Military Suicides Skyrocket, Dad Of One Victim Pleads With Pentagon

WEDNESDAY PDB – Broken and alone: Father pens scathing letter to top brass after losing airman son to suicide. His open letter to the service’s leadership, as well as the Joint Chiefs chairman and defense secretary, pleads for the military to confront alarming numbers of suicides within the ranks.

Sean Stevenson’s son, a senior airman at Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico committed suicide on Nov. 1.

In Sean Ryan Stevenson’s suicide note, “found on his computer by officials investigating his death,” the airman detailed a logistical nightmare of trying to go to his next duty station in Japan and ultimately having to be called back, sidelining a lifelong dream of service in the Air Force.

“I’m sorry, I love you all and I’m terribly sorry for this selfish decision,” the airman wrote. “But I can’t deal with it anymore. I loved the Air Force since I was a kid, and all I ever wanted to do in life was [to] be in the Air Force. Over the past year, I’ve learned just how little the Air Force cares about me, despite how much I threw into it.”

Stevenson’s father, a retired Air Force chief master sergeant with more than 30 years of service, said Tuesday that he decided to release his son’s final words because he believes they were intended for the military to see.

MEANWHILE, TO HIGHLIGHT THE ISSUE FURTHER – Sailor’s death ruled a suicide by medical examiner, 4th one at NB Kitsap this year. The death of a sailor found last week in his quarters at the naval base, marks the fourth sailor at the base to die by suicide this year.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:

ISRAEL’S WAR AGAINST TERROR

During short-term ceasefire, US AIr Force C-17s deliver first round of humanitarian aid for Gaza. They delivered more than 54,000 pounds of aid.

House approves resolutions calling on Hamas to release hostages, reaffirming Israel’s right to exist. It overwhelmingly approved the two resolutions Tuesday.

Senate Democrats eye Israel conditions in latest defense package snarl. Biden proposed no Israel aid conditions in his supplemental request but on Friday called the idea “a worthwhile thought.”

POLITICS

WWII veteran jumps from perfectly good plane alongside disabled Texas governor. The three-term Republican was joined on the plane by 106-year-old World War II veteran Al Blaschke, who jumped separately.

NATIONAL SECURITY

Ukraine aid for border security would be a win-win.  A modest immigration reform would help both parties overcome their weaknesses with voters.

AI has a political problem. The military is growing increasingly enthusiastic about AI. The public, less so.

CHINA THREAT

China commission calls for stronger tech export controls. Congress must act to create a stronger system to stop the flow of technology that can aid Beijing’s military goals, says the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR

Ukraine says spy chief’s wife is being treated for poisoning with heavy metals. She is undergoing treatment in a hospital.

Most Russians back war in Ukraine and buy Putin’s case for it. Russians are growing weary of the war against Ukraine but are divided about how much harm it has done and how to end it, according to a report and polls.

US Marine veteran Paul Whelan jailed in Russia attacked in prison, family says. He has been imprisoned in Russia for several years on likely false charges.

IRAN THREAT

SPECULATION AND SPIN TO DOWNPLAY IRAN THREAT – Houthi missile likely did not target USS Mason, M/V Central Park, DoD says. A commercial tanker and the U.S. destroyer that responded to its distress call were likely not the targets of a missile fired from Yemen by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

South Korea delays its own first spy satellite liftoff, days after North’s first satellite launch. It has postponed the planned launch of its first military spy satellite set for this Thursday.

SPACE THREAT

Space Development Agency demonstrates Link 16 satellite connectivity. This provides the ability to connect its satellites to radios on the ground through a signal known as Link 16, showing the potential for in-orbit sensors to network with military systems operating in multiple domains.

Millennium Space to build a missile-sensor layer in medium Earth orbit. The company will produce six missile warning and tracking satellites for the Space Force.

US POWER OVERSEAS

US military Osprey aircraft with 6 aboard crashes off southern Japan, at least 1 dead. A crew member who was recovered from the ocean has been pronounced dead.

We’re taking it out of hide: Pentagon says it has no money for Middle East buildup. Under the temporary budget, funding is frozen at the previous year’s levels. 

JACKASS – Japanese prosecutors indict US Marine accused of punching elderly Japanese woman in face. The Marine stationed at a base near Hiroshima allegedly punched the woman earlier this month.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

GOOD! – The weapons the US is providing Israel. The U.S. has provided Israel with over 70,000 weapons — aircraft, ground vehicles, missiles and bombs — via military aid between 1950 and 2022, according to a recent analysis.

Philippines holds joint air and sea patrols with Australia in the South China Sea. It plans to hold more patrols in the future with the U.S. and other allies.

Critical state: Top Royal Canadian Navy officer sounds alarm on fleet’s readiness. He said the problems plaguing his fleet threaten the service’s ability to meet its obligations next year and “beyond.”

Myanmar’s junta is losing. The US should prepare for its collapse. Nearly three years after Myanmar’s military coup against a democratically elected government plunged the country into a civil war, the tide appears to be turning against the ruling generals.

US MILITARY

Navy de-fuels P-8A Poseidon that overshot Hawaii runway. The Navy has removed nearly all of the fuel from the plane that landed in an environmentally sensitive bay, but it doesn’t have a timetable for when it will get the aircraft out of the water.

Army releases first doctrinal publication focused on information. The Army unveiled its first doctrinal publication focused solely on the information dimension of military action.

Marine Infantry veteran says enlisted shouldn’t become officers — mayhem ensues. Veterans on social media widely rejected the idea, but it’s an interesting debate.

The first B-21 takes to the air: What that means. Seeing a new aircraft of any type fly is a big deal. Even more rare—and significant—is the first flight of a combat stealth aircraft.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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