Friday, June 5, 2009
Soldier Suicide: Army Inspector General - Use of unlicensed psychologists in Iraq did not violate Army regulations (but does now!)
Three weeks before the soldier's death, an unlicensed psychologist asked by the soldier's captain to evaluate him, said in a report that Scheuerman was "capable of claiming mental illness" to manipulate superiors and sent him back to his unit.Meanwhile, the Army inspector general says the father's complaints are unfounded...
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Scheuerman's behavior raised enough alarms that when a call came over the unit's radios that there had been a death, one soldier told investigators he immediately knew who it was who had died.
"The premise that someone at (Medical Command) made the decision to deploy providers regardless of their licensure is without merit," the investigation said."
HOWEVER, "The military changed its policy in 2006 and no longer deploys practitioners without a license"
Too bad this soldier killed himself in 2005.
Report: Dad's complaints about GI's care unfounded
By KIMBERLY HEFLING
June 5 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — The father of a soldier who committed suicide in Iraq says he was angry and discouraged that a military inspector general's investigation into the use of unlicensed psychologists in Iraq found the practice did not violate Army regulations.
The investigation was instigated by a complaint from Chris Scheuerman, of Sanford, N.C., father of Pfc. Jason Scheuerman, 20, who was found dead in his barracks in Iraq in 2005.
Three weeks before the soldier's death, an unlicensed psychologist asked by the soldier's captain to evaluate him, said in a report that Scheuerman was "capable of claiming mental illness" to manipulate superiors and sent him back to his unit.In a telephone interview on Thursday, Chris Scheuerman said military medical commanders "absolutely" should've known better than to send unlicensed psychologists to war.
"Any reasonable person would know that the worst place to train a psychologist would be in a combat environment," said Scheuerman, a former Army master sergeant who served in the Special Forces.
A copy of the Army Medical Command's inspector general's investigation, completed in November, was obtained by The Associated Press using a Freedom of Information Act request.
Prior to a change in policy in 2006, it was a common practice in Iraq for the military to deploy unlicensed providers with the stipulation that they work under supervision. The policy was similar to that in civilian settings, but was changed after the military determined supervision was difficult to do in a combat setting.Scheuerman's father said the then-unlicensed psychologist who treated his son should never have been in a position to do so, and is culpable in his son's death.
The father also complained that a top medical officer, Col. Elspeth Ritchie, who served as the psychiatry consultant to the Army surgeon general, knew of the provider's qualifications, and failed to take corrective action after his son's death.
Defense Department rules require a "doctoral level" health care provider to evaluate a soldier who is believed to be at risk for suicide.
The psychologist in Scheuerman's case, then-Army Capt. Chris Hansen, whose report also said Scheuerman should be taken seriously if he acted depressed again, received his doctoral degree in 2007 and his license in 2008, in Alabama.
It is not clear whether Hansen was supervised.
Chris Scheuerman is seeking to have Hansen's license revoked. The IG, however, determined the father's complaints were unfounded.
"The premise that someone at (Medical Command) made the decision to deploy providers regardless of their licensure is without merit," the investigation said.
Ritchie and Hansen, who is currently stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., were unavailable for comment, said Lt. Col. George Wright, an Army spokesman. He said in an e-mail that the Army has taken appropriate actions against individuals involved in the matter.
"We continue to be concerned about suicides, and are increasing our efforts to reduce this tragic occurrence," Wright said. "We grieve the loss of every soldier, no matter what the cause."
At least 211 soldiers have taken their lives while serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, while others have committed suicide after returning home. The Army had the highest rate of suicides on record last year.
Scheuerman's behavior raised enough alarms that when a call came over the unit's radios that there had been a death, one soldier told investigators he immediately knew who it was who had died.
A separate investigation into the soldier's death last year by the Army inspector general determined that "military-related issues" were a factor in his suicide. It also said personal issues may have contributed.
