Army: Back From Iraq, Colorado Soldier Kills Himself, Wife

[UpInArms]

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/4811407/detail.html

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- A Colorado soldier who just returned from duty in Iraq fatally shot his wife and then himself, according to a Fort Carson spokesman.

Pfc. Stephen S. Sherwood, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, was with his wife at their home near Fort Collins when the shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon.

<snip>

The couple's 8-month-old child was in the care of a neighbor, who reported hearing the gunshots, said Eloise Campanella, a spokeswoman for the Larimer County sheriff.

Officers entered the home shortly before 9 p.m. and found the bodies of Stephen Sherwood, 36, and his wife, Sara, 30. Investigators do not have a motive for the shootings.

<snip>

Sherwood had returned from Iraq on July 25 after spending nearly a year there and was on leave at the time of the shootings, said Dee McNutt, an Army spokeswoman.

<snip>

He was at least the second Fort Carson-based soldier to commit suicide shortly after serving in Iraq.

...more...

:cry:

[Catherine Vincent]

1. Sad.

:-(

[saigon68]

27. I BELIEVE MORE VIET-NAM VETS HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE

THAN ACTUALLY DIED IN THE WAR.

[davepc]

31. Thats a half-truth myth that has been dis-proven time and again

http://yalenewhavenhealth.org/healthnews/healthday/040927HD521429.htm

MONDAY, Sept. 27 (HealthDayNews) -- Vietnam veterans were likelier to die in the first five years after their discharge from service than were veterans from the same era who weren't sent to Indochina.

But then the Vietnam veterans' death rates leveled off over the next 25 years and were comparable to the other veterans, a new study finds.

"Thirty years after service, we are not seeing that service in Vietnam is related to excess mortality," said lead researcher Drue H. Barrett, acting associate director for science at the National Center for Environmental Health, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Our study looks at the health legacy of the Vietnam war," Barrett added. "The leading causes of death among Vietnam veterans are similar to the leading causes of death in the U.S. population."

...

The research, the Vietnam Experience Study, followed 9,324 Army veterans from the time of their discharge until 2000.

During more than 30 years of follow-up, the researchers found a 7 percent higher death rate among Vietnam veterans compared with the other veterans. However, this was primarily due to the increase in deaths during the first five years after discharge.

"We found no excess mortality after that initial five years after discharge," Barrett said. "There were no differences in any of the disease-related categories of death. We are not finding any differences in disease-related issues of serving in Vietnam."

[saigon68]

40. Beg to differ Bro

HOW MANY HAVE COMMITTED SUICIDE SINCE SERVING IN THE NAM

HOW MANY ?????????????????

That is the question------- not some article from a Yale New Haven health website.

Also how many are 100% from PTSD contacted in the Nam?

[davepc]

41. you can beg to differ all you want

but the facts are that Viet Nam vets kill themselves at a rate constant with the rest of the non-viet nam vet population.

Every time the CDC or any other respected health organization does a study on Vietnam Vets and suicide rates, they all find the same thing.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/veterans/default1c.htm

[ElsewheresDaughter]

47. "CDC respected health organization? since when?.....

can we say 2004 flu vaccine fuck up?

and what about Fort Bragg murder suicide rate of returned Iraq soldiers?

[Pathwalker]

63. YOU ARE WRONG! Please see this link:

And I'll be back with more!

http://www.capveterans.com/caprd_004.htm


# We lost almost 59,000 men and women during the 16 years of Viet Nam. As of 5 years after the war was officially over, we had 150,000 Viet Nam Vets that had committed suicide.
# The suicide rate for Viet Nam Vets is 86% higher than the national average of peers of the same age group.

Unfortunately, I knew many of them, including my brother!

Second link: http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/teachviet/SV2.html

[Eloriel]

65. Thank you, thank you

And I'm so sorry about your brother.

[kath]

54. That study talks about "disease-related categories of death" - not clear

if it includes suicide.

[Maat]

2. Oh, that is so sad.

Two families lost their precious children because of the BFEE and their unconscionable war.

And one set of grandparents, mark my word, is going to have to raise the baby, while dealing with the death of their precious child.

The suffering wrought by the BFEE just has no end in sight, does it?

Healing energy to the family!

[daleo]

3. Well, I suppose we can't ever be sure of the motive

Whatever it was, though, he was just one more person destroyed by Bush's war based on lies. So was his wife, of course. The child's life has been destroyed too.

[WillyT]

4. Anybody Keeping Track Of THESE Casualities ???

One for the suicides. One for the homicides. One for the genocides...

So many different butcher's bills to keep track of.

:cry:

[reformedrepub]

6. They dont Care

Once you are out of the combat zone, the Army doesnt care. Bush and his boys never cared at all.

