HOUSTON — Five Army recruiters from the same Houston-based battalion have committed suicide in recent years, leading veteran advocate groups to ask for more scrutiny of such stressful jobs during wartime.
The August suicides of Staff Sgt. Larry G. Flores Jr., 26, and Sgt. 1st Class Patrick G. Henderson, 35, occurred as suicides among active duty personnel are expected to set a record for the second year in a row. The Houston Chronicle reported Friday that 93 soldiers had killed themselves by the end of August. In 2007, 115 soldiers committed suicide.
The Houston battalion’s suicides are a “very loud, very bright alarm” that Army officials and politicians shouldn’t ignore, said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense.
“This may warrant changes in … how the military addresses mental health needs for returning combat veterans placed in stressful noncombat jobs,” he said.
READ MORE from The Houston Chronicle
