Vietnam Veteran Andrew Brannan Executed For Murder After PTSD Defense Fails

[PGreen]

Convicted killer Andrew H. Brannan, who murdered a Georgia sheriff’s deputy 17 years ago, was put to death Tuesday night after attempts for clemency citing his post-traumatic stress disorder developed in combat in Vietnam were denied.

Vietnam veteran Andrew Brannan executed for murder after PTSD defense fails - The Washington Post

If they're wanting to "protect society" from this man, they should have locked him in a state psych facility for life, NOT executed him.

 

[FA_Q2]

Why?

Did you see the video of the attack? He was brutal in his assassination of a police officer. I see no need to keep people like that around.

 

[BlindBoo]

Time to host another "Glad to See You Go" party. 15 years too late.

 

[R.D.]

If they're wanting to "protect society" from this man, they should have locked him in a state psych facility for life, NOT executed him.

Yeah, because the dead are more dangerous than men in custody

 

[Roadrunner]

Time to host another "Glad to See You Go" party. 15 years too late.

The only thing cruel and unusual about the death penalty is how long it takes to carry it out.

 

[BullKurtz]

Most of the PTSD cases are malarky....I saw as much combat as anybody in the RVN but I was taught how to handle it by my Dad and Uncle, both WW2 combat Vets before I went over. And I had good advice when I got back to Benning....good thing too because I'd gotten pretty scary. The VA perpetuates the myth for funding and then ignores the cause and treat the symptoms. My advice to young Vets....don't make friends with guys with you in the shit, their loss will haunt you...My pals were REMFers who could score me things I wanted.....don't drink or drug yourself in-country...get your sleep, stay quick, find a shadow or cover out in the open and don't let some ticket-puncher **** you around. And don't count down your days to DEROS....your time will come. Stay in for at least 6 months....the transition to civilian life is easier that way. Back home stay busy, do work with your hands, beware of thunder...that used to get me antsy....bottom line, lock it in a room....you can listen at the door but don't open that door. In time it fades away and leaves you be.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

I wonder if he would have gotten the death sentence if he had not killed a cop.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[waltky]

Air Force murder/suicide blamed on PTSD...

Air Force: PTSD, Other Factors Led Airman to Kill Commander
Jan 17, 2017 — U.S. Air Force investigators have determined that post-traumatic stress disorder led an airman to fatally shoot his commander.

U.S. Air Force investigators have determined that post-traumatic stress disorder and the unraveling of a distinguished military career led an airman to fatally shoot his commander last year at a San Antonio base before killing himself, according to Air Force documents. The April shooting at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland prompted a lockdown and officials to abruptly end a nearby military training parade with thousands of spectators.

Investigators determined Tech. Sgt. Steven Bellino confronted Lt. Col. William Schroeder before the two struggled and Schroeder was shot multiple times. Both men were veterans of U.S. Special Operations Command. Air Force documents given to the San Antonio Express-News by Bellino's family show he participated in an elite pararescue program with Schroeder but did not complete it.

A battle cross is on display, April 15, 2016, at Avon Park Air Force Range. U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 93d Air Ground Operations Wing set up the cross for Lt. Col. William Schroeder, who was killed April 8.​

Investigators believe Bellino, 41, resented the outcome following a remarkable military career that included repeated tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and time as an Army Ranger and Green Beret. He also had served as an FBI agent and was a CIA contractor before enlisting in the Air Force and attempting to join the elite unit.

Friends say Bellino was idealistic and a man of exacting fairness, according to the newspaper. He lived up to the letter of the law and expected it of others, even once accusing a sergeant major of lying in front of a roomful of soldiers. But a series of perceived slights and violations of his sense of honor had accumulated long before he arrived at Lackland. "I do not like this world, and I do not want to be a part of it any longer," Bellino wrote in August 2015, the month he quit the pararescue program and then went home to Ohio and was charged with being absent without leave. "I've searched for many years to find a home consistent with my ethics and such a place does not exist." His comments came in a note that investigators found in a flash drive and they were written about the time his PTSD symptoms appeared to intensify.

Air Force: PTSD, Other Factors Led Airman to Kill Commander | Military.com

See also:

PTSD and Marriage: 5 Things Spouses Need to Know
You never invited PTSD to be a part of your marriage. But there it is anyway, making everything harder.

Sometimes you want to give up. Why does everything have to be so, so hard? Other times, you wish someone would just give you a manual for dealing with the whole thing. Surely there's a way to know how to handle this disease? Like the rest of marriage, loving someone who suffers from PTSD or who is trying to work through the ghosts of combat doesn't come with a guidebook. And although the whole thing can feel very isolating (everyone else seems fine! Is my marriage the only one in trouble?) that doesn't mean you're alone.

Therapists who specialize in PTSD know that while some couples may put on a good show for the outside world, dealing with trauma is hard work and, no, everything is not perfect. If you're dealing with PTSD at home, you are not alone. Husband and wife team Marc and Sonja Raciti are working to help military couples work through how PTSD can impact their marriages. Marc, a veteran, has written a book on the subject, "I Just Want To See Trees: A Journey Through PTSD." Sonja is a licensed professional counselor.

PTSD and marriage.​

The Racitis said there are five things that a spouse dealing with PTSD in marriage should know.

1. It's normal for PTSD to impact the whole family.

If you feel like your life has changed since PTSD came to your home, you're probably right. The habits that might help your spouse get through the day, like avoiding crowded spaces, may become your habits too. "PTSD is a disease of avoidance -- so you avoid those triggers that the person with PTSD has -- but as the partner you begin to do the same thing," Sonja Raciti said. Remember that marriage is a team sport, and it's OK to tackle together the things that impact it.

2. Get professional help

. The avoidance that comes with PTSD doesn't just mean avoiding certain activities -- it can also mean avoiding dealing with the trauma head on. But trying to handle PTSD alone is a mistake, the Racitis said. "We both are really big into seeking treatment, getting a professional to really help you and see what treatment you're going to benefit from," Sonja said. "Finding a clinician who you meet with, and click with and really specializes in PTSD is so, so important."

3. No, you're not the one with PTSD. But you may have symptoms anyway.

 

[strollingbones]

well ft bragg and fayetteville nc officials are trying hard to deal with ptsd

running silent or without sirens..have ptsd alerts at houses where the occupants have it

Silent Siren was born.

The emergency alert system allows dispatchers to flag a home where someone lives with PTSD or a traumatic brain injury. Family members, who have registered the home, also provide notes that can be passed along to police before they arrive to the house. It's a way for first responders to understand circumstances, and keep from agitating a subject.

"[They can] show up without lights blazing, without sirens blazing," said John Bigger, an administrator of mental health at the Southern Regional AHEC. "They can show up and handle things in a calm matter so it doesn't escalate and get out of control."

On Monday, Bigger's staff hosted Hill and the Karla Smith Foundation, an IL-based non-profit that supports families affected by mental illness and suicide. Its executive director Emily Smith is also the daughter of a Vietnam veteran who suffers from PTSD.


"I wonder everyday what my father might have been if he hadn't witnessed the horrors of war," Smith told the crowd.

Smith and Hill explained to Fayetteville and Fort Bragg leaders how Silent Siren can work in the community. The difference between the Cumberland County 911 system's current ability to flag a troubled home and the Silent Siren program is creating an alert prior to a home becoming a "danger zone." With Silent Siren, a family actually registers their home, and provides details first responders should know if they're not familiar with the home or situation. Silent Siren logos can also be registered to car owners so police are alerted when pulling over a driver with PTSD or TBI.


Fort Bragg leaders consider PTSD alert system