[ailsagirl]

10. Things that break normal people's hearts bounce right off bushco

In fact, I think they get off on killing. They're despicable.

These stories are so very tragic.

[Bumblebee]

12. Here are two more in the past week at Fort Hood

http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=7692

Both just came back from Iraq; one was supposed to go back in the fall. Blew out his brains instead.

[UpInArms]

15. CSN&Y

In an upstairs room in Blackpool
By the side of a northern sea
The army had my father
And my mother was having me
Military Madness was killing my country
Solitary Sadness comes over me
After the school was over and I moved
To the other side
I found a different country but I never
Lost my pride
Military Madness was killing the country
Solitary sadness creeps over me
And after the wars are over
And the body count is finally filed
I hope that The Man discovers
What’s driving the people wild
Military madness is killing your country
So much sadness, between you and me
War, War, War, War, War, War

[0007]

33. Just last week the pentagon told us that suicides were down.

[frictionlessO]

36. Keep an eye out on icasualties.org something will be coming along very

shortly for our PTSD suicide/homicides regarding Iraq.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

39. Thank you SO MUCH for the work you do

and adding PTSD related casualties
will be a valuable reference.

[frictionlessO]

44. Thank you for your activism in return Puravida,

I might be joining you in the Hostel, I have to do some research this weekend and figure out what Im doing... but I want to get out there with my compatriots so bad.

[WillyT]

64. Thank You For That...

:hug:

[frictionlessO]

68. Ahhhh I lurve hugs..... thank ya.

:hug: back at you.

[Eloriel]

66. You need yuor website link in your sig line

Not nearly enough attention gets paid to it and I'm sure there are hundreds if not thousands of DUers who don't even know it exists.

[frictionlessO]

67. Thanks... don't know why I haven't done that before.

Off to change it now!

[goforit]

5. Unbelievable!

So friggin sad.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. How many of these suicides have there been?

And how many do we need before we stop sending our kids over there to fight in this insane war?

[Mnemosyne]

8. Oh God..

please. :cry: :cry:

[bluedonkey]

9. He was on leave

Maybe they couldn't face for him to go back.
This breaks my heart.

[The_Casual_Observer]

11. This is bad, but the ones where they shoot up the place are worse.

LIke the hispanic guy in central California. Expect this a daily occurrence from now on.

[Conservativesux]

28. Expect this 10 years from now. These soldiers need help, not a gun!

[LibertyorDeath]

13. Very sad

"The couple's 8-month-old child"

[Erika]

14. And there was never a reason for him to go to Iraq

Bush introduced killing as respectable and as a solution to problems. Look what that has reaped.

[Bucky]

16. Two others killed themselves in Texas, 1 on Saturday, 1 on Monday [link]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3296425

[Erika]

18. These local stories are being hidden from national news

These poor kids. Can you imagine how horrible it is to be sent to a country that never threatened you and you're thrust into a cultural religious war? True hell.

[eleonora]

17. Our vets are neglected

I can't imagine going through the horrors of war. And for this man to shoot his wife and himself...he probably felt guilt.

[Erika]

20. Bush's Iraq war will probably end our military for all time

He has misused them and abused them.

[Joebert]

19. I live in Larimer County.

This happened 20 minutes from me.

As I understand it from the local coverage, he only joined when he wife became pregnant. And he barely made it in, as he was almost too old.

I know when my brother came home on leave from Iraq, we all kept a close eye. I made sure my brother was eating well every night, had whatever he wanted, and nothing but fun.

Too many of our troops come home, and have adjusting to do, even for just a week of leave. I've seen it where people dump all kinds of responsability on them, try to keep them too busy, or make them talk about everything, and repeat it regularly. My folks actually lined my brother up to talk to a local youth group. I think it's important that he talks about it, but at his pace. I'm not going to pull teeth.

To get back on topic, I think that what happened in Fort Collins, is that he came home, and met his child for the first time, and still had 2 years before he'd be out of the service to see his child. What a stressful situation to be in. Needing the military to help pay for the health insurance for his pregnant wife, and that is what kept him away.

This just sucks.

[Erika]

21. Yes n/t

[WhiteTara]

22. this is a nightmare! I think we must be reaching

some new incredible high proportion of soldiers coming back so damaged that they commit suicide. Two soldiers killed themselves in Fort Hood.
IMPEACH GEORGE BUSH
SEND THEM TO THE HAGUE FOR WAR CRIMES

[bunny planet]

23. This is just so sad. I just found out that a marine who lives two doors

down from us, who has a wife, a 3 yr. old, and a new baby due next week is being sent to Iraq next Wednesday. They are wealthy Republicans too, * stickers all over their cars etc., so I was surprised to hear he was being called up, since he was no longer on active duty. I don't agree with his politics, but I was so saddened to hear he will be going before he gets the chance to see his new baby, and perhaps comes back a changed man. I am frightened for him and his family, while he is there, and for what may be in store for them if he comes back a shattered person inside or out. So sad. I think his politics might soon change, but it's an awfully hard way to find out the truth about the people you voted for.

