Greg Mitchell: A Captain Kills Himself In Iraq - Full Story Of Suicide Finally Emerges

[Hissyspit]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003816740

Full Story of Suicide in Iraq Finally Emerges

A preliminary investigation had found that Sgt. Jeffrey McKinney, after all the recent deaths, felt he had let his men down. He had been having trouble sleeping, and communicating, and was on medication. Beyond that, there was great mystery.

By Greg Mitchell

NEW YORK (June 15, 2008) -- Last December, a remarkable article appeared in the Army Times (and at Web sites in its Military Times group), titled: "Not us. We’re not going: Soldiers in 2nd Platoon, Charlie 1-26 stage a ‘mutiny’ that pulls the unit apart."

It was written by Kelly Kennedy, who had been embedded with a platoon in Iraq, and was just one part of a far-reaching series on that unit. E&P went on to profile Kennedy, who has continued to write about the plight of soldiers and veterans as a top Military Times reporter.

Kennedy back then described several incidents that caused many soldiers in the unit to take a stand -- and "stand down" in Iraq due largely to the unbearable stress they had been under, particularly after witnessing many colleagues brutally killed. Among other things, they were afraid they would take their anger and frustration out on innocent Iraqis.

One of the triggers, Kennedy explained, was a quite shocking and, as far as we knew, a first in this war: Last July, a much respected staff sergeant had taken out a pistol while out on a mission and, after shouting, "F--- this!", killed himself right in front of his men. His name was Jeffrey McKinney.

A preliminary investigation had found that McKinney, after all the recent deaths, felt he had let his men down, although there was scant evidence for this. He had been having trouble sleeping, and even communicating, and was on medication. Beyond that, there was great mystery.

I contacted McKinney's father, who had not yet seen Kennedy's article. When he did read it, he replied, quite politely, that he would not be commenting at that time.

Now, in recent days, he has started to speak out, first in an interview for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and now, quite fittingly, in a far more in-depth way for Kelly Kennedy.

- snip -

And he had stopped eating, stopped sleeping and become convinced he was not doing enough to keep his soldiers safe.

But even after a soldier found him sitting in a wooden supply shack, staring emptily into space, even after his face grew gaunt from weight loss, even after he was unable to form the thoughts necessary to give a morning briefing, McKinney kept going out on patrol.

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[BrklynLib at work]

1. Sadly, there are probably more stories like that than we can possibly imagine.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. This may be the worst-run American army yet. :^( The soldiers who have PTSD and other mental

issues shouldn't be over there.

[SpiralHawk]

3. That's what happens when an AWOL republicon frat boy lies you into a phony oil-profits crusade

and he is backed up by a war-profiteering republicon oil-man VP with Five Freaking Military Deferments.

In this, there is NO HONOR.

My sympathies go out to our sons and daughters in uniform who must follow the orders of these lying, dishonorable chickenhawk republicons.

[Hissyspit]

4. .