Obama to send condolences for troop suicides

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

Acknowledging the mental strains wrought by America’s decade at war, the Pentagon and White House said Wednesday they will begin sending condolence letters to families of troops who commit suicide in a combat zone.

The policy shift brings a bit of consistency to the long-standing practice of top U.S. leaders’ recognizing the service of those who died while fighting for their country. Until now, many of the military-service chiefs and secretaries wrote to families of those who committed suicide while in combat. But in most cases, the president and secretary of defense did not.

Mental-health and troop-advocacy groups welcomed the change but said those who die outside war zones also should be recognized and that more should be done to prevent suicide among service members.

President Barack Obama said the decision was made after an exhaustive review of the previous policy and was not taken lightly.

“This issue is emotional, painful and complicated, but these Americans served our nation bravely. They didn’t die because they were weak,” Obama said in a written statement. “And the fact that they didn’t get the help they needed must change.”

The complex and wrenching emotions of the issue are evident on a war memorial at Fort Hood, Texas. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army vice chief of staff, said Wednesday that the greatest regret of his military career was his decision to leave one name off that monument.

The soldier — one of the 169 1st Cavalry Division troops Chiarelli lost during a yearlong deployment in Iraq — had committed suicide. So just 168 names are listed on the memorial.