Veteran commits suicide in front of Dayton VA center

Dayton Daily News ^ | April 16, 2010 | Lucas Sullivan and Kelli Wynn

[Cheap_Hessian]

DAYTON — A 27-year-old Army veteran shot and killed himself at the front steps of the Dayton Veterans Administration Medical Center just hours after he had been in the center’s emergency room.

Jesse C. Huff, address unknown, was wearing full military fatigues and was armed with a military-style rifle, which he used to shoot himself in the head about 5:45 a.m. Friday, April 16, police said.

[Cathy]

God rest his soul, just awful.

[throwback]

Very sad. Hope he went to be with the Lord.

[STARWISE]

So tragic .. RIP. May you be in God’s
loving arms, Soldier Jesse Huff, free
of all pain.

[dragnet2]

Members of the Dayton Bomb Squad detonated a satchel found next to Huff’s body. The squad used a remote-controlled robot to load the satchel into the bucket of a bulldozer, then detonated the bag. Officials later said the satchel did not contain any explosives.

But it gave them a change to use their extremely expensive tax paid toys when they could have used a bomb dog to determine if explosives were present.

[dila813]

VA Government Healthcare, The VA Sucks.

Based on his age, I can only assume he was denied treatment because he wasn’t retired military.

I would like to know the denial rate of the VA for service related injuries that are considered preexisting conditions by private insurance but the VA Refuses to treat.

On my personal score they denied 7 out of 7.

I was told by my local Vets of Foreign Wars Group that they can go to the local Democrat Congressman to get my claims undenied, never did it. The whole process makes me sick.

Any health care system that relies on the intervention of a politician to get treatment due is repugnant to me.

My private healthcare still accepted me, they just make me pay for the cost of treating these injuries. I am fully covered for everything else. Thankfully with time these injuries are slowly healing themselves.

[Wuli]

“He was a veteran that we (had treated),” Simmons said.

“This is an unfortunate incident,” Simmons said.

FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, this event does not surprise me.

We have seen a similar event in the front of our VA Hospital in Manhattan. A man seen earlier at the Emergency unit was released and within a short time tried to kill himself by falling head first over the railing on the sidewalk, heading down to the driveway.

Others said they saw him earlier, leaving emergency, complaining that they failed to treat him.

Whether or not the personal allegations are true or legitimate or not; the frustration level with the medical system at the VA CAN make one feel like an easily disposed of number, not a person.

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING, you can expect more of these events when the Federal Government is in full control of your health care and it's bureaucratic institutions have the fate of your medical care in their hands, and you have no other recourse.

[Mind Freed]

Always hate hearing or reading about a suicide. My prayers go out to his family and I pray he is with the Lord.

[ConorMacNessa]

PRAYERS GOING UP!

THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me;
Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[okie01]

I'm moved to ask: Why do we even have VA hospitals?

In my experience, they are generally antiquated, poorly run and less than expertly staffed. Granted, there are exceptions.

But, upon being mustered out of the service, why don't we give every veteran a paid-up healthcare policy -- which would allow them to be treated anywhere?

Simple solution. Probably provides better quality care for our valuable veterans. And I'd bet it would be a LOT cheaper in the long run.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Tragic. Pray for his family. Soldiers in war see things the rest of us would find too horrible to imagine. A true soldier would never want war unless it was absolutely necessary.

In today’s world, it often is.

[Cicero]

Prayers for him.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Without a VA there wouldn't be tons of government jobs and the bureaucracy that goes with it. Your solution makes perfect sense so you will never see it enacted when throwing money down a hole to make politicians seem to care about vets works better for them.

[Doogle]

God saw he was getting tired
and a cure was not to be
So He put his arms around him
And whispered,”Come with Me”
With tearful eyes we watched
him suffer
And saw him fade away
Although we loved him dearly
We could not make him stay
A golden heart stopped beating
Hard working hands to rest
God broke our hearts to prove to us
He only takes the best

RIP

[Little Bill]

Smells, the VA system is poor but this story smells.

[Shimmer1]

27 years old

[US Navy Vet]

OK What was this guy’s MOD/AFSC/Rate?

[US Navy Vet]

MOS

[Freddd]

This is the first time I have heard of someone shooting themselves in the head TWICE.

[Cheap_Hessian]

I am not finding it. Here is from another source:

VA spokesperson Donna Simmons said, “We have a confirmed suicide of a 27-year-old veteran and the investigation is ongoing at this time.”

VA Center officials confirmed that Huff was an Army veteran who was in the emergency room around 1 a.m. Friday. The shooting was reported just before 6 a.m.

Investigators at the VA Center will be looking into what transpired between the time Huff was in the emergency and took his own life.