Also see:
AOL/Microsoft-Hotmail Preventing Delivery of Truthout Communications •
Go to Original
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.
----------
The toll free number for the Army Long Term Case Management office is (866)
272-5841.
----------
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/
-------
Jump to today's Truthout Features:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. t r u t h o u t has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is t r u t h o u t endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)
"Go to Original" links are provided as a convenience to our readers and allow for verification of authenticity. However, as originating pages are often updated by their originating host sites, the versions posted on TO may not match the versions our readers view when clicking the "Go to Original" links.
Print This Story
E-mail This Story