What's another dead Marine worth?
One hell of a lot.
The 2006 suicide death of Randen Harvey, 24-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served two back-to-back tours in Iraq, is now the focus of a lawsuit brought on behalf of the estate of Randen Harvey by the veteran-activist Fausone Bohm (LLP) firm.
I started writing about veterans about three years ago after a Wisconsin Vietnam-era veteran, Keith Roberts, was unjustly thrown into federal prison (yes) after being diagnosed with PTSD and "tenaciously pursuing a claim for VA benefits" (Harper’s Magazine).
And I haven't stopped.
I corresponded with the dedicated and sprawling network of veterans' journals and activists and lawyers around the country: [Veterans Legal Help- Vietnam War Resources- Vietnam Center and Archive- Veterans' Post- Vets for Justice- The Veteran Voice- Veterans Today- Excellent Veterans' Attorney, Robert Walsh- Veterans for Politics- Colonel Dan Cedusky's Vets' Issues- VA Watchdog- Veterans for Common Sense- IAVA - Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America- Relieving Stress- Post's PTSD Primer- PTSD Spirituality - John Zemler's Blog- The American Veterans and Servicemembers Survival Guide - Vote Vets- Military Veterans' Vital Phone Numbers].
I think the Obama administration is a sea change from Bush, but one case after another keeps coming to light.
Believe me, the only thing keeping up the plight of veterans in the news are blogs and veterans' journals like those above.
From a veterans' network e-mail
Marine's Tragic Death
Any military conflict is tragic enough without losing soldiers to a suicide that could well have been prevented. This is made even more tragic when the failure to prevent this loss of life was due to problems at a Veterans Administration Medical Center.
The firm has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Estate of Randen Harvey, a 24-year old Marine Corps veteran of two back to back tours in Iraq. Randen took his life only after repeated requests for treatment to the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor.
The firm learned of the plight of the Harvey family from Ms. Jackie Green, Randen's mother.
This case has brought national attention to an issue that the VA would rather avoid, the increase in suicide among military personnel who have served in the Middle East conflict. Imbedded within this newsletter is a recent Detroit News special investigation about this issue and the Harvey case.
The firm, through its Legal Help For Veterans practice group, represents over 550 veterans in pursuit of benefits rightfully owed them. Likewise, as a result of this practice, the firm has gained considerable experience in medical malpractice claims brought against VA hospitals.
If you, a friend, family member or other loved one had been stonewalled by the VA in response to a legitimate disability benefit claim or experienced medical malpractice, please contact Mike Viterna or Jim Fausone at 800-693-4800.
About Our Law Firm Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC, a practice group
of Fausone Bohn, LLP, is one of the nation's largest veteran disability practices with the staff and resources to assist veterans fight the VA bureaucracy.
And from the Detroit News by Marney Rich Keenan who can be reached at mkeenan@detnews.com.(April 16, 2009):
On June 11, 2006, at 8:30 p.m., Randen Harvey, a 24-year-old Marine Corps veteran, walked into the emergency room of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Ann Arbor in such a state of despair he warned he 'might jump off the roof or put a hose in his car exhaust.'
Four hours later, around 1 a.m., he was found on the roof of the nine-story building. Hospital security had to be called to bring him down.
Three days later, on June 15, the Marine who served two back-to-back combat tours in Iraq surrendered to his demons. He was found sprawled on the tile floor in the bathroom of his father's Farmington Hills home, dead from an overdose of street and prescription drugs.
Several branches of the military are reporting significant spikes in the number of suicides committed by both active-duty troops and veterans returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. Experts are calling the number of military-related suicides sweeping the country an 'epidemic.'
Survivors of veterans who committed suicide are starting to file lawsuits, accusing the VA of medical malpractice. ...