4 recruiter suicides lead to Army investigation

[308Mike]

Linkarooni

4 recruiter suicides lead to Army investigation

By Michelle Roberts - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Dec 23, 2008 13:43:04 EST

HENDERSON, Texas — Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Henderson, a strapping Iraq combat veteran, spent the last, miserable months of his life as an Army recruiter, cold-calling dozens of people a day from his strip-mall office and sitting in strangers’ living rooms, trying to sign up their sons and daughters for an unpopular war.

He put in 13-hour days, six days a week, often encountering abuse from young people or their parents. When he and other recruiters would gripe about the pressure to meet their quotas, their superiors would snarl that they ought to be grateful they were not in Iraq, according to his widow.

Less than a year into the job, Henderson — afflicted by flashbacks and sleeplessness after his tour of battle in Iraq — went into his backyard shed, slid the chain lock in place, and hanged himself with a dog chain.

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[clyde621]

I may be wrong but it looks like the problem lies with the command of this perticualr unit. Sure it's stressful but there is such a thing as too much pressure.