Soldier held in killings 'snapped,' dad says
He feels counselors at stress clinic where 5 died had pushed too hard
SHERMAN, Texas - The father of the soldier charged with killing five fellow troops in Iraq said Tuesday that he believes his son snapped after counselors in a military stress center "broke" him.
Wilburn Russell spoke with reporters in front of the northern Texas home owned by his son, Army Sgt. John M. Russell.
The elder Russell said his son was six weeks away from completing his third tour in Iraq before Monday's shootings at Camp Liberty near Baghdad.
His son was treated poorly at the military stress center and had said over e-mail that two recent days were the worst in his life, Wilburn Russell said.
He felt like "his life was over" and that he had "lived for the military," the elder Russell added.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30678715/
Showing posts with label soldiers killed at stress clinic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soldiers killed at stress clinic. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Update on soldiers killed at stress clinic at Camp Liberty
Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress
Suspect In Murder Of 3 Soldiers, 2 Doctors Was On Third Tour In Iraq, Sources Tell CBS News
BAGHDAD, May 12, 2009
(CBS/AP) An American Army sergeant shot and killed five fellow soldiers following an altercation at a military counseling center in Iraq Monday, officials said. The attack drew attention to the issues of combat stress and morale among soldiers serving multiple combat tours over six years of war.
The suspect had been disarmed after an incident at the center but returned with another weapon, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation into the shootings was ongoing.
The U.S. military charged the suspect with five counts of murder, and one count of aggravated assault in the killings. Maj. Gen. David Perkins told reporters Tuesday that the charges were filed against Sgt. John M. Russell of the 54th Engineering Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany.
Perkins said the dead included two doctors, one from the Navy and the other from the Army. The other three dead were enlisted personnel.
Sources tell CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier the suspect was on his third tour of Iraq.
A recent Army study found soldiers on their third or fourth deployment are twice as likely to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Caught early enough, the symptoms including nightmares, sleep disturbances and rollercoaster emotions and hypervigilance, can be treated. But often troops won't ask for help, reports Dozier.
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Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress
UPDATE from CNN Sgt. Russell was on his third tour of Iraq.
Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops
Story Highlights
NEW: Official identifies suspect as Army Sgt. John Russell
NEW: Soldier faces five counts of murder, one of aggravated assault
Soldier allegedly fired on, killed five comrades at counseling center near Baghdad
Defense official: Suspect had been a patient at stress treatment center
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. soldier who fired on fellow troops in Iraq has been identified as Army Sgt. John Russell, and he's been charged with five counts of murder, a military spokesman said Tuesday.
U.S. troops get a safety briefing before departing Camp Liberty, Iraq, in December 2008.
Russell killed five people when he fired on other troops at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad International Airport, U.S. officials said.
Along with five counts of murder, Russell also was charged with one count of aggravated assault, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, who briefed reporters in Baghdad.
Russell is on his third tour in Iraq. He's with the 54th Engineering Battalion, based in Germany. He is in military police custody at Camp Victory.
There are no immediate insights on a motive, Perkins said.
go here for more
Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops
Suspect In Murder Of 3 Soldiers, 2 Doctors Was On Third Tour In Iraq, Sources Tell CBS News
BAGHDAD, May 12, 2009
(CBS/AP) An American Army sergeant shot and killed five fellow soldiers following an altercation at a military counseling center in Iraq Monday, officials said. The attack drew attention to the issues of combat stress and morale among soldiers serving multiple combat tours over six years of war.
The suspect had been disarmed after an incident at the center but returned with another weapon, according to a senior military official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation into the shootings was ongoing.
The U.S. military charged the suspect with five counts of murder, and one count of aggravated assault in the killings. Maj. Gen. David Perkins told reporters Tuesday that the charges were filed against Sgt. John M. Russell of the 54th Engineering Battalion based in Bamberg, Germany.
Perkins said the dead included two doctors, one from the Navy and the other from the Army. The other three dead were enlisted personnel.
Sources tell CBS News correspondent Kimberly Dozier the suspect was on his third tour of Iraq.
A recent Army study found soldiers on their third or fourth deployment are twice as likely to suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Caught early enough, the symptoms including nightmares, sleep disturbances and rollercoaster emotions and hypervigilance, can be treated. But often troops won't ask for help, reports Dozier.
go here for more
Baghdad Shooting Spotlights Combat Stress
UPDATE from CNN Sgt. Russell was on his third tour of Iraq.
Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops
Story Highlights
NEW: Official identifies suspect as Army Sgt. John Russell
NEW: Soldier faces five counts of murder, one of aggravated assault
Soldier allegedly fired on, killed five comrades at counseling center near Baghdad
Defense official: Suspect had been a patient at stress treatment center
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.S. soldier who fired on fellow troops in Iraq has been identified as Army Sgt. John Russell, and he's been charged with five counts of murder, a military spokesman said Tuesday.
U.S. troops get a safety briefing before departing Camp Liberty, Iraq, in December 2008.
Russell killed five people when he fired on other troops at a stress clinic at Camp Liberty, near Baghdad International Airport, U.S. officials said.
Along with five counts of murder, Russell also was charged with one count of aggravated assault, said Maj. Gen. David Perkins, who briefed reporters in Baghdad.
Russell is on his third tour in Iraq. He's with the 54th Engineering Battalion, based in Germany. He is in military police custody at Camp Victory.
There are no immediate insights on a motive, Perkins said.
go here for more
Soldier charged in deaths of 5 U.S. troops
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