Army says 2-star general died by suicide
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Then-Col. John Rossi spoke at a news conference at Fort Hood headquarters in Killeen, Texas in Nov. 2009. The Army says the death of a two-star general on a military base in Alabama has been ruled a suicide. Rossi was found dead, on July 31, in his home on Redstone Arsenal.
WASHINGTON » The Army said today it has determined that suicide was the cause of death of a two-star general who was found dead in his home on a military base in Alabama.
Maj. Gen. John Rossi was found dead July 31 at Redstone Arsenal, two days before he was to assume command of Army Space and Missile Defense Command.
He is the first Army general to commit suicide on active duty since record-keeping began in 2000, according to the Army. Military suicides soared earlier this decade and remain a major source of concern; they typically have affected lower-ranking military members.
Rossi, a West Point academy graduate and an air defense artillery officer by training, had just moved onto Redstone Arsenal and was scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant general when he took command of Space and Missile Defense Command.
A written statement by the Army today made no mention of what might have prompted Rossi to take his own life.
The Rossi family issued a statement through the Army expressing thanks for wide support and urging those who may need suicide-prevention help to seek it immediately.
“To the Army, he was Maj. Gen. Rossi,” it said. “To us, he was John — husband, dad.”
“We ask for the time and space to grieve in private, and for the Army to continue to better understand suicide, and to help and treat those in need,” the family statement added. “For our family, this has been an incredibly painful time, and we ask that you continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers. To all the other families out there, to the man or woman who may be facing challenging times, please seek assistance immediately. Compassionate and confidential assistance is available.”
25 responses to “Army says 2-star general died by suicide”
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troubling report…………..keep digging for sound answers?
Ever since 9/11 we have over extended those members of a drastically shrunken armed force with deployment after deployment to high stress/high adrenaline combat theaters.
Result: 22 military suicides ever day.
Trump is right: we need to disengage, pull back for awhile, ask our so called “allies” to step up and take some of the load while refresh, refit, re-train and re-expand our end strength force structure. Face it: our warriors and our war fighting equipment are nearing the point of exhaustion.
Another thing: way too many citizens of this Republic have no skin in the game a la “our soldiers are at war and we are at the mall”.
Solution: re-instate conscription with no REPEAT NO exemptions. Any citizen who can fog a mirror can do two years of service at SOMETHING and not everyone needs to be battle trained. If our young people know for certain that at age 18 they will put their personal plans on hold to serve America, it will help them grow up and become responsible adults.
Something is very wrong with our military
True but then again many things are wrong with society in general, as well as many things that are right.
Suicides occur in every walk of life, not just the military.
That “something” is spelled:
O ne
B ig
A sinine
M istake
A merica
just remember, the military mirrors society…..where do you think military members come from?
jbg, the military does NOT mirror society. Each member MUST respect EVERYONE who outranks him. Insubordination is severely dealt with.Unsure if you served, but I have.
Nah, respect is “earned”. There were many times where I would respect the rank, but not the person wearing it. I’ve told flag officers where to go when they were wrong. Not much they could do when evidence supported my statements.
I do agree that military life isn’t for everyone and is not like the rest of society. Spent many years in the military. Would do it all over again if I had the chance.
HRS134, nah, you’re splitting hairs. You have no choice but to respect the rank. You do not have to respect any person in life.
Yeah, people are people, I don’t care what their occupation is, we all have problems. The military is no different.
One gathers you have never inconvenienced yourself with even one day of service in our armed forces, right?
what ever became of this story? was this a suicide?
An Air Force colonel facing court-martial next month on multiple counts of sexual assault was found dead Sunday at his Colorado home in a reported suicide, according to the Air Force and local police officials.
Col. Eugene Marcus Caughey, formerly the vice commander of the 51st Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base, had been charged with rape, assault, adultery and other crimes. His court-martial was scheduled to begin Oct. 17 in what would have been a rare instance of the military placing a senior officer on trial for sexual assault.
A high ranking Army officer kills himself and no one knows why? RIP General Rossi
It was the Russians or Chinese. They killed him and made it look like suicide! :-O
Sad to read, rest in peace.
Suicide when he was about to pin on a third star? Very suspicious.
Remember the mysterious (and unprecedented) “suicide” of the Chief of Naval Operations officially because he was not authorized to have a combat distinguishing device (V for valor) on one of his ribbons – – and who, it was thought, had apparently gotten himself cross threaded with the first “lady” during Slick Willy’s romper room days in the White House?
Thanks to Slick, an eleventh commandment came into being: “Thou shalt not rod thy staff”.
thos, reading your comments so far makes me feel that you got some serious mental issues. You probably already on some heavy meds for your condition and you probably think that it gives you an excuse to talk the way you do. Get your head on straight because it’s disgusting.
Seek help.
You are of course a licensed practitioner with expertise in such diagnoses, right?
In that case, perhaps you would care to offer some specifics – – you know, facts – – to support your working hypothesis.
Seek serious help.
Don’t take a rocket scientist to see how your clock is working.
How did he die? Gunshot, hanging, overdose of drugs (legal or illegal)? If overdose of drugs, it may not have been suicide but rather a mistake.
So why didn’t he just retire if this was stress related. At age 55 and being a graduate of the the US Military Academy, he must of had about 24 years in service. Probably would have had a decent retirement income as a two star general, plus could of landed a related job in the private sector when he was ready. If he had decided not to go through with his promotion and new assignment at the last minute, what could his superiors have done, except accept his decision to retire. These are some strange circumstances here that beg for an explanation, but maybe it was based on a sense of obligation under a military mindset that is harsh on the individual?