Heroism & heartache
Soldiers return from war only to die at home
By Brian Zimmerman
Staff writer
David Douglas survived the hostility of a war zone during his yearlong
tour of duty in Iraq.
But just two weeks after he returned to American soil, the 37-year-old
Richmond Army reservist was found dead from a gunshot wound. Two months
later, police are still investigating who pulled the trigger.
While many of the details of his death remain unsolved, his tragic
ending is similar to many others who died far from the battlefield -- the
last place friends and loved ones expected them to perish.
a.. On Nov. 11, 2004, a soldier allegedly beat Spc. Piotr Szczypka,
21, Colorado Springs, Colo., to death in his hometown shortly after he had
returned from Iraq.
a.. Spc. Richard Davis, 25, of St. Charles, Mo., was killed on July
14, 2004, in a brawl with fellow soldiers -- allegedly from the same
infantry he served in after returning home.
a.. And Lance Cpl. Jeffrey M. Lucey, 23, of Belchertown, Mass.,
committed suicide on June 22, 2004, after serving in Operation Iraqi
Freedom.
There are others, too.
"The Army is made up of over a million people," said Martha Rudd, a
spokesperson for the U.S. Army. "Just like in the civilian world, there is
going to be things like suicide or homicide or terrible accidents or
illness."
Challenges back at home
Coming home isn't easy, said Alfonso Williams, a National Guardsman
with the Eaton, Ohio-based 1438th Transportation Company.
When he returned from Iraq in March 2005, he said he felt like a hero,
but soon after he needed time to himself.
"You have a whole lot of built-up anger from being over there,"
Williams said. The 43-year-old lives in Richmond.
Since coming home a year ago, he has had difficulty fitting in and
talking to the people he normally had no problem talking to.
"You can't explain (what it's like) to anybody," he said. "And to
them, what they may think is screaming and hollering to you is a normal
tone."
He's also more irritable.
"Right now, I'm leery of people," he said. "I don't trust people like
I used to. I don't let anybody get close to me."
It was hard in Iraq, too, he said.
He watched marriages deteriorate. He said his survived because of his
already long established relationship with his wife, Elizabeth, and their
ability to keep in close contact.
"I couldn't do some of the things I had seen over there," he said,
about people who cheated on their spouses. "...They say when you're over
there, anything that happens, stays over there.
"Some people became close with others to cope with what was going on.
They tend to do things they wouldn't ordinarily do."
The way Williams felt isn't so different from how others felt who had
fought in previous wars.
The first thing James Hendricks did when he returned from Vietnam was
rent a trailer far away from everyone he knew. At the time, he had no idea
why.
"You come back and you feel some isolation," said Hendricks, who today
is a professor of criminal justice at Ball State University in Muncie.
"There's some disconnection," he said. "And you really don't want to
be around people."
It wasn't until later that he read about Post-Vietnam Stress Disorder.
Hendricks had all the symptoms, which included a quick temper.
"Years later I realized, 'Gee, I know why I rented that trailer clear
out of town,'" he said.
Military casualties
Since Feb. 11, 2,517 military men and women have died in Operation
Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to military
statistics. Of that number, 618 deaths happened in non-hostile situations,
but the numbers don't conclude whether military personnel died overseas or
back at home.
"Anytime a million or more people get together, you will have crime,"
said Christopher Grey, a spokesman for the Criminal Investigations
Department with the U.S. Army, which investigates homicides.
The military keeps records for suicide, too, but the numbers only
represent active duty personnel. In 2005, the military recorded 136.
"We have a vigorous suicide prevention program," Rudd said. "Everyone
at least once is trained to recognize the warning signs and council people
who are troubled. We work and have for many years on that."
Despite the statistics, the numbers are small in comparison to the
deaths of people from similar demographics in civilian populations, Rudd
said.
A reservist's last days
Fellow reservists in Douglas' units were worried about him when he
left Camp Atterbury unexpectedly to come home before final processing. He
was in the 1438th Transportation Company based out of Edinburgh, Ind.
Friends in his unit said he wasn't himself and would talk about
relationship problems with his wife. Usually, he always had time for a
friend and was a people person. But this time, he seemed to be in a rush to
get home.
"I thought he was going to have a heart attack over it," said Bob
Carroll about Douglas' marriage. Carroll is a mess hall sergeant with the
same company Douglas served. He lives in Bluffton, Ind.
Staff Sgt. Art Lemons, of Louisville, Ky., and a close friend of
Douglas' said he often talked about his wife while they smoked cigars.
"One thing he talked about often was that he wished his wife would get
back to the church -- and quit going out," he said in December.
The unit returned home Nov. 29 without casualties. But only a day
after members of the company last saw him, they got a startling e-mail
announcing his death.
Douglas was found dead Dec. 14. He was lying in an upstairs bedroom at
405 S. 12th St.
A .357 magnum revolver was found in the bedroom.
Help is available
Ray Hugger said identifying personnel who feel disconnection after
serving in recent military conflicts is a challenge.
As outreach coordinator for mental health services at the Veterans
Affairs Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, Hugger struggles to convince people to
seek help in reintegrating to civilian life.
"What we're noticing with this particular group all too often is that
they don't want to talk about it," Hugger said, about people returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan. "They get home and they say, 'I'll get to you
eventually. Right now I just want my life back.'"
Many never get the services they need.
"They're in a hurry to pick up their life and they don't want to mess
(with treatment)," Hugger said.
It's a problem because officials now estimate 30 percent of people who
return from war have some form of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. But not
everybody who has symptoms will develop the syndrome, Hugger said.
Symptoms include hyper vigilance, reoccurring nightmares, depression
and trouble forming relationships.
"Starting years ago, the VA said, 'We need to reach out to the
community where the veterans are,'" he said. "Nationwide, the VA has put a
big effort into establishing outpatient clinics in local areas.
Today, the Dayton VA Hospital has outpatient clinics in Richmond, as
well as three Ohio cities including Middletown, Springfield, and Lima. The
hospital recently hired an outreach worker to locate people who might need
services in the Dayton area.
"The military," Hugger said, "is doing a better job at sitting people
down and saying, 'Look, here are things you may be feeling. Here are things
you may be thinking.'"
The hospital wants to take a bigger role in veterans' lives.
"The VA is very interested in finding these folks and giving them the
information and services they need," Hugger said.
Two months later
Investigators are still waiting for the results of tests being
conducted on evidence from Douglas' home before they can proceed with the
investigation.
The investigation as it stands today hasn't concluded whether Douglas
committed suicide or if someone else pulled the trigger.
Police won't say whether they have questioned any suspect or suspects.
No one from Douglas' neighborhood, including his wife or kids, claimed
to have heard a gunshot when he died.
Once police receive test results, investigators said they expect to
hand the case over to the Wayne County Prosecutor's office for review.
Wayne County Prosecutor Mike Shipman would not comment on whether
charges might be forthcoming in connection with Douglas' death.
And police said they still have more work to do.
"There's a couple more sources I'm still trying to track down," said
Detective Michael French, who is leading the investigation. "I just want to
get it solved for the family."