7th Iraq War Veteran Kills Himself

United Press International -

03/17/04 - Another Iraq war veteran has committed suicide, this time a Special Forces soldier assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.

That brings to at least seven the number of soldiers who have killed themselves after returning from deployment in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

William Howell, 36, shot himself after following his wife around the yard with a handgun, the sheriff's office reported. Howell served with the 10th Special Forces group in Iraq and returned to Fort Carson last month, the Army said. He lived in Monument, Colo.

Another soldier who was attached to that unit in Iraq, Staff Sgt. Georg-Andreas Pogany, has claimed the 10th Special Forces Group ignored him when he sought help with mental problems there, then charged him with cowardice instead.

Pogany, 32, also says the Army is ignoring the side effects of an anti-malaria drug called Lariam he took with the Special Forces, which has been linked to mental problems, aggression and suicides.

The Army's Special Operations Command did not respond to a question Tuesday about whether Howell had taken the drug or sought help for mental health concerns.