https://www.sfgate.com/world/article/Army-to-probe-mental-health-services-in-Iraq-3162300.php
Army to probe mental health services in Iraq
Ernesto Londono, Washington Post
Published 4:00 am PDT, Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Wilburn C. Russell, 73, wipes his eyes after talking to reporters in front of the house his son U.S. Army Sgt. John Russell purchased in Sherman, Texas, Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Russell's son is accused of killing five fellow troops at their base in Iraq. (AP Photo/LM Otero) less
Wilburn C. Russell, 73, wipes his eyes after talking to reporters in front of the house his son U.S. Army Sgt. John Russell purchased in Sherman, Texas, Tuesday, May 12, 2009. Russell's son is accused of ... more
Photo: LM Otero, AP
The U.S. military said Tuesday that it is launching a probe to identify shortcomings in mental health treatment for troops deployed in war zones, after a soldier allegedly killed five fellow service members at a base clinic in Baghdad on Monday.
Military officials on Tuesday identified the gunman as Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, of Sherman, Texas. Russell, a communications specialist with the 54th Engineer Battalion, based in Bamberg, Germany, has been charged with five counts of murder and one count of aggravated assault.
A few days before the shooting at Camp Liberty, a military installation near Baghdad airport, Russell's commanders grew concerned about his state of mind and confiscated his weapon as a precautionary measure, according to Maj. Gen. David Perkins, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq.
"He had been referred to counseling the week before," Perkins said Tuesday. "His commander had determined it'd be best for him not to have a weapon."
Another U.S. military official in Baghdad said Russell had gotten into an argument with someone at Camp Liberty's combat stress clinic earlier in the day. Later, Russell grabbed another service member's weapon, returned to the clinic and opened fire, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to discuss the case.
Navy Cmdr. Charles K. Springle, 52, of Wilmington, N.C., and an Army officer with the 55th Medical Company, an Indianapolis reserve unit that staffs the Camp Liberty clinic, were among the slain troops. The three others were enlisted soldiers, including 19-year-old Michael Edward Yates Jr., according to the Associated Press. Military police officers took Russell into custody outside the clinic shortly after the shooting.
Perkins said Army criminal investigators are putting together a timeline of the events that led to the shootings. He said he was not aware of a motive and did not know whether Russell knew any of the slain troops.
Russell's father, Wilburn Russell, 73, said Tuesday that counselors at the clinic "broke" his son. The elder Russell said his son e-mailed his wife days after the shooting and told her he had had two of the worst days in his life. He told her "his life was over as far as he was concerned," the father said. Wilburn Russell said his son was not a violent man.
The 54th Engineer Battalion is scheduled to leave Iraq in August after a 15-month tour in southern Iraq, where troops build roads and bases and screen routes for bombs. Russell, who is on his third deployment to Iraq, has also served in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Besides the standard criminal investigation, Perkins said, top military commanders have ordered a wide-ranging probe to determine whether there are enough mental health resources for troops serving in combat zones and whether screening and treatment are adequate.
"The focus on this is looking at the overall health services here," he said. "Are we doing the right things to diagnose people? Are we doing all that we can?"
Most large military facilities have combat stress clinics, outpatient facilities where soldiers get counseling. Soldiers suffering from depression, anxiety and other common symptoms can walk in on their own. Sometimes they are referred to the clinic by squad leaders, field medics or commanders.