Cornyn voices concerns in letter to Army

In a letter to the Secretary of the Army, Sen. John Cornyn voices his concerns on the alarmingly high suicide rate among military recruiters.

Secretary of the Army

1600 Army Pentagon Room 3E560

Washington, DC 20310

Dear Secretary Geren:

I am troubled by recent reports of the suicides of five soldiers in Texas who were serving as recruiters, following their combat tours in Iraq or Afghanistan. I write today to bring this alarming situation to your attention and ask you to provide information on the Army's efforts to address the problem. As I know you agree, the U.S. Army Recruiting Command and our military recruiters are vital to the strength of America's all-volunteer force. We are a nation at war, and our recruiters are absolutely critical to our important efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and all fronts in the War on Terror.

The recruiting battalion based in Houston, for example, has had five suicides since 2001. The most recent recruiters to take their own lives were Staff Sergeant Larry Flores and Sergeant First Class Patrick Henderson, who were both assigned to the recruiting company based in Tyler, Texas. I understand that a command-directed investigation is underway. Please provide my office with a briefing on the results and findings of this investigation upon its completion.

Due to the recurring deployments that have proven necessary to sustain operations in the Middle East, it is likely that a large majority of our recruiters are also veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of our military recruiters work in recruiting offices and facilities remote from the military installations at which their fellow soldiers serve. As such, many of them lack the same access to peer support networks and important services for dealing with stress, anxiety, PTSD, and other conditions that may directly result from their prior combat service. I believe it is imperative that all soldiers who return from combat theaters, including our military recruiters, have the Army's full range of support services available.

Recruiting offices can be isolated and far different from the familiar setting of an Army post; as such, they may not be the ideal assignment for a newly returned combat veteran, who may need time to readjust and regain a semblance of normalcy. In light of the string of recent suicides, the concept of returning soldiers from combat and reassigning them to a recruiting office may require reevaluation.

I am very concerned about this apparent trend within the Houston-based recruiting battalion, and I believe the situation requires your leadership and oversight to ensure the proper actions are taken and safeguards put in place to protect our troops. Please provide a response to my Washington, D.C. office as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN

United States Senator
Cornyn voices concerns in letter to Army

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