(Carrie Feibel, KUHF Public Radio)
Memorial Day offers all Americans a chance to grieve, honor, and recognize troops who died fighting. In many ways, the rituals — like playing “taps” and offering wreaths — are straightforward and comforting. But some military family members in Houston still struggle to find closure, because their loved ones died of suicide.
Judi Swenson talked about her son, Army Specialist David Swenson, Jr. He took his life in 2005 after returning from Iraq. Swenson says sometimes the Memorial Day rhetoric can make her feel left out. ” It’s combat deaths, combat deaths, combat deaths. What they’re remembering and what they’re acknowledging.”
Laura Wolf also lost her son, after his tour of duty in Tikrit. “Aaron died in 2008 from what is well-known as “invisible wounds of war.” And actually it’s a nice way of saying he died by suicide. He had severe PTSD and traumatic brain injury and he died at Brook Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.”
Wolf says the Army is getting better at addressing mental health, but it came too late for her son. (Hear the full story at KUHF Public Radio)
Cycle Deployment Strains Military Marriage
(Talk of the Nation, NPR)
To all appearances, Chris and Lisa Faris seemed to have it all together. He rose through the ranks of the U.S. Special Operations Command to become its top enlisted man, command sergeant major, and his wife tended to their family and many others on his long deployments.
But the true picture wasn’t so pretty. Their marriage nearly dissolved. Then, in 2009, they decided to do whatever it took to make their marriage work. Now they tour the country, speaking openly about painful details and sharing difficult lessons with troops and their spouses across the country.
(Hear the full interview at NPR)
Learning to Heal, One Memorial Day at a Time
(James Dao, New York Times)
They had no plan, really, just memories….
Every ritual starts somewhere. And for the men of the Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, which fought in Ramadi, Iraq, this one began four years ago on Memorial Day weekend, when about a dozen veterans decided on the spur of the moment to visit the grave of one of their fallen comrades in a cemetery near Houston.
Each Memorial Day weekend since, the event has grown via word of mouth, with Marines from the 2-4, most in their 20s, coming from across the country to spend a few days together near cemeteries in places like Nashville or Indianapolis. “We decided we have to do this for everyone,” said Richard Cantu, one of the event organizers.
(Read the full story at the New York Times)
OTHER HEADLINES:
- Kingwood Mother Prepares for Double Arm Transplant (Houston Chronicle)
- Hunting For Food, In The Middle Of The City (KUHF Public Radio)
- Businesses Helping Texas Parks Close Budget Gap (KUHF Public Radio)
- FEMA Trailer Litigation Nears End (Houston Chronicle)
AROUND THE NATION: - Obama Vows to Protect Benefits for Veterans (AP/NPR)
- Gains in Health System Seen as Lasting by Some (New York Times)
- Many Unemployed Facing Early End to Benefits (USA Today)