US we have the same ignorance.

On a Veterans Day broadcast program, televangelist Kenneth Copeland and controversial historian David Barton told listeners that soldiers should never experience guilt or post-traumatic stress disorder after returning from military service.

General Ray Odierno blamed soldiers and their families.

Some of it is just personal make-up. Intestinal fortitude. Mental toughness that ensures that people are able to deal with stressful situations.

But it also has to do with where you come from. I came from a loving family, one who gave lots of positive reinforcement, who built up psychologically who I was, who I am, what I might want to do. It built confidence in myself, and I believe that enables you to better deal with stress. It enables you to cope more easily than maybe some other people.

Major General Dana Pittard blamed soldiers for suicide

“I have now come to the conclusion that suicide is an absolutely selfish act,” he wrote on his official blog recently. “I am personally fed up with soldiers who are choosing to take their own lives so that others can clean up their mess. Be an adult, act like an adult, and deal with your real-life problems like the rest of us.”

All of this has been so bad that a group of soldiers decided to do a video about the military feeding the stigma of PTSD.

If they understood what they needed to know, there there would be no stigma left. Had the military done their jobs there would be no reason for any of them to not get the help they need.

Canadian inquest shows military ethos prevents seeking help for PTSD

It is the same thing in the US.

‘Military ethos’ prevents veterans from getting help, ex-soldier testifies at Prince George inquest
PRINCE GEORGE CITIZEN
BY MARK NIELSEN
JANUARY 29, 2014

A “military ethos” is preventing Canadian veterans from seeking the help they need for such problems as post-traumatic stress disorder, a coroners inquest into the death of Greg Matters heard Wednesday.

Tim Laidler, who served in Afghanistan in 2008 before leaving the military, said “very thorough” support is available through such organizations as the Veterans Transition Network, a non-profit group that provides counselling services.

“The problem is it’s not within the military ethos and the veterans’ culture to actually access that service, to stand up and ask for help,” Laidler said in giving testimony at the Prince George courthouse via telephone from Vancouver, where he attends the University of B.C.

Matters was a 15-year veteran of the Canadian military who did a tour in Bosnia before receiving an honourable discharge in 2009. It was not until late 2010, however, that he began receiving counselling for PTSD, the inquest has heard.

An RCMP emergency response team shot and killed Matters on his family’s Prince George property on the evening of Sept. 10, 2012, some 40 hours after he ran his brother off the road. Matters’ possible state-of-mind at the time of his death has been a major topic during the inquest.
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Canadian military billed husband after wife committed suicide?

After veteran's death, government demands $581 benefits repayment
CTV News
January 28, 2014

Just days after the funeral of a Canadian veteran who died of suicide on Christmas Day, her husband received a letter from Veterans Affairs saying the family must repay a portion of her monthly disability cheque.

The letter, dated Jan. 9 -- a day after retired Cpl. Leona MacEachern’s husband publicly revealed that her death was in fact a suicide -- expresses condolences to the family while asking for a repayment of $581.67.

In an email to CTV News, Tom MacEachern called it “a slap in the face.”

“(I) didn’t know whether to laugh or cry…was breathless actually,” he said.

The letter from Veterans Affairs begins with: “We have recently been advised of the death of Mrs. MacEachern. Our most sincere sympathy is extended to you and your family at this time.”

It goes on to say that “Earnings Loss benefits paid under the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act are payable up to the day of Mrs. MacEachern’s death.
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Canadian veterans furious over 8th suicide

Veterans demand action on military suicides after latest death
OTTAWA CITIZEN
BY CHRIS COBB
JANUARY 19, 2014

OTTAWA — Another member of the Canadian armed forces has died in an apparent suicide — the eighth in a little more than two months — bringing a furious reaction from a national veterans’ advocacy group.

The military confirmed Sunday that Lieut.-Col. Stéphane Beauchemin died in Limoges, just outside Ottawa, on Thursday last week but refused to confirm that the helicopter pilot had taken his own life.

Beauchemin, a veteran of deployments in Haiti in 1997 and Bosnia in 1999, was a client of the Joint Personnel Support Unit centre in Ottawa, the unit into which mentally and physically injured troops are posted before leaving the forces or returning to work.

Although the vast majority posted into JPSU are ultimately released from the military, a unit spokesman said Sunday that the officer was on a back-to-work program.
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'Final desperate act': husband talks of wife-soldier's suicide

Military confirmed another suicide

CFB Suffield base commander Lt.-Col. Sean Hackett confirmed Thursday that Cpl. Adam Eckhardt of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry took his own life on Jan 3. The 29-year-old Trenton, Ont. native, a married father of two, showed no outward signs of depression and had not sought treatment, said Hackett.

