Posted on 05/13/2009 5:05:29 PM PDT by SandRat
WASHINGTON, May 13, 2009 – Defense Department officials today released the names of four soldiers killed in a shooting at a combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty, Iraq on May 11.
The name of a fifth victim, Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C., was released yesterday.
Dead are:
-- Army Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas, assigned to the 55th Medical Company in Indianapolis;
-- Army Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J., assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany;
-- Army Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo., assigned to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade, Waco, Texas; and
-- Army Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md., assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany.
Army Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, of Sherman, Texas, is in military police custody at Victory Base Complex in Baghdad, charged with five specifications of murder and one of aggravated assault, military officials confirmed yesterday.
Russell is assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, based in Bamberg, Germany.
In a briefing in Iraq yesterday, Army Maj. Gen. David Perkins, a spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters that the two officers killed were staff members at the Combat Stress Control Center at Camp Liberty, where Russell was being treated. The three enlisted soldiers were at the clinic at the time of the shooting. Russell was apprehended by military police outside the clinic just after the shooting, Perkins said.
Russell was referred to the clinic for counseling about a week before the shooting. Russell’s commander had taken away his personal weapon, and how and where Russell was able to get another weapon is part of the investigation that’s under way, Perkins said.
All soldiers in Iraq typically carry a weapon and ammunition, even while on a base.
Russell’s unit was based at Camp Victory, and was preparing to leave Iraq. He had been deployed to Iraq at least two other times, Perkins said. Camp Victory is part of the Victory Base Complex, and it houses the headquarters for Multinational Corps Iraq. Camp Liberty also is on the complex. The clinic is located near the headquarters of Multinational Division Baghdad.
Army Maj. Gen. Daniel Bolger, commander of Multinational Division Baghdad said that if there’s one thing leaders have learned from the war, it’s that not all injuries are physical. “So you’ve got to have that door open for the guys,” he added.
In Iraq, soldiers can be referred for treatment at the clinic by unit doctors, or they can self-refer. But, despite senior leaders’ best efforts, Bolger said, some servicemembers still perceive a stigma attached to seeking mental-health treatment. It is especially difficult, he noted, for those in leadership positions to seek the help they need.
“[Russell is] in a leadership capacity, and to make that trip down there is a tough decision for either him or his chain of command to make,” Bolger said. “But … we have those facilities and care available.”
Alongside the criminal investigation, Army officials are formally investigating the policies and availability of behavioral health services in Iraq, officials said.
“One of the goals on mental health on the battlefield, just like with a bullet wound, [is that] you always want to treat it as far forward as possible,” Bolger said. “So we try really hard to get those folks … to meet with folks to see this early.”
BTTT....words fail...
Prayers up for the families of the fallen - May God bring healing to them in their grief, and welcome home to Heaven these brave souls.
Very nice.
This is so sad.
God bless them and their families and loved ones.
However...
the two officers killed were staff members at the Combat Stress Control Center at Camp Liberty, where Russell was being treated. The three enlisted soldiers were at the clinic at the time of the shooting.
And...
some servicemembers still perceive a stigma attached to seeking mental-health treatment.
Never mind the stigma - there are worse things that can happen, geez! So, is the perp a convert to TROP or just an unaffiliated kindred spirit?
Amen!
Prayers to the families including Sgt Russell. The Army requires you to have a weapon and ammo but not locked and loaded until you go out of the wire.
Russell’s weapon was taken away. As he was being escorted away from the clinic by an other soldier he got the other man’s gun, kicked him out of the car and returned to the clinic where he began firing.
His family is blaming the military for breaking their son because the military wanted him out of the military.
Sigh......there are no words for the information that is coming out........so far.
It is hard to know what the mind set of Sgt. Russell was in order to trigger this horrible event. The soldiers I was with were concerned with two things. One, get the bad guys and two watch everyone elses six oclock position in order to prevent prevent an ambush..in other words, we were responsible for each other. :-(
May God comfort all who mourn..This is so sad..
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.