thedrifter
06-01-09, 08:20 AM
MILITARY
A year after corporal's death, family still awaits answers
North Austin family mourns death of Marine who suffered from PTSD.
By Joshunda Sanders
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, June 01, 2009
A year after Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger, 21, was found dead in his room at the Twentynine Palms Marine base in California on May 20, 2008, his family is still searching for answers from officials about how his life might have been saved.
Friends and relatives of the Marine commemorated Memorial Day without him or any details of how he died because Oligschlaeger's autopsy results and the events leading up to his death are still under investigation, his father said. His parents have said that they think his death may have been related to post-traumatic stress disorder, with which he had been diagnosed.
"We've tried a couple of times to get his personal effects," said Eric Oligschlaeger, who lives in North Austin with his wife. "But here we are a year later, and the Marines won't release anything until the investigation is completely finalized. To say it's frustrating would be an understatement."
Capt. Lawton King, a Marine Corps spokesman, confirmed that no information about Chad Oligschlaeger's death is being released because of the ongoing investigation.
Friends and relatives of Oligschlaeger's have started a foundation named for him to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder.
Last month, Eric Oligschlaeger and some of Chad's friends gathered at Rattan Creek Park in North Austin near a bench that honors the Marine. A plaque on the bench reads, "If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever."
Chad Oligschlaeger had returned from Iraq in early 2006, unsettled by flashbacks and nightmares. His family said he was taking medication for PTSD after his diagnosis.
But Eric Oligschlaeger alleges that after his son's second tour in Iraq, the military ignored his obvious cries for help. Weeks before his death, his family said, Chad Oligschlaeger was left unsupervised for long periods of time and declined to re-enlist.
First Lt. Curtis Williamson, a Marine Corps spokesman, said last year that the Corps' policies prohibit commanders from discouraging mental health treatment or leaving physically or mentally wounded troops uncared for.
But, Eric Oligschlaeger said, "to get help, you have to jump through all sorts of hoops in the military. Troops with real bad PTSD don't have the energy to jump through those hoops."
The Oligschlaeger family's complaints echo those of veterans' advocates who say that even with new government policies, better treatment and increased public awareness, there are still barriers that separate soldiers and Marines from proper care for conditions that affect mental health, such as PTSD.
Oligschlaeger died at a time when studies showed that more troops were dealing with mental health problems than previously thought. A large independent study published by the RAND Corp.'s Center for Military Health Policy Research in April 2008 found that one-third of service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from a combination of severe depression, PTSD and brain injuries.
More information about the Cpl. Chad Eric Oligschlaeger Foundation is available at www.cplchado.org.
joshundasanders@statesman.com; 445-3630
Ellie
A year after corporal's death, family still awaits answers
North Austin family mourns death of Marine who suffered from PTSD.
By Joshunda Sanders
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, June 01, 2009
A year after Cpl. Chad Oligschlaeger, 21, was found dead in his room at the Twentynine Palms Marine base in California on May 20, 2008, his family is still searching for answers from officials about how his life might have been saved.
Friends and relatives of the Marine commemorated Memorial Day without him or any details of how he died because Oligschlaeger's autopsy results and the events leading up to his death are still under investigation, his father said. His parents have said that they think his death may have been related to post-traumatic stress disorder, with which he had been diagnosed.
"We've tried a couple of times to get his personal effects," said Eric Oligschlaeger, who lives in North Austin with his wife. "But here we are a year later, and the Marines won't release anything until the investigation is completely finalized. To say it's frustrating would be an understatement."
Capt. Lawton King, a Marine Corps spokesman, confirmed that no information about Chad Oligschlaeger's death is being released because of the ongoing investigation.
Friends and relatives of Oligschlaeger's have started a foundation named for him to raise awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder.
Last month, Eric Oligschlaeger and some of Chad's friends gathered at Rattan Creek Park in North Austin near a bench that honors the Marine. A plaque on the bench reads, "If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever."
Chad Oligschlaeger had returned from Iraq in early 2006, unsettled by flashbacks and nightmares. His family said he was taking medication for PTSD after his diagnosis.
But Eric Oligschlaeger alleges that after his son's second tour in Iraq, the military ignored his obvious cries for help. Weeks before his death, his family said, Chad Oligschlaeger was left unsupervised for long periods of time and declined to re-enlist.
First Lt. Curtis Williamson, a Marine Corps spokesman, said last year that the Corps' policies prohibit commanders from discouraging mental health treatment or leaving physically or mentally wounded troops uncared for.
But, Eric Oligschlaeger said, "to get help, you have to jump through all sorts of hoops in the military. Troops with real bad PTSD don't have the energy to jump through those hoops."
The Oligschlaeger family's complaints echo those of veterans' advocates who say that even with new government policies, better treatment and increased public awareness, there are still barriers that separate soldiers and Marines from proper care for conditions that affect mental health, such as PTSD.
Oligschlaeger died at a time when studies showed that more troops were dealing with mental health problems than previously thought. A large independent study published by the RAND Corp.'s Center for Military Health Policy Research in April 2008 found that one-third of service members returning from Iraq or Afghanistan suffer from a combination of severe depression, PTSD and brain injuries.
More information about the Cpl. Chad Eric Oligschlaeger Foundation is available at www.cplchado.org.
joshundasanders@statesman.com; 445-3630
Ellie