IRAQ WAR MARINE VETERAN COMMITS SUICIDE

On Eve of Court Hearing, Another Tragic VA Failure: Iraq War Marine Veteran Steven Vickerman Commits Suicide

The Veterans Health Administration estimated in a May 2007 report that 1,000 suicides occurred per year among veterans who received care within the VHA and as many as 5,000 per year among all veterans. At the same time, the number of returning veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder is surging, according to studies and veterans advocacy groups.

Sadly, the Veterans Health Administration is not equipped to handle the number of cases of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans returning with severe depression and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrom (PTSD).

The Bush admistration has done nothing to aleviate the problem and there are literally thousand of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans walking around who are desperately in need of mental health treatment.

http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/articleid/9461

Mar 01, 2008

Hannan Adely

Journal News (New York's Lower Hudson Valley)

For Palisades, New York Native, Iraq War Trauma Ends in Suicide

March 1, 2008, Palisades, New York - After two tours in Iraq with the Marine Corps Reserve, Steven Vickerman tried to resume a normal life at home with his wife, but he could not shake a feeling of despair.

His parents, Richard and Carole Vickerman of Palisades, went to visit him at a veterans hospital after he suffered a mental breakdown; they were in disbelief. The funny and adventurous baby brother had become sullen, withdrawn and full of anxiety. Vickerman, who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, killed himself Feb. 19.

"We're still in shock. Our son was a proud Marine. He served his country honorably, and we don't know what happened to him," said Carole Vickerman, who buried her son Tuesday at Rockland Cemetery in Sparkill.

As soldiers return from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, many are unprepared to deal with the anxiety and depression stemming from their experiences in war. Some seek help from the Veterans Health Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but become frustrated by paperwork and long waits for counseling and care. Others feel too proud or embarrassed to seek help at all, or believe they can tough it out with time. Despair drives many to take their own lives, according to reports and experts.

The Veterans Health Administration estimated in a May 2007 report that 1,000 suicides occurred per year among veterans who received care within the VHA and as many as 5,000 per year among all veterans. At the same time, the number of returning veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder is surging, according to studies and veterans advocacy groups.

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