Iraq war veteran's parents sue U.S. after suicide

[sabra]

Source: Reuters

BOSTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The parents of an Iraq war veteran who committed suicide sued the U.S. government on Thursday for negligence, charging their son hanged himself after the government ignored his depression.

The suit accuses the federal government of not helping 23-year-old Jeffrey Lucey, who committed suicide in his parents' Massachusetts basement less than a year after returning home from fighting during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. U.S. Veterans Affairs Secretary James Nicholson was also named in the suit.

"This government is guilty of not taking care of the troops after they come home," the veteran's father, Kevin Lucey, said in an interview. "We are hoping to show this nation how broken the Veterans administration is. We want to make this a responsive and efficient system."

The action follows another suit in which two veterans' rights groups allege the Department of Veterans Affairs delayed and denied veterans help for combat-related disabilities such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Read more: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N26395242.htm

[merh]

1. God love 'em

For fighting this fight and for all the pain they know.

May this help them find some solace.