Friday, May 15, 2009

"non-combat related incident"


Two Doctors were among the 5 soldiers shot & killed at the Counseling Center at Camp LIberty, Baghdad.
The five soldiers were shot & killed by fellow soldier, 44-year-old Sgt. John M. Russell, who was serving his 3rd tour of duty in Iraq.

NY Daily News reports:
'Sources said Russell had his weapon taken away from him early Monday and was sent to the Combat Stress Control Center at Camp Liberty, one of the largest U.S. bases in Iraq.
Sources told the Army Times Russell was escorted to the clinic, where he argued with the staff and was asked to leave.
"At some point during the drive (back to his unit), the soldier got control of his escort's weapon and ordered the escort out of the vehicle. The soldier then drove back to the clinic, walked in and began shooting," the source said.
President Obama said he was "shocked and deeply saddened" by the shootings.
Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the tragedy highlights the need for more help in dealing with multiple deployments.
Russell had been deployed to Iraq three times and was just weeks from returning home, officials said. He's also served in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Combat stress has been a growing issue for military leaders as years of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan take their toll on soldiers, many of whom have been deployed three, four, or even five times.
Suicides in the Army have been on the rise. Nearly 150 soldiers took their lives last year, the highest figure since the wars began."


I was looking at Iraq war statistics and came across this "update"- documenting five incidents, "died May 11 in Camp Liberty, Baghdad of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident."


05/13/09 DoD Identifies Navy Casualties (5 of 5)
Navy Cmdr. Charles Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C. He was assigned to the 55th Medical Company, Indianapolis, Ind...died May 11 in Camp Liberty, Baghdad of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident.

05/13/09 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (4 of 5)
Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany...died May 11 in Camp Liberty, Baghdad of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident.

05/13/09 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (3 of 5)
Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo. He was assigned to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade, Waco, Texas...died May 11 in Camp Liberty, Baghdad of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident.

05/13/09 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (2 of 5)
Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany...died May 11 in Camp Liberty, Baghdad of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident.

05/13/09 DoD Identifies Army Casualties (1 of 5)
Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas. He was assigned to the 55th Medical Company, Indianapolis, Ind...died May 11 in Camp Liberty, Baghdad of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident.


I know the military statisticians have to categorize the fatalities as prescribed by the military, but clearly PTSD- or post traumatic stress disorder IS combat related, and so were these incidents.

Soldiers being deployed to Iraq for FIVE tours of duty?

Earlier this year, Robert Gates said they would phase out the Stop loss or "back door draft", requiring soldiers to continue to serve long after their contracts had expired.

There are now 5 more Gold Star families, 6 really, because a part of Sgt. John M. Russell, died too.

The military has had it's head in the sand about PTSD for decades. Tragic that it has come to this.

9 comments:

nonnie9999 said...

when i hear of things like this, my mind always goes to laura bush saying that nobody suffers like she and her husband do. then i get furious. she and her disgusting spouse are living the life of luxury down in dallas, while the families of soldiers mourn for the rest of their lives. i really hope there is a hell, and i really hope the bushes and the cheneys go there.

Fran said...

Nonnie~ I do'nt doubt Laura & W suffer-- the consequences of their own actions. Part of their living hell, is they will always live in fear & constantly be watching their backs.
I agree- the hottest part of hell should be reserved for their ilk.

The military treats PTSD like a surface wound. Slap some stitches on it, bandage the wound & back at it.
They fail to properly diagnose the degree of severity or take it seriously. Although this soldier had his ability to carry a weapon revoked, while still in an active war zone.
I'm sure they will be quick to sweep this incident under the rug- which is why I published the names from their report.
As long as the back door draft continues- we will witness more soldiers suffering with PTSD, and extreme, deadly consequences.
Suffering in ways the Bush family never knew.

There are now 5 more Gold Star families, 6 really, because a part of Sgt. John M. Russell, died too.

nonnie9999 said...

fran,
i don't think they suffer at all. at least, not from conscience, as i don't think either one has one. i think laura suffers, because she is stuck married to that asshole. she can never leave him, because she will be attacked by her mother-in-law unmercifully. chimpy doesn't worry or suffer, because he thinks he's privileged and impervious to punishment. i fear he might be correct.

when you stop and think of how many people's lives are diminished by each soldier's death, it's staggering. there are the immediate family members, but there are friends and associates whose lives are touched as well. i can't even wrap my brain around how much suffering the cheney administration has caused, not only for americans, but for the world.

Dada said...

This is coming home. Ask a Fort Bliss soldier wounded by another Iraq veteran soldier early one morning. Better yet, ask the high school senior just four weeks from graduating riding his bike to school through that same neighborhood that morning. Oh wait, you can't. The poor kid didn't make it.

Fort Bliss -- in the midst of adding between 20-30,000 soldiers here locally is handling the case and, unlike "routine" shootings as handled by local police, the post has been surprisingly hush, hush about it to the media. Could it be "bad PR?"

The shooter was a 37 yr. old army sgt. and the only thing we got from the paper since the shootings a few weeks ago was from his hometown: "He was a nice guy."

Fran said...

Tragic, these soldiers should have mandatory psych & counseling sessions post tour-- better yet not send them to active duty at all. So many are snapping.... having to repeat tours of duty for 5 rotations is just cruel.
Of course they want to make these stories fade. For years, they just called it *combat fatigue*. Like it was a minor discomfort- a headache or the common cold.

I fear the situation stateside will only make things more intense.

Fran said...

Nonnie~ Agreed! I think the only other person who matched Cheneys path of death & destructions is..... Hitler.

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Anonymous said...

nonnie,

glad to hear you spewing all of your hatred, and somehow blaming this shooting on Bush. As a Marine, I believe that there are servicemembers in need of some help, but blaming Bush is just lame.
Anyways, besides bashing the president for this individual's actions, what have you done to support the troops lately?