:-(

[Erika]

25. I know of no wealthy Republicans serving at all in Iraq

None at all. The wealthy Republicans I know are totally against their kids going to Iraq. I even had a GOP co-worker tell me that her son wasn't going to Iraq so there would be "spots" open for those who wanted to go for educational funding.

[Joebert]

26. How can they actually believe that?

It is incredible how people can get themselves caught up in social standing, buying the nicer car, etc.

Where that train of thought came from boggles me.

That train has derailed, and is now chasing Harrison Ford down the hill.

[Conservativesux]

29. Dupe.....

[Conservativesux]

30. Because its true, thats why. Same thing happened when we were in Nam' .

Rich bastards pulling the purse strings to keep the kids safe and sound at home.

[davepc]

32. Jimmy Carter reformed the selective service law

It's not the same today as it was back in the early 70's.

POSTPONEMENTS, DEFERMENTS, EXEMPTIONS

A high school student may have his induction postponed until he graduates or reaches age 20, whichever occurs first. College students may be postponed until the end of the semester. If they are in their last academic year, they may be postponed until the end of that academic year.

A registrant automatically gets his induction delayed if he files a claim for reclassification. He is also entitled to file for a postponement if he is a student or if he has an emergency beyond his control, such as a serious illness or death in his immediate family.

Under emergency mobilization procedures, all registrants are considered to be classified 1-A "available for service" unless they are given a different status by Selective Service. If a registrant believes that for some reason he cannot or should not report for examination and induction as directed, he may request a postponement or reclassification by filing a claim and sending it to the Selective Service office in his area. Receipt of such a claim delays the registrant’s induction until his claim has been fully processed and adjudicated.

A registrant can file a claim only after receipt of an order to report for induction and before the day he is scheduled to report. Only in the case of an extreme emergency, under circumstances beyond his control, would a registrant be allowed to file a claim on the day he is scheduled to report for induction.

It will not be necessary for the registrant to submit supporting evidence of his claim at the time he files the request form. He will be contacted and given instructions on what information is needed, where to send it, and when it should be sent.

The following classification categories would be available under present operating procedures:

— Conscientious objectors perform service to the nation in a manner consistent with their moral, ethical or religious opposition to participation in war in any form. Depending upon the nature of his beliefs, a conscientious objector serves either in a noncombatant capacity in the armed forces or in a civilian job contributing to the national interest.

— Surviving sons or brothers in a family where the parent or sibling died as a result of U.S. military service, or is in a captured or missing in action status, are exempt from service in peacetime.

— Hardship deferments are available for men whose induction would result in hardship to persons who depend upon them for support.

— Members of Reserve components (including the National Guard and advanced level ROTC cadets who have already signed a Reserve contract) are eligible for a separate classification and perform their military service in the National Guard or the Reserves.

— Ministers are exempted from service.

— Ministerial students are deferred from service until they complete their studies.

— Certain elected officials are exempt from service as long as they continue to hold office.

— Veterans generally are exempt from service in peacetime.

— Aliens and dual nationals in some cases may be exempt from U.S. military service depending upon their place of residence and country of citizenship.

http://www.sss.gov/FSpostdefer.htm

[bunny planet]

38. Well this wealthy Republican happens to also be a Marine and he is going.

I guess when he got the call, since he already voted for *, he's going. I hope he comes home safe and sound. He will certainly find out what's really going on in Iraq, something his President doesn't seem to have the honor or decency to tell him or anyone else.

[aquart]

24. Another family destroyed.

Thanks, George.

[laylah]

34. From the Ft. Collins paper...

(co-written by my daughter)

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050805/NEWS01/508050319/1002

[Voltaire99]

52. From the Coloradoan piece: "The man was over there protecting us."

No, not at all.

He was over there getting health insurance, as another article has already established. That's why he enlisted.

He was also, as is now plain, severing the last essence of his humanity.

But the one thing the poor fellow wasn't doing was "protecting" Americans. If the waste of his and his wife's lives are to be properly grieved, let us not cover them in euphemism.

[kath]

55. I'm also SO sick of this "protecting us" bullshit. What a crock!

[leftchick]

35. That is what, 5 this week I have read about....

damn, it is going to get a lot worse... :cry:

[frictionlessO]

37. He was a 36 year old Private First Class???

What the hell???

