i've written about this before

and i'll keep on writing about it until our veterans and enlisted men and women get the help they not only need, THEY DESERVE. instead of asking for MORE FUCKING MONEY FOR WAR, why the FUCK don't king george and his court ASK FOR MORE MONEY FOR THE SOLDIERS CARE? (current and veterans OF ALL time. war and not war. a vet is a vet).

when are we going to say ENOUGH? when when when

elizabeth whiteside is ONE name we know. how many DON'T we know about?

Soldier Suicides at Record Level
Increase Linked to Long Wars, Lack of Army Resources


By Dana Priest Washington Post Staff Writer

Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, a psychiatric outpatient at Walter Reed Army Medical Center who was waiting for the Army to decide whether to court-martial her for endangering another soldier and turning a gun on herself last year in Iraq, attempted to kill herself Monday evening. In so doing, the 25-year-old Army reservist joined a record number of soldiers who have committed or tried to commit suicide after serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. .........

"I'm very disappointed with the Army," Whiteside wrote in a note before swallowing dozens of antidepressants and other pills. "Hopefully this will help other soldiers." She was taken to the emergency room early Tuesday. Whiteside, who is now in stable physical condition, learned yesterday that the charges against her had been dismissed. ............



(links to my other postings on elizabeth whiteside)

more on 1st lt elizabeth whiteside

and it's decent news too! there is a recommendation NOT to court martial. of course it's not a final decisison yet but my fingers are crossed for her (and everyone else too)

Leniency Suggested for Officer Who Shot Herself

By Dana Priest and Anne Hull Washington Post Staff Writers
An Army hearing officer recommended yesterday that 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside, a patient undergoing psychiatric treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, should not face a court-martial or other administrative punishment for having endangered the life of another soldier and attempting suicide while in Iraq.
"One of the Army values is integrity, which is defined as doing what is right, legally and morally," Maj. Mervin H. Steals, the investigating officer assigned to conduct a preliminary hearing, wrote in his decision. "The moral thing to do is dismiss these charges, to allow 1LT Whiteside to end her military service and receive the benefits that she will desperately need for the remainder of her life." ............

original posting article 32

article 32

this soldier, officer, with an EXEMPLARY record COULD get life in prison. her record speaks for itself. she VOLUNTEERED to go to iraq. however, while there, she had a psychiatric episode and attempted to commit suicide. it was in the presence of a psychiatric nurse.

now she is charged with kidnapping, endangering another solider and attempting suicide. the attempting suicide part is true. her doctors at walter reed are on her side. the army is not. they are thinking (quite hard) about prosecuting her.

did you know if you're a psychiatric patient at walter reed, your family is not eligible for the amenities other families are allowed?
'A Soldier's Officer'

Dana Priest and Anne Hull Washington Post Staff Writers
In a nondescript conference room at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 1st Lt. Elizabeth Whiteside listened last week as an Army prosecutor outlined the criminal case against her in a preliminary hearing. The charges: attempting suicide and endangering the life of another soldier while serving in Iraq.
Her hands trembled as Maj. Stefan Wolfe, the prosecutor, argued that Whiteside, now a psychiatric outpatient at Walter Reed, should be court-martialed. After seven years of exemplary service, the 25-year-old Army reservist faces the possibility of life in prison if she is tried and convicted. Military psychiatrists at Walter Reed who examined Whiteside after she recovered from her self-inflicted gunshot wound diagnosed her with a severe mental disorder, possibly triggered by the stresses of a war zone. But Whiteside's superiors considered her mental illness "an excuse" for criminal conduct, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. .............