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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Column: A grieving dad opens up about his veteran son's death by suicide
'My son,' he told me, 'should be on that wall also.' At the same time, as I found out later when Waddell and I connected via phone, the longtime North Aurora resident, who retired to Wisconsin in 2006, also understands why former U.S. Army Master Sgt. Michael Waddell's name is not included on the Illinois Fallen Wall among those who gave their lives in service to this country since 9/11. Death by suicide is far more complex. Far too hard to categorize in terms of cause and effect. And there are far too many. Twenty-two a day has been a call-to-action statistic, although the most recent data from the 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report (using 2022 numbers) puts it at 17.6 veterans committing suicide per day, which is significantly higher than among non-veteran adults. 'Can you imagine,' asked Waddell, 'how long a wall it would have to be to contain all of them?' And yes, when the Chris Patterson Memorial Foundation took over the Illinois Fallen Wall display a year ago, founder Bob Patterson – whose son, a West Aurora High School grad, was killed in 2012 in Afghanistan – noted some 'upset' feelings by loved ones grieving a suicide. But like Waddell, he noted, after some discussion they understood the reasoning behind the decision not to include those who took their own lives while in service or later. Still, the pain Waddell feels more than two years after his only child shot himself is palpable. It's a pain that needs acknowledging, as does his son's service to this country. After graduating in 1988 from West Aurora High School, Mike Waddell worked for a year in a warehouse, 'with no direction,' until his dad, a Marmion Academy graduate who worked for UPS, saw the names and addresses of those serving in the military printed in The Beacon-News, and encouraged his son to reach out to some and find out how they liked the experience. Because the feedback was positive, Mike enlisted in November of 1989, and spent the next 22 years in the U.S. Army, including two deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom where, according to his father, he suffered traumatic brain injury when his vehicle hit an IED. The younger Waddell retired as a master sergeant in 2011 and worked for the Army Corps of Engineers until shortly before his death in Jacksonville, North Carolina, according to his father, but struggled with PTSD, which eventually impacted his personality and relationships. Suffering from those invisible wounds, Mike became more verbally abusive, self-medicating on weed and wine, said Ron Waddell, adding that while his son would call the V.A. when 'having a bad day,' he never sought counseling, even with loved ones begging him to get help. With his 30-year marriage crumbling around him, said the elder Waddell, Mike used a gun to take his own life on May 8, 2023. 'As a child, he literally passed out when getting a shot,' recalled the father. 'Imagine the mental anguish he was going through' to end his life in this way. 'Had his mother been alive,' he continued, referring to his wife Andi's death in 2014 after a long battle with cancer, 'it would have killed her.' Waddell described their son as a 'good kid … a funny guy when he was not the way he was in the end.' And he was an excellent soldier, his father noted, referring to the many military commendations he received, as well as a flood of personal accolades from peers following his death. 'Your son was a good man … one of the best non-commissioned officers I have ever worked with,' wrote a fellow soldier who served twice with Mike during his service. While Mike Waddell's career meant most of his adult years were long distance from his dad, he was buried with full military honors at Northwoods National Cemetery in Harshaw, Wisconsin, just 15 minutes from Ron's home. And that gives a still-grieving father tremendous comfort knowing his son is 'finally at peace.' 'I can't emphasize enough how impressed and proud I was of him,' he told me. 'I have so many memories, all good.'
