The Army is investigating three possible suicides in the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York.
Maj. Gen. Milford H. Beagle, Jr., commander of the division, said: “Immediately when we have a situation when a soldier is suspected of taking their own life, we want to know the trigger. What are the underlying challenges that contributed to the decision to harm themselves? We want to know, what didn’t we catch? What are we missing? This is what our immediate focus is.”
Officials believe these three soldiers died in “self-harm incidents” between September 16 and 17:
Green helped evacuate people from Kabul, Afghanistan, last month:
Green, an infantryman assigned to 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment (The Polar Bears), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, had recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan, where he was one of the last soldiers off the ground following the U.S. evacuation effort in the country.The Afghanistan deployment was Green’s second to the country, though investigators do not believe the deployment was the “primary reason” for his death. Green also deployed to Qatar once.
Thomas worked as a signal support system specialist in Texas. Tapueluelu served as a cannon crewmember in Washington.
Command Sgt. Maj. Mario O. Terenas told the Army Times that the suspected suicides are part of a well-known problem in the entire military:
Terenas stated: “We do not consider this to be a wakeup call. We have been aware for years that the loss of a battle buddy is absolutely soul crushing.”
***Please remember you are never alone. If you or anyone you know is thinking about self-harm or suicide please call the suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255***
CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY