SEATTLE (AP) — The widow of an Army Ranger who served at least six combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan says her husband killed himself to avoid a new deployment.
Ashley Joppa-Hagemann says Staff Sgt. Jared Hagemann was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan this month but he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and tried desperately to avoid redeployment. She says he shot himself June 28 at Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Seattle. She said this would have been her husband’s 9th deployment, while the Army said Wednesday it would have been his 7th.
An Army spokesman says Hagemann reenlisted in January, and it hasn’t been determined yet whether he committed suicide. Two investigations are underway.
Hagemann’s widow says the military knew about his mental health problems but did not pay attention.