Source: Associated Press via Seattle Post Intelligencer
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5 comments:
Hello. A U.S. Army Recruiter went outside to his SUV on June 23, 2010, and shot himself, at the Army Recruiting Station in Alameda, CA. These Recruiter suicides are all preventable and so shocking. Soldiers have an expectation they may be wounded or killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, but they have no idea what is in store for them as a high pressured and harassed desk jockey and salesman in the dysfunctional USAREC, or as they call it, USAWRECK, Command. Google armyrecruitersuicides and you will be sickened by the trend going on for several years now. God bless their brave souls. This soldier was attached to the USAREC Recruiting Battalion out of Fresno, CA, reporting to MAJ Maria Rodriguez and LTC Richard Rivera, and they in turn report to the USAREC 6th Brigade, Las Vegas, NV, with COL Michael C. Howitz, as the Commanding Officer.
Do you by chance have the name of the first soldier pictured? The one with the tear?
Thank You- Jenna
Sorry Jenna... The picture came to me un-captioned in an image search. I did some research and found other sites using this image but no info on the image source.
I HAVE noted the dead link to the AP story and it has been repaired.
Hello. Thank you for this blog. On April 20, 2011, the Pentagon and the U.S. Army announced the closing/deactivation of U.S. Army Accessions Command (USAAC), (see the Army Times, Time Magazine on line, 4/20/2011), reportedly in order to save money. USAAC is the Command directly above U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), where the Recruiter suicides continue. Both Commands HQ are located on Fort Knox, KY. USAAC, most notably, and their CG for the past several years, Lt Gen Benjamin "NASCAR" Freakley, have trumpeted the "fantastic" recruiting publicity rewards from blowing $17 million annually on NASCAR, but all the while Army Recruiters assigned to USAREC engage/ed in suicide ideation, attempt/ed suicide, or complete/ed suicide. Check out the Department of Defense Suicide Event Report, DoD-SER for CY 2008 - 2010 and to the present, and Army SER Reports back to 2001. One General is retiring reportedly on his own accord, "due to reportedly cost cutting measures", but where is further accountability? Two other Generals were/are managers of these 7,500 Recruiters and hundreds of Army civil servants. Lt Gen Donald M Campbell Jr, and MG David L Mann were/are both Deputy CG and CG over the period 2006 - to the present. How do you think your resume would look if it disclosed up to 20 employee suicides under your management? Would it warrant promotions with additional stars and promotions to even bigger Commands? Take Lt Gen Donald M Campbell, Jr, for example. On Thursday, April 21, 2011, he became the new CG for III Corps and Fort Hood, TX, over approximately 27,000 soldiers. Absurd! That is why this entire subject needs airing: Army USAREC and USAAC previously initiated studies and reports, one specifically with the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle, PA, entitled "Assessing Cultural Change in the United States Army Recruiting Command", 30 Mar 2009, by COL Fred Johnson, approved for Public Release/Distribution Unlimited, which identified serious "weak signals" within USAREC management and production policies. Google it on the Internet. The report clearly lays out the problems at USAREC and even recommends that the soldier/combat vets in Recruiting, be returned to their tactical MOS's and the Recruiting jobs be turned over to civilians: (civilians who have not performed four back to back combat tours and are not arbitrarily assigned/detailed to Recruiting with symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression). How come this report and other recommended changes, were not seriously considered? As we know, we no longer have a draft. Instead, we have a volunteer force of "professional Army Officers" loyal to other "professional Army Officers". What happened to the loyalty and accountability to the American public, tax payers and the Army military families?
Hello again, Razer. I am Anonymous who wrote those posts about the USAREC "USAWRECK" suicides. I would post more but am engaged in another fight with Army about the piling on of more reprisal. I am grateful you keep the spotlight on these tragic military suicides, active duty and veterans. Current status: Active duty - one suicide a day, every day. Your courageous presence on the internet is appreciated.
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