Soldier Barricades Himself Inside House on Fort Bliss

Soldier Barricades Himself Inside House on Fort Bliss

By Kai Porter - Weekend Anchor/Reporter
Sunday, November 6, 2011 - 5:09pm
EL PASO - A tense situation has been unfolding at Fort Bliss for most of the afternoon.

A soldier is barricaded inside of the Hays Housing Complex near the intersection of Fred Wilson and Dyer. He's reportedly armed and suicidal. The Fort Bliss Special Response Team secured the area around the complex around 1:00 p.m. Sunday, including parts of an El Paso neighborhood.

The post says no shots have been fired, but that's really all they're saying at this hour. We're monitoring the situation closely, and will bring you the latest information as we get it.
go here for updates

Lucas Senescall's suicide raises questions about PTSD care

When will they get the message that the suicide hot line is great but they need to have the rest of the VA up to speed or all it does is prolong the suffering?

Army Vet's Suicide Raises Questions About VA's Treatment of PTSD Cases
Written by Jason Leopold
Thursday, 14 August 2008
by Jason Leopold

The tragic death earlier this month of a 26-year-old Navy veteran who hung himself with an electrical cord while under the care of a Spokane, Washington Veterans Administration hospital depression underscores what veterans advocacy groups say is evidence of an epidemic of suicides due failures by the VA to identify and treat war veterans afflicted with severe mental health problems.

Lucas Senescall, who suffered from severe depression, was the sixth veteran who committed suicide this year after seeking treatment at the Spokane VA, according to a report published last weekend in the Spokesman Review.

Senescall’s father said his son was “begging for help and [the VA] kicked him to the curb,” according to the July 20 report in the Spokesman Review.

On Tuesday, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wa, addressed the increasing number of war veterans who are committing suicide, specifically pointing out the death of Lucas Senescall, during a speech on the Senate floor.


“More than five years [after the start of the Iraq war], we should have the resources in place to treat the psychological wounds of war as well as we do the physical ones. But we don’t,” Murray said. “When someone with a history of depression, PTSD, or other psychological wounds walks into the VA and says they are suicidal, it should set off alarm bells We can’t convince veterans or service members to get care if they think they will be met with lectures and closed doors. That is unacceptable. At the very least, we must ensure that staff at military and VA medical centers have the training to recognize and treat someone who is in real distress.

“Time and again, it has taken leaks and scandals to get the Administration to own up to major problems at the VA – from inadequate budgets to rising suicide rates. And its response to rising costs has been to underfund research and cut off services to some veterans. Service members and veterans need more than an 800 number to call,” Murray said.

Paul Sullivan, the executive director of the advocacy group Veterans for Common Sense, agreed.

“The facts show VA lacks consistent and complete policies and oversight on the subject of suicide, as VA leaders confirmed during the trial in the lawsuit veterans brought against VA.”
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