Army Ranger commits suicide to avoid NINTH tour in Afghanistan
77 replies, posted
[quote]SEATTLE —
Army Ranger Jared Hagemann had served at least six combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, with another deployment to Afghanistan looming.
But the 25-year-old staff sergeant dreaded the prospect of another tour. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and found the pressures of another deployment so overwhelming, his wife said, that he repeatedly threatened to take his own life.
On June 28, he was found dead, a gunshot wound to his head, in a training area at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle, where he was based.
"He wanted out," Ashley Joppa-Hagemann said. "They should have let him out."
Hagemann's wife is convinced it was suicide. She insists that the next deployment would have been his ninth; the Army said Wednesday it would have been his seventh, and that he had just re-enlisted for another six years in January. The cause of the discrepancy was not immediately clear.
The Army hasn't yet determined the manner of death, said Maj. Brian DeSantis, a spokesman with the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Ga. The Army has launched two investigations to determine how he died and the factors leading up to his death. Investigators are reviewing Hagemann's medical history and looking into what diagnosis or treatment was made and whether policies were followed.
Joppa-Hagemann said the military knew about her husband's mental health problems but did little to help him.
"So many people knew there were issues. He sought help and nobody was paying attention," said the 25-year-old widow, who lives in Yelm with the couple's two young sons.
The Army has not held a battalion memorial for Hagemann, but Hagemann's unit participated in his funeral and gave him full military honors, DeSantis said.
His widow thought more should have been done: "It's ridiculous," she said. "He's served his time. Every soldier deserves a memorial."
Hagemann enlisted in the Army out of high school in 2004 because of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. He stood up for what he believed in, his wife said, and the Rangers to him meant being the first one in, "taking care of the bad guys."
He was charming, outgoing and commanded everyone's attention when he walked into a room, she said. But after each combat tour, he would return cold, quiet, paranoid, and at times increasingly aggressive and violent. He drank more each time, had mood swings and recurring nightmares, she said.
In 2009, he was admitted for four days to Madigan Army Medical Center for mental health care services and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, she said. He went to counseling for alcoholism but was later told he needed to do it on his own time.
"Soldiers aren't being allowed to take care of their mental health programs," said Seth Menzel, an Army veteran who has been advocating for Joppa-Hagemann.
In 2010, Hagemann received a glowing evaluation with top marks; raters noted his unparalleled loyalty to the Army and Rangers, and his outstanding potential. Later that year, he would return to Afghanistan for another combat tour. The tours lasted, on average, about four months, according to the Army.
His wife said he was growing increasingly frustrated and repeatedly asked to leave the Rangers unit. The Army's DeSantis said the battalion leadership was not aware of any such request from him.
"In the last month, he put a gun to his head three times. He told me every day was a struggle to wake up and want to live," Joppa-Hagemann said. "He said the things he had seen and done, no God would have forgiven him."
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[url="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2016000399_apwaarmyrangersuicide2ndldwritethru.html]Source[/url]
Fuck everything about this.
[quote]"taking care of the bad guys."[/quote]
I don't really accept that the army as a whole would just let him deploy knowing that.
[quote]She insists that the next deployment would have been his ninth; the Army said Wednesday it would have been his seventh, and that he had just re-enlisted for another six years in January.[/quote]
How do you even manage such a fuck up?
This totally just ruined my mood.
Everyone should get an option to leave, regardless of contract or however they make people do fucking NINE, after their first tour
Christ, somebody had to have known about this.
They should have let him out after [B]3[/B] tours at most. [img]http://i.somethingawful.com/forumsystem/emoticons/emot-smith.gif[/img]
He re-enlisted for another 6 years even after wanting to do nothing but leave?
Something sounds fishy to me. It's either the wife or the Army not telling the truth, but it's sad that this guy took his own life. At least his unit had the decency to give him a military burial when the Army wouldn't.
Even 7 tours is way too many to force someone to go to War.
They didn't even give him a memorial?
Unless you absolutely live and breath for the army you should be able to opt out of another tour after an x amount.
boo hoo he killed himself
he didnt want to do it, HE JOINED. HE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS.
WHAT A MORON
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("Asshole" - Autumn))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32064755]boo hoo he killed himself
he didnt want to do it, HE JOINED. HE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS.
WHAT A MORON[/QUOTE]
What's your problem
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32064755]boo hoo he killed himself
he didnt want to do it, HE JOINED. HE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS.
WHAT A MORON[/QUOTE]
uh
that's what the army said
who also apparently can't count so.
