Topic: Suicide

Picking up the pieces after suicide

By Michael Covington | May 13, 2008 |

When a loved one takes their life by their own hands, how are we to pick up the pieces and go on with life? For a suicide survivor, life can never be seen the same way again. Many emotions and surface and submerge long after the eulogies are delivered.

Suicide is the eleventh leading cause of death in people of all ages. Also, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the average rate of suicides in the United States is 89 per day. This equals roughly one suicide every 16 minutes. In 2005, eight percent of U.S. high school students had reported at least one attempt at suicide at some point in the previous 12 months. The rate of U.S. high school students reporting that they seriously considered a suicide attempt in the last year was 16.9%. Also, males commit suicide at almost four times the rate that females commit suicide. In four out of every five cases, there are warning signs against possible suicide.

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Sections: Issues, Opinion | 1 Comment »

“Disgusted” army wife speaks out on Army’s response to soldier suicide surge

By Debbie Boen | February 4, 2008 |

Editor’s Note: Even as Ms. Boen was preparing this article, the issue of soldier suicide exploded on the news front again with these statistics:

Last fall, there was an article in the Leaf Chronicle [10.12.07] titled, Fort Campbell General stresses suicide prevention. It reported that with nine suicides for the year, and 16 deaths pending investigation, and with three suicides in the last two weeks, the general said:

“This is unacceptable and it must stop. I want everyone associated with Fort Campbell to take pause, and to focus on what we can do as a community to reverse this trend.”

According to the Fort Campbell Courier, [12.20.07 vol. 43, no. 51], Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, Commanding General at Fort Campbell, made suicide prevention his priority since he took command in 2006. He expanded the “buddy care” program, which has soldiers watching out for each other, to “unit watch,” a program used by commanders when a soldier has suicidal thoughts. Now he is training families to recognize signs through “Building Family Resiliency” programs. He was quoted as saying:

“The individual has got to take personal responsibility. They have got to take responsibility for themselves and realize that they can save their own lives. It comes back to the individual.”

An army wife spoke out about these articles and about what was going on at the base because of the suicide scares. This is her view, in her words:

I only became aware of these “programs” when there was apparently an increase in suicides in the November/December time frame.

At first I thought they had to be kidding.

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Sections: Issues, Opinion | 2 Comments

Details emerge on ‘Bo’ Ward suicide; City Council Chambers closed

By Christine Anne Piesyk | October 5, 2007 |

Businessman Ronald “Bo” Ward was a walking a tight financial rope when he sought a commercial re-zoning of his Madison Street property, a move that would have increased the value of that property and would have leveraged additional financing to offset the expense of the new business building he occupied on Fort Campbell Boulevard.

Ward was a well-liked businessman whose business, Bo’s Barber Shop near Gate 1, had strong patronage from the military at Fort Campbell. He was a strong supporter of the soldiers based at Fort Campbell.

With the 5-7 denial of a second reading on that request Thursday night and a City Council moratorium on zone changes in that area, Ward apparently felt he would lose everything he worked for and chose to take his own life in front of his wife, the city leaders who denied his request, and a room full of residents attending that meeting.

As the reality of that denial set in, Ward stood up, walked toward the Council, was told by Mayor Johnny Piper, who serves as the President of the City Council, that he could not speak. Ward acknowledged that he could not address the Council, but told Piper the ruling “put him under” and that he [Bo] was “out of here.” He placed the barrel of a small silver handgun in mouth and pulled the trigger, falling at the feet of the audience as his wife, screaming, threw herself over him. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, News, Politics | 3 Comments

UPDATE: Suicide in Council Chambers leaves witnesses shocked, shaken

By Christine Anne Piesyk | October 5, 2007 |

“And that’s when the gentleman just looked at the mayor and said, ‘I just want you to know that you’ve killed me.’ And about that time, he pulled the gun from his right pants pocket, stuck it in his mouth and pulled the trigger.”

– Charles Cureton to NewsChannel 5/Nashville

Cureton was in City Council Chambers when Clarksville businessman Bo Ward, owner of Bo’s Barber Shop on Fort Campbell Boulevard, committed suicide Thursday evening before the Council and an estimated fifty people attending the meeting after a zoning request he was seeking was denied a reading.

Few words can adequately describe the horror that unfolded in City Council chambers tonight as Clarksville businessman Bo Ward, proprietor of Bo’s Barber Shop on Fort Campbell Boulevard, pulled out a handgun and shot himself to death before the council and approximately 50 other people.

“People were screaming in disbelief. Horror. The room was pretty well packed and there were a lot of elderly people there. They were pretty shaken up.” — Cureton

The City Council councilors voted down Ward’s request for a zone change on his Madison Street property, a move that Ward felt would sink him financially. Last month the Council voted favorably on the first reading of the requested change, but apparently in further discussion shifted their decision out of Ward’s favor. «Read the rest of this article»

Sections: Business, News, Politics | 1 Comment »

Suicides up among troops; Army concedes need for mental health care

By Christine Anne Piesyk | August 15, 2007 |

Suicide rates among Army personnel have hit a 26-year high, according to a new report just released by the U.S. Army.

“It’s not surprising,” said Clarksville Therapist Polly Coe as she heard details of the report stating that suicide rates among Army personnel have hit their highest rate in 26 years, with 25% of those self-inflicted deaths occurring in the Afghanistan and Iraq arenas. Iraq led the numbers with the most reported suicides and suicide attempts, according to a report released by the U.S. Army.

I’ve been hearing about it,” Coe said, while voicing a bit optimism that the Army is acknowledging the program and bolstering its metal health treatment efforts for troops worldwide. “They (Army) have to got to face this. Many of these soldiers are facing overwhelming depression and desperately need treatment.” Mental health issues among troops have reached “disastrous” proportions, Coe said, noting that suicides have been occurring not just among enlisted troops but officers as well. «Read the rest of this article»

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Hate Crime Survivor, Thought Recovering, Now Suicides

By Turner McCullough Jr. | July 3, 2007 |

There are a multitude of people who keep saying that racism in America is passe, a relic of the past. That all minorities have to do is simply apply themselves and success will be theirs. To a 18-year old David Ritcheson, those claims proved unbearably false. Having initially survived a horrendous four hour physical and psychological assault, the student was thought to be making a remarkable recovery from his ordeal. College was assured him thru a free scholarship by the Anti-Defamation League. He testified before Congress in support of anti-hate crime legislation.

He was going to dedicate his life’s work to preventing hate crimes such as he had endured. However, some demons apparently still lingered on. Some pain was too great to overcome. For complete details, see the following pages:

The Dallas Morning News

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