Harrassed Soldier Commits Suicide

So sad....


NEW YORK (AP) — A teenage Army private who committed suicide just weeks after getting to Afghanistan had been mistreated by comrades on an almost daily basis, his family and community representatives said investigators told them.

http://news.yahoo.com/ny-soldiers-kin-abused-almost-daily-234754105.html

Sad enough our teenagers are being sent off to war, but to have them hounded to death by their own comrades? Unbelievable.

Wishing peace to Daniel, and his family. :cry:

What is happening to those who serve in the military? Is it that the returning soldiers are young or that they have seen too much? Perhaps it is just part of a culture of 'mean', too much bullying and taunting.

We have many veterans in our family; there was never a time when any one of them came home from war and committed suicide or caused disruption. My grandfather came home from WWll and went to work and provided for his wife and family. The only thing I remember from my dad and uncles, 7 of them, after the Viet Nam War was that they would get real quiet and introspective, drink more than they should or, in the case of one uncle, become a serial monogamist. Cousins who were in the Gulf War came back with health problems and those who went to Iraq and Afghanistan came back tired and worn down from the heat in the summer and too fast rotations.

Do we need a more comprehensive screening system for those going into the military and better after care for those returning from war? It isn't Rambo and people are dying from the actions of some military members toward their own.

Condolences to the family of this soldier.

I am a veteran so I can speak from personal experience. This is what I call teasing and it is everyday life in the military. A person should have the moral fortitude to deal with it. The one that gets upset and hurt and offended will get teased more. We used to say 'let it roll off your back, like water off a duck'. Those that took taunting personally suffered the most.

Many stories of bullying and suicide in the news. We had bullies in school. Who here didn't? There was a tough girl I was terrified of and I made sure to stay away from her. I stayed close to friends. Just one real friend makes a world of difference.

Very sad what happened to this young man -- but IMO he may have been lacking self-esteem and self-confidence and not able to tolerate what is normal in the military. I highly doubt he was the only one that had things thrown at him or made fun of. Happened to me, happened to others and we all learned to laugh at ourselves. Participate or be ostracized. Find your own group with interests similar to yours. Some people like the role playing games and they group together. Some like physical sports and they naturally group together. The Puerto Ricans and Mexicans always hung together speaking Spanish - I never knew what they were saying but so what? So what if they looked at me, said something and laughed? They didn't hurt me and they weren't writing my check. Actually I started talking to them and learned enough Spanish to get along.

Some like drinking and having parties, etc. Seems to me young people are having a hard time finding their own place. I don't know if this is from having overly protective parents or what but I recall a saying about teaching your children to fly. Perhaps the military was not a good fit for this young man.

miimaa said:

I am a veteran so I can speak from personal experience....

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To miimaa or other vets: did you serve in one of our prolonged exercises in pacification (such as Viet Nam, Iraq or Afghanistan)? (I'm trying to think of a neutral term for such efforts. I apologize if I didn't succeed.)

I only know from what I've read in history books, but from the American Revolution onward, there seems to be a special stress in trying to hold territory and win hearts and minds while guerrilla forces shoot back at you.

Read for yourself what the soldiers say...... link

miimaa said:

Read for yourself what the soldiers say...... link

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Opinions there seem to vary as widely as civilian opinions would, with the exception that vets understandably feel more qualified to judge the treatment the young man received before his suicide.