Frm Air Force captain shoots herself dead, family suspects sexual assault in Afghanistan

[enhanced_deficit]

Military ‏@MilitaryEarth
Sadly, Captain Brunette became yesterday 1 of the 22 veterans a day lost to suicide.
#StopVetSuicide
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Former Air Force captain whose family suspect she was sexually assaulted in Afghanistan, shoots herself dead



Air Force Reserve Capt. Jamie Brunette was found dead on February 9 by Tampa police in the back of her locked car near her apartment
Police say it appears she killed herself with her handgun
Sister believes something traumatic happened to her in Afghanistan

By Jill Reilly for MailOnline
Published: 16:25 EST, 22 February 2015

An Air Force Reserve captain whose family suspect she was sexually assaulted in Afghanistan committed suicide by shooting herself.

Jamie Brunette, from Tampa, Florida, was found dead on February 9 by Tampa police in the back of her locked Chrysler 200 sedan near her apartment.
It appears the 30-year-old killed herself with her Smith & Wesson .380 handgun, which she purchased about six months earlier according to police, reports the Tampa Tribune.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/22/25F6B6C600000578-2964297-image-a-7_1424639104529.jpg

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/22/25F6B6AA00000578-2964297-image-a-8_1424639104533.jpg
Air Force Reserve Capt. Jamie Brunette was found dead on February 9 by Tampa police in the back of her locked Chrysler 200 sedan near her apartment
The news shocked her family as Brunette, who left active duty after 11 years last June and joined the Air Force Reserve, had not shown any signs of being suicidal

The news shocked her family as Brunette, who left active duty after 11 years last June and joined the Air Force Reserve, had not shown any signs of being suicidal and was in the middle of opening her new fitness business.
'She had so much going for her,' says Jackie Leverich, 40, Brunette's oldest sister.
'She was so full of hope and wonderment and passion and excitement for life.'
To the outside world Brunette appeared happy - the week before her death she was posting photos of her studio being built with the caption 'Doing work today!'.
But Leverich says she believes something traumatic happened to her sister in Afghanistan, saying the family noticed a change in Brunette on her return at her sister's wedding.
'She seemed upbeat,' says Leverich, 'but she wasn't really giving us a whole lot of detail about life and what was going on.'

Brunette was was in the middle of opening her new fitness business next month

Leverich says she suspects that her sister was sexually assaulted in Afghanistan - she does not have any proof.
'I suspect she was assaulted, and she didn't feel comfortable reporting it for some reason and internalized the incident so she could finish her deployment, which she did with flying colors,' says Leverich.
'It's not anything she told me, just from talking with all her friends this past week, and piecing those things together.
'I am female active duty, 18 years in the Coast Guard. I am well aware of those issues, and that's my gut feeling.'
In June 2014, Brunette left active duty and opted for the Air Force Reserve.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/02/22/25F6AD5200000578-2964297-image-a-10_1424639118017.jpg
+5


In June 2014, Brunette left active duty and opted for the Air Force Reserve

Air Force Lt. Col Kurt Spranger, her business partner at Orangetheory Fitness, which was scheduled to open in a few weeks, surmises that she wanted to leave active duty because of her experience in Afghanistan.
'I do not know the detail, but unequivocally I can say, yes, something happened, something that should never happen to a human,' says Spranger.
'Something happened and it was why she wanted to get out. So she wouldn't have to deploy again.'
The Hillsborough County medical examiner’s initial report states that Brunette had a “long tobacco and alcohol abuse history” and was suffering from depression and anxiety.
Her roomate said Brunette had confided in her that she was seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from the VA and had been depressed.



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2964297/Air-Force-Reserve-family-suspect-sexually-assaulted-Afghanistan-shoots-dead.html (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2964297/Air-Force-Reserve-family-suspect-sexually-assaulted-Afghanistan-shoots-dead.html#ixzz3SVt6mAdm)







Related

The 12-Year War: 73% of U.S. Casualties in Afghanistan on Obama's Watch (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?427493-The-12-Year-War-73-of-U-S-Casualties-in-Afghanistan-on-Obama-s-Watch&)
US considers slowing military withdrawal from Afghanistan (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CCQQ-AsoBTAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fworld%2F asia_pacific%2Fus-nears-deal-to-modify-military-pullout-from-afghanistan%2F2015%2F02%2F21%2F6b3fd530-b9e1-11e4-bc30-a4e75503948a_story.html&ei=KVLqVMvOFcTqgwTt3ICQCA&usg=AFQjCNGTi6MHwqHoKBtjldZM5zz0uBCcsA&bvm=bv.86475890,d.eXY)
In-Depth-Washington Post-20 hours ago

[enhanced_deficit]

So sad to watch this. Video of her 2012 Christmas greetings from Afghanistan.

