Canada rocked by rash of soldier suicides in one week BBC News
The Canadian military is soul searching after the suicides of up
to four soldiers in just a week. Defence officials told media that
three of as many as four Canadian Forces members who took
their own lives in recent days had served in Afghanistan.
Senator Romeo Dallaire, a retired general, blamed a recent traffic
accident on stress over the deaths.
The incidents have raised questions over post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD). The latest death, of a married 46-year-old soldier
whose body was found on Monday near his base in Quebec, is being
treated as an apparent suicide. Sylvain Lelievre had served in Bosnia
and Afghanistan. In the past week, the bodies of Warrant Officer Michael McNeil,
Master Cpl William Elliott and Master Bombardier Travis Halmrast have
also been discovered.
'Out of steam'
The men were based in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta respectively.
It is not known if the soldiers suffered from PTSD, but mental illness
has not been ruled out as a cause.
Col Rakesh Jetly, a military psychiatrist, told the Globe and Mail he
expects the number of soldiers dealing with PTSD to rise in coming
years as they return from Afghanistan.
Defence Minister Rob Nicholson issued a statement saying: "We all
have a role to play in reaching out to those who are hurting and
encourage them to get help.
"I want to remind those who may be going through difficult times
that you are not alone and there is support available to get you
through this."
Mr Dallaire acknowledged that he, too, had suffered from PTSD
after witnessing atrocities as a United Nations force commander
in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. He told Senate colleagues
on Tuesday that a minor car crash he had a day earlier was
caused by a lack of sleep due to stress over the recent military suicides.
"I simply ran out of steam," he said.
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