Does suicide qualify as a combat casualty?
Does a servicemember's suicide qualify him as a combat casualty?
Stars and Stripes
Monica Velez sees no difference in the deaths of her brothers, Jose and Andrew. They both died in an Army uniform while serving their country.
The American Legion doesn’t see it that way.
At the Lubbock Area Veterans Memorial in Texas, Army Cpl. Jose A. Velez’s name is inscribed on the black granite wall honoring local residents killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Jose, 23, was killed Nov. 13, 2004, in Fallujah, Iraq.
His little brother, Spc. Andrew Velez, 22, took his own life in Afghanistan in 2006.
