A few months back I and other wrote some diaries about the suicide of a veteran from Minnesota that had sought help for his PTSD symptoms from the Veterans Affair Hospitals in Minnesota, according to his family they had taken him to two different facilities after the first hospital indicated it would be awhile before he could get into the mental health program. The second hospital told him he was on a list to be admitted to the inpatient ward.
His parents prodded him to call and see when he could get admitted, he was told he was #26 on the waiting list for a bed. A few days later he died at his own hand. The VA investigated themselves and have now concluded that Mr Shulze had never told them he was suidical, which his family has strenously objected to, they state they heard him tell them he was having suicidal thoughts, and they feel the VA is covering up their failure to help their son. They have now decided to help others, rather than to keep fighting the government. They don't want this happening to others.
In todays VA Watchdog.org, Larry Scott of the Watchdog has posted this article about their future and the VA's investigation
They said they're now trying to move forward. They announced they have begun setting up the Jonathan Schulze "I Can't Hear You" Foundation, using a favorite Marine phrase, to reach out to returning veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"Just so his death isn't for nothing," Eileen Carlson said. "I hope this will be able to help other people."
Herubin, who said he got no hint when he spoke to Schulze about two weeks before his death that he was contemplating suicide, said the name of the foundation refers to the need to pay closer atttention to what veterans might not be saying.
This article is the start of the VA inquiries into Jonathan's death found at the
Schulze, 25, of New Prague, killed himself Jan. 16. He left the Marines in late 2005, but his family said he continued to have aching memories of combat. His family has said he sought help at the VA Medical Center in Minneapolis, and later at the VA Medical Center in St. Cloud, but was not admitted.
His father and stepmother, Jim and Marianne Schulze, have said they heard their son tell hospital staff members on two occasions that he was suicidal. However, VA records don't indicate that the veteran talked of suicide. The parents say those records are inaccurate.
Jim and Marianne Schulze said their son committed suicide four days after a counselor at the St. Cloud VA hospital told him by phone that he was No. 26 on a waiting list for a bed.
The sad part of this is Jonathan is not the first veteran to commit suicide in the aftermath of the war, Joshua Omvig comes to mind, and many others, Ilona has done extensive research into PTSD in the writing of her book that has just been released.
The sadder part is that Jonathan will not be the last person to commit suicide from PTSD caused by the horrors of the Iraq War, and they are not counted as war dead by DOD, none the less the war did cause their deaths, if they hadn't gone, they would not have the PTSD they are now suffering from. They are caualties of war, regardless of what the Pentagon states.
Crossposted at Daily Kos
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