Greg Mitchell, senior editor at Editor & Publisher, published a national article alleging an Air Force Lt. Colonel committed suicide due to stress and depression caused by service in Iraq. Mitchell's article offered no evidence to support the claim and there is no indication he had permission from the family to make the suicide allegation public. And at the end of the article he includes a pitch for his new book. E&P:
Even after so many tragic final chapters in the lives of so many U.S. military personnel in Iraq or veterans back home, the brutally frank opening line in a newspaper obituary from five days ago seemed particularly haunting: "Donald P. Christy, Lt. Col, USAF, passed away April 21, 2008 in Colorado Springs after an extended bout of anxiety and depression."
Further on, the obit mentioned that in 2004 "Don served a tour of duty as the Deputy Commander at Baghdad Airport in Iraq"--which must have been one of the most stressful jobs in all of Iraq at that time, in light of insurgent attacks and the controversy over a prison based there.
The little-noted obituary does not reveal how Christy died, but the reports comes on the heels of a Veterans Administration coverup of the shockingly high number of suicide attempts by vets (1000 a month) and a Rand Corp. study revealing that 300,000 who served in Iraq or Afghanistan now suffer from various mental problems.
Talk about a disgusting leap - Mitchell admits he doesn't know how or why the Lt. Colonel died, but that doesn't stop him from rushing in to allege - in a national article - that Christy committed suicide due to stress from the Iraq War. This claim could be hurtful to the family. Did Mitchell even speak to the family? But also, depression has biochemical aspects which could be completely unrelated to experiences such as wartime service. Mitchell didn't mention that fact.
The Christy obit, which presumably was composed by his family (he leaves parents, two sons, an ex-wife) was published in the Colorado Springs Gazette last Thursday, and picked up by Legacy.com, which also carries a tribute board. Christy was 44. Internment is taking place this morning with full military honors at the Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the charity of choice.
Christy hailed from Johnson City, N.Y., and his obit explains that after returning to the U.S. following his Baghdad Airport posting, "he attended the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and was
then reassigned to the Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs."
Among the tributes at Legacy.com is one that is directed directly to him by a man from Foster City, Ca., who served with him:
"Don, It seems like yesterday that you and I were young lieutenants in Grand Forks. Back then your greatest worry was which video game you could borrow from me. I'm sorry that I lost touched over the years. I'm also sorry to hear that your life was in turmoil. My prayers are with you and your family. RIP my friend. I hope you have found peace and may your family find solace in this difficult time. As with your family's wishes, I will be making a donation to a charity in your name."
And a woman from Texas writes to Christy's mom: "I too lost my son to depression. Mother to mother I know this loss is so very great. I will keep you family in my prayers and know that Donald is in the arms of the angels."*
Greg Mitchell's new book includes several chapters on this subject. It is "So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits -- and the President -- Failed on Iraq."
What Greg Mitchell has accomplished here is to continue the stereotype that returning US veterans are mentally imbalanced victims - without the benefit of any facts to support his claims.
But look at the last sentence in the piece - the Mitchell article ends with a plug for Mitchell's new book. Talk about cheapening the death of Lt. Col Christy to increase book sales.
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Will it surprise you to learn that no-class Mitchell is a liberal? He is a contributor to the lefty blog Huffington Post. And notice how the Huffington Post refers to Mitchell's book: "It is the first five-year history of the war, has been hailed by Bill Moyers, Glenn Greenwald, and Arianna Huffington, and features a preface by Bruce Springsteen." Moyers, Greenwald, Huffington, and Springsteen have "hailed" the book, which tells you which side of the aisle it is coming from.
I have emailed Mitchell to ask if he had permission from the family to publish a national article about Christy committing suicide; I'll let you know his response.
