Guardsman/State Trooper Commits Suicide 5 Weeks After Iraq
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http://educate-yourself.org/cn/jeffreyslosssuicide27may04.shtml
May 27, 2004
Original Title
Guard Suicide Highlights Risks for Returning Troops
Listen to this story... by Joseph Shapiro
Jeffrey and Pam Sloss were married just weeks before he left for Iraq.
.
Courtesy Pam Sloss
South Carolina Guardsman Jeffrey Sloss,
Courtesy Pam Sloss
Morning
Edition, May 27, 2005 · Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Jerome Sloss, a member
of the South Carolina National Guard, seemed fine when he was serving in
Iraq. But when he came home to his job as a state trooper, he had trouble
concentrating. Sloss committed suicide on May 27, 2004 -- five weeks after
his return.
Military researchers say 17 percent of troops back from Iraq
show signs of mental health problems such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder,
and reservists and guardsmen -- like Sloss -- may be at greater risk than
their active-duty counterparts. That may be because when their deployment
ends, members of the National Guard and Reserves don't return to military
bases, where they're supported by others who've shared the life-changing
experience of war.
Though the military has better programs than ever before to
handle combat-related stress, there's still a lot of stigma. Sixty-five
percent of troops with problems say they worry that if they ask for help,
they'll seem weak.
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