Ranger Vet Kills Self To Avoid 9th Tour
Widow says Ranger killed self to avoid 9th tour
Aug. 24, 2011 – Associated Press
Iraq_Vets
SEATTLE — Army Ranger Jared Hagemann had served eight combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, with another deployment to Afghanistan looming.
But the 25-year-old staff sergeant dreaded the prospect of another tour. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and found the pressures of another a ninth deployment so overwhelming, his wife said, that he repeatedly threatened to take his own life.
On June 28, he was found dead, a gunshot wound to his head, in a training area at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle, where he was based.
“He wanted out,” Ashley Joppa-Hagemann said. “They should have let him out,”.
Hagemann’s wife is convinced it was suicide because she said he had repeatedly threatened to kill himself in the final months of his life.
The Army has not yet determined whether it was suicide, said Maj. Brian DeSantis, a spokesman with the Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Ga. He said the Army has launched two investigations into Hagemann’s death to determine how he died and the factors leading up to his death.
Joppa-Hagemann said the military knew about her husband’s mental health problems but did little to help him. “So many people knew there were issues. He sought help and nobody was paying attention,” said the 25-year-old widow, who lives in Yelm with the couple’s two young sons.
The Army says Hagemann’s medical history is being reviewed as part of the investigation. The investigating officer will look into what diagnosis or treatment was made and whether policies were followed, DeSantis said.
The Army has not held a military memorial for Hagemann, and the Army Rangers said Tuesday there are no plans to hold a battalion memorial for him.
“It’s ridiculous. He’s served his time. Every soldier deserves a memorial,” Joppa-Hagemann said.
DeSantis said Hagemann’s unit participated in his funeral and gave him full military honors. “The unit was able to pay their respects, so an additional (ceremony) was not planned,” he said.
Hagemann enlisted in the Army out of high school in 2004 because of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. He stood up for what he believed in, his wife said, and the Rangers to him meant being the first one in, “taking care of the bad guys.”
He was charming, outgoing, and commanded everyone’s attention when he walked into a room, she said. But after each combat tour, he would return cold, quiet, paranoid, and at times increasingly aggressive and violent. He’d drink more each time, had mood swings and would complain of recurring nightmares, she said.
In 2009, he was admitted for four days to Madigan Army Medical Center for mental health care services and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, she said. He went to counseling for alcoholism but was later told he needed to do it on his own time.
“Soldiers aren’t being allowed to take care of their mental health problems,” said Seth Menzel, an Army veteran who has been pushing for military accountability and has been advocating for Joppa-Hagemann.
In 2010, he received a glowing evaluation with top marks and raters noting his unparalleled loyalty to the Army and Rangers and outstanding potential. Later that year, he would return to Afghanistan for his eighth combat tour. His eight tours lasted, on average, about four months, according to the Army.
His wife said he was growing increasingly frustrated and repeatedly asked to leave the Rangers unit. The Army’s DeSantis said the battalion leadership was not aware of any request for him to leave the unit.
“In the last month, he put a gun to his head three times. He told me every day was a struggle to wake up and want to live,” Joppa-Hagemann said. “He said the things he had seen and done, no God would have forgiven him.”
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September 2nd, 2011 at 9:45 am
This is truly a tragedy of the worst kind. America’s best and bravest, like this Ranger, are asked to do more than any citizen could ever dream of. God bless Jared Haggeman and the family he left behind.
September 2nd, 2011 at 11:56 am
Hey Mr. Peace Prize President… Can we PLEASE bring our troops home NOW?
September 5th, 2011 at 6:15 pm
Ashley–My prayers are with you and every member of Jared’s immediate and extended family. While I will never know your pain, I empathize. I lost my fiancee to sudden cardiac arrest just over three years ago and I hurt to this day. I have not lost my faith in my Lord, Jesus Christ, but I truly wish I knew what He was thinking that day. There are days I am very angry with Him even though I fully ascribe to His omniscience, omnipresence, & omnipotence and that it is His will must be done on earth as it is in heaven for the total betterment of us all. Looking at the bottom of the tapestry, I certainly am at a loss in the same manner you are.
On a broader issue of PTSD, nutrition is partly the key. High levels of stress, mental or physical, wipe out the store of B Complex vitamins in roughly 15-20 minutes. Combat is certainly one of the highest stress producing events anyone will ever experience thus there is a continuous drain on the B Complex stores. B Complex is known as the “happy vitamin family” and is critical for proper neurological function. The USRDA/USDV will not come close to fulfilling the needs of troops in combat. Aside from the rapid use of B Vitamins by the body under stress, B Vitamins are also water soluable so they flush from the system. It is key that the B Complex a person uses is naturally sourced, balanced, and taken throughout the day.
Another area of nutrition that is critical for brain function and the mitigation of PTSD is Essential Fatty Acids(EFA). High levels of EFAs, in my opinion, can only be obtained through proper supplementation. I am strongly partial to the products produced by the Shaklee Corporation. In the area of EFAs, I recommend OmegaGuard (I use 6-10 daily which provides 1089-1815mg of EPA, 720-1200mg of DHA, plus 192-320mg of five additional fatty acids key to brain and total body health); GLA Complex (I use 1 GLA for each 3 OmegaGuard and that provides 90mg of GLA); Lecithin which provides acetyl-choline, a key neurotransmitter, to the brain; and Emerald Laboratories Coconut Oil Soft Gels. Whatever product a person chooses to use, make sure that it is cold or cool processed and that it is completely tested for impurities.
New research by Oxford University research scientists, indicate that the computer game Tetris has a positive effect in preventing, mitigating, and/or eliminating PTSD. it would be useful if the game were on every US serviceman’s computer, particularly those in combat and combat support MOSs.
Semper Fi
Death to the Oppressors
TSEjr, C.C.S.
President, Fitness Crafters
USMC, 0802 (1979-1985)
September 5th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
And to think the Defense Business Board is proposing eliminating military retirement (saying grandfathering isn’t even needed), while suggesting military service isn’t so different from a regular job. RIP Ranger.
September 6th, 2011 at 2:40 am
The most tragic thing about this is the fact that he believed God would not forgive him. God in his infinite wisdom knew that he was doing what was asked of him to protect his family ,his country and all Americans.When it was first noticed that he was having issues with his service friends and family should have made certain he received the necessary help. I pray to God that if it be suicide God in his goodness and mercy will look with pity on this poor soul whom only wanted to do his duty until it became more than he could bear. Rest in peace for what you have done to help others.
September 6th, 2011 at 10:20 am
God be with this brave Rangers family. RIP Jared.
Damn just bring our men and women home, we can’t deliver freedom to other parts of the world when our own freedom at home is slowly eroding.
God Bless all of our brave men and women that voluntarily sign the papers and deploy into harms way.
September 13th, 2011 at 2:29 pm
This type of treatment of our soldiers is nothing new.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shays%27_Rebellion