Man oh man, so many tears to gather.

[brentspeak]

58. Sounds like he was just looking for employment

and health insurance.

Bush economy.

[frictionlessO]

59. I know... its just so...so... so friggin' crazy.

36 yrd old PFC implies that many things have gone wrong for both the individual and the country.

I couldn't imagine doing Basic and AIT being 36, let alone actually going off to war witha bunch of kids half your age holding the same or higher rank.

Just sucks all the way around, eh Brentspeak?

[Catherine Vincent]

42. This is very sad.

This soldier couldn't take going back to Iraq that it caused him to do that. But just yesterday the mother of a soldier that was in Iraq and will be returning soon told her that things aren't that bad in Iraq.

[Vickers]

43. Thanks, George W. Bush, you ruined another family!

Way to go, you dumb fucking ape!

[VegasWolf]

45. This must be what the fundies call family values. nt

[kath]

57. Yeah, and is it part of the "culture of life" too??????

[Oreegone]

46. This is so sad

When Clinton got a blow job this didn't happen, imagine that? This is so sad because it is just one of the evident suicides. Then there are the drug overdoses and chronic alcoholism and addiction to pain medications. They are just a few ways that suicides that are not recorded occur. Just because you don't pick up a gun, the pain of the event still kill many a vet over time. Just had a heavily decorated vet friend from Nam finally die. Had schrapnel all these years and took lots of prescriptions for everything from pain to something to sleep to quell the persistant nightmares plus alcohol to forget. A beautiful soul, and I know it happens every day. What a sad mess. Then there will be the uncontrollable anger brought home and doled out to the children and wives like this over and over again. Ain't war grand?

"While in Iraq, Sherwood's brigade was based in Ramadi. In the course of a year, 68 soldiers from the 2nd brigade were killed - 62 in action, said Fort Carson spokesman Lt. Justin Journeay. At least 14 of those killed in action were from Sherwood's battalion."

[MadisonProgressive]

48. Army: Soldier Just Back From Iraq Kills Wife, Self

http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/4812896/detail.html

This is another nail in *'s coffin as far as I'm concerned. He will rot in hell for eternity.

[MadisonProgressive]

49. I'm sorry - just realized this is a dupe.

[WLKjr]

50. There is a key word in that article

"He joined the army becuase it was the only way he could get........"





HEALTH INSURANCE!!!!!!!!!

[redqueen]

51. That's the part that got me too...

"She said Sherwood enlisted in January 2004. Johnson said Sherwood told him he signed up when his wife became pregnant because it was the only way he could get health insurance. "

:cry:

Now that baby will never know the parents... thanks to this dirty, illegal war.

[kath]

56. Hey, why do hate Murka so much? This is the greatest country in the

world, don'cha know?

:sarcasm:

[TahitiNut]

53. I wonder whether married people can reliably deal with a spouse serving.

This scenario plays out all too often, in my opinion (and painful personal experience). We take a guy and subject him to military indoctrination and the insane experience of a combat zone. He "changes." Meanwhile, his wife is left "on the shelf" in a military community to bear a child alone and await the (hopeful) return of someone she probably hasn't enough experience "knowing" to anchor her reliance on the relationship - without even the full confidence he'll return.

Fear becomes the major influence on both lives.

His fears have two focuses: (1) his physical and mental survival under insane conditions and (2) the preservation of a(n immature) marital relationship to which he can return. His immediate life goal becomes an image of 'home' that changes, not only in his mind but outside his control in reality. ('Control' is a serious issue for guys in combat zones.) The psychological importance of that image of 'home' cannot be overstated, imho. For a married person, it's almost wholly vested in the 'waiting' spouse.

Her fears have two focuses: (1) that the person she 'knows' won't return, either because he won't return at all or will be so changed (by injury or mental change) that he's not the same person and (2) that she's not able to emotionally survive the interim without emotional support. She bears an enormous burden.

The 'casualty rate' is huge -- too often culminating in violence that eradicates lives. "Betrayal" is a capital crime to the mind indoctrinated by military training and the war zone experience.

[stanwyck]

60. The time "over there" is too long

Last week's Friday edition of USA Today ran a long feature on third tour Marines. The outlook was pretty grim. The first tour, the soldiers are fairly stable. They believe in their mission. On the second tour, they're over the "spreading freedom" -- their innocence is gone. They want to protect each other and themselves and get back home. By the third tour, they're really scared. And angry. And dangerous.
My son, a Marine, is on his second tour. I'm hoping he doesn't have to do a third.

[jahyarain]

61. there's updated article on that site

she was fucking someone else

edit: changed another to updated

[neuvocat]

62. They died for our freedoms.

That's what the GOP would tell us.