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Veterans, federal workers say layoffs at VA cause chaos, limit care
CHEYENNE — Former and current employees of the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center are raising concerns about a chaotic onslaught of employee terminations induced by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Part of a coordinated effort to reshape the federal workforce and encourage government efficiency, the Trump administration has plans to cut up to 80,000 jobs in the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, including personnel in Cheyenne, according to an internal memo obtained earlier this month by the Associated Press. In an exclusive interview with 'NBC Nightly News' that aired Wednesday, two local veterans shared their experiences with Cheyenne's veteran community and their needs. VFW State Commander Justin Tripp told NBC reporter Stephanie Gosk that there is a real need in the state for mental health care. 'I think we have a lot of needs,' Tripp told Gosk. 'Suicide is an issue, especially in Wyoming. I recently lost a friend to suicide. That transition into the civilian life, that's where we lose a lot of people to suicide.' Tripp lost a friend who he had served with during his 13 years in the U.S. Navy, according to the NBC report. Tripp's loss is not isolated; there were 6,407 veteran suicide deaths in 2022, according to the VA's 2024 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Of those, 22 were in Wyoming. Veteran care For many veterans, their medical care is incredibly personal, as many have built long-term relationships with their providers, according to representatives from Local 1014 AFGE, a chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees union based in Cheyenne. 'It's very difficult for those of us involved in direct veteran care,' one union member said. 'We're not only dealing with our own uncertainty, fear and anxiety, but then we're also getting a lot of questions from veterans about our ability to continue our mission and our ability to continue to care for them. 'Some veterans have had various providers for years, and they're afraid of losing that relationship and that care from that provider, so it makes it very difficult to focus on our mission.' The Wyoming Tribune Eagle agreed to let union members remain anonymous due to their fear of professional retribution. Federal firings While the stated intent of DOGE is to increase government efficiency, current and former employees of the VA have said these cuts won't achieve that. In the same exclusive interview obtained by 'NBC Nightly News,' Gosk spoke with one of the thousands of probationary federal employees who had been fired for her 'performance.' The Marine veteran was fired from her position as an office manager at the VA center in Cheyenne, which is dedicated to mental health. Though she was terminated for 'poor performance,' a recent performance review obtained by NBC revealed a glowing review from her manager. Her manager wrote, 'As a veteran herself, she listens with empathy … She is the first person our clients come into contact with.' The former VA employee interview was scheduled to air on 'NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt' at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday on local NBC stations. Despite an order from a federal judge in California that said the firings were unlawful, the remaining workers at the VA are still working in chaos, and they don't know what to tell their veterans. 'We're just being really honest and transparent,' the union member told the WTE. 'We don't know what the outcomes will be. We don't know anything, because it changes daily. We get information, and then it gets retracted.' Efficiency Many Wyomingites, including veterans, have been firmly in favor of President Donald Trump and increasing government efficiency. The VA has long been criticized for lack of efficiency, but workers say cutting positions won't help with existing problems. 'As with any large bureaucracy, things could be changed, things could be trimmed,' the union member told the WTE. 'However, if we're talking about a Veterans (Affairs) hospital, so many of the employees and services provided by those employees are necessary functions of that hospital. I can't speak to any larger government, but I think that in veteran care, we're all necessary employees.' Tripp, in the 'NBC Nightly News' interview, reiterated the government's responsibility to care for veterans, saying the government needs to honor its contracts with veterans. 'We served when called, we raised our hand when other people wouldn't,' Tripp said. Barriers to recruitment Wyoming's rural landscape and small population pose another issue for the Cheyenne VA Medical Center. Recruiting out-of-state talent is challenging, and haphazard firings could mean lost trust and permanently losing quality physicians locally. 'It's going to be almost impossible for us to recruit the quality staff that you need to take care of your veterans,' a union representative said. '... People don't like to move to Cheyenne, but then we are also being spoken about in such a poor light. Who is going to want to work for an agency… (that's) not deemed an appropriate place to work?' One union member noted that the firings also undermined years of effort to build trust between the veteran community and the Cheyenne VA Medical Center. Partially due to the proximity to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, veterans from out of state have even come to call the Cheyenne VA Medical Center home. Veterans from Colorado come to the Cheyenne VA Medical Center for care, a union member said. 'It feels like a family, it feels like home, and they do get quality care with people that they've known for years,' the union member said. Moving forward The VA has seen budget cuts before. These cuts have felt arbitrary, causing a lot of fear for current employees, a union member said. 'We go through budget cuts, we go through a lot of things,' the union member said. 'But this, the way this is happening, has been the most stressful I have ever seen.' It is uncertain if former employees will be rehired or what the long-term impacts of the firings will be, they said.
