Several Warnings, Then a Soldier’s Lonely Death

[unhappycamper]

Staff Sgt. David Senft died in Afghanistan; his body was taken home in November.


Several Warnings, Then a Soldier’s Lonely Death
By JAMES RISEN
Published: January 1, 2011

WASHINGTON — A gentle snow fell on the funeral of Staff Sgt. David Senft at Arlington National Cemetery on Dec. 16, when his bitterly divided California family came together to say goodbye. His 5-year-old son received a flag from a grateful nation.

But that brief moment of peace could not hide the fact that for his family and friends and the soldiers who had served with him in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, too many unanswered questions remained about Sergeant Senft’s lonely death in a parked sport utility vehicle on an American air base in Afghanistan, and about whether the Army could have done more to prevent it.

~snip~

The evidence appears overwhelming. An investigator for the Army’s Criminal Investigative Division, which has been looking into the death, has told Sergeant Senft’s father by e-mail that his son was found dead with a single bullet hole in his head, a stolen M-4 automatic weapon in his hands and his body slumped over in the S.U.V., which was parked outside the air base’s ammunition supply point. By his side was his cellphone, displaying a text message with no time or date stamp, saying only, “I don’t know what to say, I’m sorry.” (Mr. Senft shared the e-mails from the C.I.D. investigator with The New York Times.)

With Sergeant Senft, the warning signs were blaring.

The Army declared him fit for duty and ordered him to Afghanistan after he had twice attempted suicide at Fort Campbell, Ky., and after he had been sent to a mental institution near the base, the home of the 101st. After his arrival at Kandahar early in 2010 he was so troubled that the Army took away his weapon and forced him into counseling on the air base, according to the e-mails from the Army investigator. But he was assigned a roommate who was fully armed. C.I.D. investigators have identified the M-4 with which Sergeant Senft was killed as belonging to his roommate.

[WingDinger]

1. Cannon, I mean conned fodder.

[Angry Dragon]

2. We are becoming a nation of killers

the problem with that is many do not like killing

[maryf]

3. Last count I heard

18 a day commit suicide after returning home, the stats in here are the first I've seen on those who commit suicide while in service abroad.

[BlueIris]

4. Eighteen suicides per day? Horrifying. nt

[maryf]

5. and those don't count under casualties...

something wrong there.

[Hawkowl]

6. Obama's BLOODY HANDS

This is a direct result of Obama's escalation in Afghanistan. The war without end deprives our soldiers of any hope whatsoever of being able to come home.

This god forsaken piece of mountainous real estate is not worth murdering women and children, and then having our soldiers, our brothers, our sisters, our children, kill themselves. All the time bankrupting our nation.

Obama's War. Obama is responsible.

[BlueIris]

10. Oh, good luck.

Trying to get anyone to recognize the complicity of this administration, and all of us who voted for it, is a lost cause at this point.

[Hawkowl]

11. I know

I have come to realize that I am probably viewed as a dirty, disheveled, wild eyed, homeless man screaming at a lightpost when I post on these boards. Nonetheless, we must keep screaming the truth.

I've realized two things. First, it makes me feel slightly better than doing nothing. Second, I view the crazy people I see actually talking to lampposts in a whole different light.

[snot]

7. Am I the only one who's wondered if they finally gave on DADT partly 'cuz they needed the bodies?

[JVS]

15. Maybe it was done to keep Bradley Manning from being discharged instead of held indefinitely

[tekisui]

8. A sad and unnecessary story repeated far too often.

[malaise]

9. That would be MBE

Murder by employer. :cry: :cry:

[barbtries]

12. no words

:cry:

[pacalo]

13. Why would he steal a weapon to kill himself?

Sad story, but I wouldn't take what the military told me at face value. Anyone could have typed that very brief suicide message.

[nc4bo]

14. Army disarmed him...

My internet's acting up so can't follow the link but reading the OP, they were aware he attempted suicide 2x and took away his weapons but then assigned him a room mate who was fully armed.

So I assume that's where he got the gun and since he didn't ask permission, he "stole" it.

The whole thing is sad.

[pacalo]

17. I thought about that right after I posted.

I'm on my iPhone & didn't have my NYT password to get into the article; thanks for the info.

I feel so badly for all those troops over there, knowing what a crock of b.s. the war is. This soldier should have been sent home if his state of mind was such that his weapon was taken from him twice before.

[Ichingcarpenter]

16. Thank you unhappycamper .... I wish you would

View and comment on the award winning documentary
I posted in the video section of DU

In won in Cannes and the US doesn't want to look at.



http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x539824

[SaveAmerica]

18. Please make this stop