Condelence letters now going to military suicide families.

[SirNitram]

Link

Reversing a longstanding policy, the White House has decided to send condolence letters from President Barack Obama to the families of service members who commit suicide while deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other combat zones.

The president had been weighing a change in the policy since December 2009, and it took effect this week.

“The president feels strongly that we need to destigmatize the mental health costs of war to prevent these tragic deaths, and changing this policy is part of that process,” a senior White House official said in a statement to POLITICO.

The review “was exhaustive and difficult, as this is an emotional, painful and complicated issue,” the official said.

And, “As a result of this review, the President has decided to change the administration’s policy and will now send condolence letters to families of service members that commit suicide while deployed to Operation New Dawn (OND), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and other combat operations,” the White House added.

In fiscal 2009, 160 members of the Army committed suicide, and 1,713 suicide attempts were reported. Between 2005 and 2009, 22.8 percent of Army suicides took place in combat zones. Overall, across all the armed forces, more than 1,100 service members committed suicide in that same five-year period.

This spring, a group of 11 senators wrote to the president to ask for a change to the “insensitive” practice of not sending condolence letters.

“Unfortunately, perpetuating a policy that denies condolence letters to families of service members who die by suicide only serves to reinforce this stigma by overshadowing the contributions of an individual’s life with the unfortunate nature of his or her death,” wrote the senators, 10 Democrats and one Republican, Richard Burr, of North Carolina. “It is simply unacceptable for the United States to be sending the message to these families that somehow their loved ones’ sacrifices are less important.”

In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), who with Burr co-chairs the Senate Military Family Caucus said the president’s letters “will honor the sacrifice of our nation’s service men and women and their families and do a great deal to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health treatment that prevents so many from seeking the care they need.”

CBS News first reported the policy shift, citing Gregg Keesling, the father of an Army specialist who committed suicide in combat two years ago and has been asking for a letter ever since.

“He was a good soldier and that’s the part that I want to know — that the country appreciates that he fought he did everything that he was asked to do,” Keesling said of his son, Chance Keesling, who was in Iraq when he took his own life.

“It didn’t turn out well for him, but at least this country could write a simple letter and that president represents our country and just say thank you for our son’s service,” Keesling added.

Keesling said he’s been told that he’ll get recognition from the White House, though not an official condolence letter since the policy is not being implemented retroactively.

A good move, and any effort to de-stigmatize mental illness from combat is good.

[Erik von Nein]

While it's a good thing they changed the policy I was taken aback that they didn't do this originally. Was there was a reason for it, or do they not send letters for non-combat-related deaths?

[Zixinus]

My guess is that suicide was not seen the same way it is nowadays when the rule was implemented.

Or it might be seen as "your son was a coward that killed himself rather than fight for his country", no matter the wording. Someone may not wanted that to be rubbed in. It's easy to imagine the letter going in and the family crying outrage and flat-out refusing to believe it.