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32064755]boo hoo he killed himself
he didnt want to do it, HE JOINED. HE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS.
WHAT A MORON[/QUOTE]
If he actually wanted to go for another 6 years, he probably wouldn't have shot himself in the head.
The thing I find very disturbing is that people like Bradley Manning had at least a little bit of support in the army. I remember he had an army therapist who was helping him make the move into changing his gender. When they were afraid of him hurting himself or others, they removed the bolt in his gun.
The fact that this guy was receiving pretty much no PTSD care is mindnumbing.
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32064755]boo hoo he killed himself
he didnt want to do it, HE JOINED. HE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS.
WHAT A MORON[/QUOTE]
Maybe you should try this suicide thing.
Let's just please try to ignore DarkCiscos post.
Rate box and carry on.
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32064755]boo hoo he killed himself
he didnt want to do it, HE JOINED. HE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS.
WHAT A MORON[/QUOTE]
There's a very good chance the Army bullied him into serving, for one reason or another.
-didn't automerge hard enough-
This is the reason why we should take a look into the military and their practices, really this is just makes me want to take the heads off the assholes that made him serve so many years and not letting him out when he asked for it. We should have more respect and sense of giving these people who serve more consideration of their situation.
[QUOTE=Reimu;32064832]The thing I find very disturbing is that people like Bradley Manning had at least a little bit of support in the army. I remember he had an army therapist who was helping him make the move into changing his gender. When they were afraid of him hurting himself or others, they removed the bolt in his gun.
The fact that this guy was receiving pretty much no PTSD care is mindnumbing.[/QUOTE]
Rangers are a different group of soldiers, they're supposed to be the baddest, toughest and meanest mofos in the army. If he were to ask for therapy and PTSD help, his squadmates would probably give him shit for it, or the therapist would tell him to suck it up.
[quote]In 2009, he was admitted for four days to Madigan Army Medical Center for mental health care services and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, she said. He went to counseling for alcoholism [b]but was later told he needed to do it on his own time.[/b][/quote]So the system fails another person, it would be pretty destroying being told to sort yourself out if no one wants to help.
I think soldiers committing suicide while on tours is increasing as well? Mind you I first heard about it when a US soldier was captured by Taliban and spoke on their videos, about how soldiers were killing themselves because of the conditions and fear they had to endure.
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32064755]boo hoo he killed himself
he didnt want to do it, HE JOINED. HE SIGNED UP FOR ANOTHER 6 YEARS.
WHAT A MORON[/QUOTE]
Why don't YOU get off your ass and do something for your country? Do something as hard as he did. First of all, not just anyone can BE an Army Ranger, and second of all he served so many fucking tours. He was determined to help as much as he could. Stress happens to people. Go get stressed out, kill yourself, then all of us here will have a laugh and call YOU a moron.
[QUOTE=jbthekid;32064966]Why don't YOU get off your ass and do something for your country? Do something as hard as he did. First of all, not just anyone can BE an Army Ranger, and second of all he served so many fucking tours. He was determined to help as much as he could. Stress happens to people. Go get stressed out, kill yourself, then all of us here will have a laugh and call YOU a moron.[/QUOTE]
It's called 'being underage'. I'm not 18.
I'm planning on the Air Force.
8 tours in 7 years?
I understand every soldier has to do their part, but that is asking a hell of a lot from one person. Surely tours can be arranged on a rotational schedule of sorts? Go on tour one year, then another regiment goes, then another, then yours again?
I'm sure that's how UK forces are sent on tour anyway
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32065028]It's called 'being underage'. I'm not 18.
I'm planning on the Air Force.[/QUOTE]
yeah man you're gonna see some serious shit repairing them helicopters.
[QUOTE=Chilean;32065097]yeah man you're gonna see some serious shit repairing them helicopters.[/QUOTE]
You'd be surprised how much shit the Air Force really sees.
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32065028]It's called 'being underage'. I'm not 18.
I'm planning on the Air Force.[/QUOTE]
A wannabe ChairForce is shit talking a 9-tour dead Ranger?
You can't be serious.
Really find something odd with this. Nobody that close to suicide re-enlists for another six years.
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32065028]
I'm planning on the Air Force.[/QUOTE]
Woah badass
Yeah you sure have to be mentally strong to sit
[QUOTE=DarkCisco;32065028]It's called 'being underage'. I'm not 18.
I'm planning on the Air Force.[/QUOTE]
Chickenshit. Have fun patrolling airport perimeters for the rest of your career.
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