LIEUTENANT US AIR FORCE Jamie Brunette and SERGEANT US ARMY Thomas Penkal
Dec 20, 2012

http://www.mor-tv.com/LIEUTENANT-US-AIR-FORCE-Jamie-Brunette-and-SERGEANT-US-ARMY-Thomas-Penkal/17852658

These Hometown Heroes share a special Holiday greeting to friends and family!

[oyarde]

What makes them think she shot herself ?

[Anti Federalist]

What makes them think she shot herself ?

http://files.abovetopsecret.com/files/img/td5182d7cc.JPG

[idiom]

What makes them think she shot herself ?

The glass was on the inside of the car with her?

[enhanced_deficit]

What makes them think she shot herself ?

Good question and news reporting is foggy.

Sadly, it is plausible but still no clear reporting yet.


Her roomate said Brunette had confided in her that she was seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder from the VA and had been depressed.

[Lucille]

http://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/what-is-the-suicide-rate-for-active-duty-troops/


According to data from the Department of Defense mentioned in this article, it is 48% higher than the national rate. How tragic. Almost as tragic as the conservative comments on the article who blame everything but the unjust, immoral, and senseless foreign wars that these soldiers are sent to fight.

[enhanced_deficit]

http://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog/what-is-the-suicide-rate-for-active-duty-troops/

Very informative and sad at same time.

[Slave Mentality]

RIP. Something doesn't pass the test, especially since she seemed motivated. The VA is real good at prescribing SSRIs like candy....

[enhanced_deficit]

RIP. Something doesn't pass the test, especially since she seemed motivated.

True.

[enhanced_deficit]

Now that 17sec youtube OU idiot's racial news rant is no longer taking attention of news headline makers and the White House, perhaps there will be time to look at other news.

VA Finds PTSD Manifests Differently In Women Than Men

Women are more likely to feel anxious and depressed.

Randy DeSoto — March 10, 2015


(http://www.westernjournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Female-in-combat.jpg)http://www.westernjournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Female-in-combat.jpg
With women now serving on the front lines like never before in our nation’s history, the military faces the new challenge of understanding the toll combat takes on the female psyche.
Significant research has been done on the emotional impact of combat on the soldier. The blockbuster film American Sniper did much to raise public awareness of the toll combat can take on soldiers and those they love. In the film, Chris Kyle, played by Bradley Cooper, manifests some of the common symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affair’s National Center for PTSD defines the condition as “a mental health problem that can occur after someone goes through a traumatic event like war, assault, an accident or disaster.” Symptoms include feeling jumpy and easily startled by sudden noises, experiencing disturbing dreams or flashbacks, feeling on guard and constantly alert, feeling hopeless about the future, trouble sleeping, emotional numbness, severe headaches, outbursts of anger, and a strong need to feel in control, among other things.

The VA has found some PTSD symptoms are more common in women than men. Women are more likely to feel jumpy, experience emotional numbness, and avoid situations that remind them of the trauma than men. Women are more likely to feel anxious or depressed, while men are more likely to experience anger and turn to alcohol or drugs as a way to cope.
According to a VA study released in 2012, 22 veterans commit suicide every day. Male veterans are three times more likely to kill themselves than their female counterparts, but women who served in the military are more than twice as likely to take their own lives than those who never served.
One tragic instance of this, as reported by The Tampa Tribune, was 30-year-old Air Force Reservist Capt. Jamie Brunette. She served 11 years on active duty, including two tours in Afghanistan, before leaving to join the Reserves last June. Her most recent deployment ended in March 2013.

Read more at http://www.westernjournalism.com/va-finds-ptsd-manifests-differently-women-men/