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    After Military Suicides, Families Wait for Answers
    The Associated Press

    Thursday 20 December 2007

    Washington - It can take months - even years - for the families of troops who kill themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan to learn about the circumstances leading up to the death, including if their loved one left a suicide note.

    To obtain all investigative materials related to the deaths, the families are required to file one or more Freedom of Information Act requests.

    Liz Sweet, whose son Sgt. T.J. Sweet, 23, of Bismarck, N.D., was fatally shot in his barracks in 2003 in Iraq in what she says the Army has determined to be a self-inflicted wound, is still waiting to obtain her son's service and health records.

    Sweet said she participates in an online forum with other families who lost a loved one due to a non-combat death in Iraq such as a suicide, and a common problem is that the families don't know what to ask for and where to file requests.

    "I don't feel that there is a great deal of attempt on the military's part to make sure that families have what they need," Sweet said.

    Chris Scheuerman, of Sanford, N.C., whose son Pfc. Jason Scheuerman committed suicide in Iraq in 2005, said he only learned that his son had left a note when it arrived in the mail more than a year later in an envelope with documents he had sought by filing a Freedom of Information Act request.

    At least 152 U.S. troops have committed suicide in Iraq and Afghanistan since the start of the wars.

    Following each non-combat death in Iraq, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command does an investigation. In addition, a suicide event report is filled out with details about the possible cause. The soldier's unit also does an investigation.

    Paul Boyce, Army spokesman, said in an e-mail that families are usually notified of the overall findings, but may obtain a copy of the entire, detailed report under an expedited Freedom of Information Act request.

    Christopher Grey, director of public information for U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command, said families are required to fill out a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain a copy of the his agency's investigation because some of the families don't want to get the information. In addition, he said the paperwork has to be redacted to delete information such as the investigating officers' names.

    He said the full investigation is available once it is closed, which takes time because it takes longer to do autopsies and interviews in a war zone than in the United States.

    "We try to tell families as much as we can that's not going to impede the investigation," Grey said.

    Some nonprofit survivor support groups, such as Tragedy Assistance for Survivors and Gold Star Wives of America Inc., have stepped up to help family members navigate the process.

    The Army has made improvements in its casualty assistance notification process following complaints that some families were given inaccurate information about their relative's death.

    One of the most high-profile cases was that of pro football player Pat Tillman, who joined the military after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Tillman died in Afghanistan in 2004. The military said officers knew within hours that the death was from friendly fire but violated regulations by not telling Tillman's family for five weeks.

    "There's no benefit to the military in keeping things from the families," said Maj. Jim Eldredge, an Army spokesman.

    Last year, the Army established a case-management branch to provide long term support for casualties' families following the initial work done by the family's casualty assistance officer. The branch offers a 24-hour tollfree hotline families can call for assistance.

    Its Web site says coordinators can help family members understand which reports they are eligible to receive and can assist the families in obtaining them. Eldredge said the coordinators don't have access to updates on investigations and don't update families.

    Sweet said her son's death was ruled a suicide by the military, but even after an investigation of the handling of the investigation by the military's Inspector General's Office the family still has questions related to the circumstances and as to whether it was self-inflicted or another soldier killed him.

    She said when she called the hotline for help obtaining paperwork, the person who answered told her where she needed to file Freedom of Information Act requests to get information she sought and offered to send her a sample copy of a request.

    "Depending on where you are in the grief cycle, having somebody think they are helping you by giving you one more place where you have to go to get information is not very helpful," Sweet said.

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    The toll free number for the Army Long Term Case Management office is (866) 272-5841.

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    Army Long Term Case Management: http://www.altfcm.army.mil

    TAPS: Tragedy Assistance for Survivors: http://www.taps.org/

    Gold Star Wives: http://www.goldstarwives.org/