'Final desperate act': husband reveals details of another Canadian soldier's suicide
CTVNews.ca
Staff
January 8, 2014

What initially appeared to be a tragic Christmas Day accident on an Alberta highway was actually the “final desperate act” of a Canadian soldier who died of suicide, her husband has revealed to CTV News.

Retired Cpl. Leona MacEachern, a 20-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, intentionally drove her car into an oncoming transport truck on the Trans-Canada highway near Calgary, her husband Tom said in a written statement.

The Dec. 25. crash instantly killed the 51-year-old who served with the military police and in the First Gulf War. The two occupants of the tractor trailer were not seriously hurt.

MacEachern, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, had left a note for her family.

Her loved ones believe that she developed PTSD as a result of “protracted battles” with Veterans Affairs over medical benefits for dental work she had done in the late 1980s, while she was stationed in Germany during the First Gulf War.

“We would like to say that Leona had slipped through the cracks in the system but, in fact, there does not seem to be ‘a system,’” Tom wrote, noting that MacEachern’s PTSD treatment consisted of seeing a psychiatrist for 45 minutes a week.

“When symptoms became worse she was referred into the Alberta Public Health care system which was even worse,” Tom said.

“Various medications led to new side effects and symptoms and assessments were done on lockdown psychiatric wards alongside the deeply disturbed and those under observation in relation to criminal matters. A couple of visits to emergency rooms when she reported suicidal thoughts were met with a quick visit by the ‘crisis team’ who then sent her home.”
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Canadian Sailor's body discovered in Africa

HMCS Toronto sailor found dead during port visit in Seychelles 
CTV News Canada
January 2, 2014

A member of the Canadian Armed Forces has died in the small African island nation of Seychelles, the Department of National Defence said Thursday evening, adding that his death was non-combat related.

Lt. Andrew F. Webster, 33, was based out of CFB Halifax in Nova Scotia.

He was found dead in his hotel room just after 12:15 p.m. local time on Thursday, the department said in a statement.

The Dartmouth, N.S man was a member of HMCS Toronto, a navy ship which had made a scheduled port visit to the city of Victoria, the capital of Seychelles, the department said.
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Canadian MP faces court martial over PTSD service dog

Soldier faces court martial for bringing service dog to work
CTV Atlantic
December 20, 2013

A New Brunswick-based soldier is facing a court martial for bringing a service dog to work.

Stuart Murray is a military police officer who did two tours in Afghanistan and one in Bosnia.

The 43-year-old suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has a dog named Vivian to help ease the symptoms. However, Murray has been charged with disobeying a lawful order because he brought Vivian to work against orders.

Stewart Murray, who suffers from PTSD, is facing a court martial for bringing a service dog to work.

“This dog is like medicine to him,” says Nova Scotia NDP MP Peter Stoffer. “You certainly wouldn’t refuse someone who is a diabetic from bringing their medicine to work.”

Murray was directed by the military to go to a civilian psychiatrist because of his illness and he was prescribed the service dog.

“It is a service dog. The psychiatrist recommended that this individual have this dog to do his day-to-day chores,” says Stoffer.

Retired Air Force Capt. Medric Cousineau knows Murray and he too suffers from PTSD. He left the military in 1991.

“I had a recurring horrible night terror every morning at 4:30,” he says.

Cousineau, who received Canada’s second highest order for bravery for a rescue at sea, was in a downward spiral for 25 years until August 2012, when he received his own service dog.

“She’s my savior,” he says.
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Canadian Soldier with PTSD no longer faces discharge

Soldier with PTSD no longer faces discharge
Bay Today Canada
Murray Brewster and Terry Pedwell, The Canadian Press
December 05, 2013

OTTAWA - Master Cpl. Kristian Wolowidnyk is no longer facing an imminent discharge from the Canadian Forces because of his post-traumatic stress disorder.

The former combat engineer and Afghan war veteran, who survived a recent suicide attempt, was told this week that he now qualifies to remain in the military as part of a prolonged release process for injured soldiers.

The change of Wolowidnyk's classification means that upon his eventual release, he will have reached the 10-year service mark and will qualify for a fully indexed military pension.

For Wolowidnyk and his wife, Michele, the news eliminated a major source of stress. But more than that, they say it validated his psychological injuries.

"They've recognized his injury, I think is a lot of it," Michele Wolowidnyk said in an interview Thursday.

"Not just that his release is not pending anymore, but that they've recognized this is a very serious injury for him and now he's going to get the proper treatment going forward."

Until Wednesday morning, it appeared Wolowidnyk — father to a two-year-old child — would be discharged, even though he was desperate to stay in the Forces and re-qualify for another military trade.

He tried to kill himself on Nov. 21 — two days after being told he was being discharged.
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