Tragic suicide of Iraq War intelligence soldier with PTSD who felt 'abandoned' by the government after being discharged



Daniel Somers, 30, wrote that he got 'no help' from the government as he suffered from nightmares and anxiety

Somers killed himself on June 10 after being haunted by 'war crimes'

The Iraq War veteran was on more than 400 combat missions

'This is what brought me to my actual final mission. Not suicide, but a mercy killing' he wrote

A veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder has killed himself after leaving a note in which he attacked the government for leaving him feeling 'abandoned’.



Daniel Somers said that he would rather die than endure the nightmares resulting from taking part in 'crimes against humanity' whilst fighting in Iraq that left him so damaged he couldn’t laugh or cry.



He said that he was given 'no help' by the authorities and accused them of being too busy denying the existence of PTSD rather than treating people like him.



Veteran: Daniel Somers, 30, killed himself June 10 after being tormented with nightmares and anxiety

Tragic: Somers left behind a wife, Angeline, who wrote on Facebook about her husband's suicide: 'I wish I could believe that if it had gotten out sooner that he would still be here'

In his powerful suicide note, which was first published by the Phoenix New Times and then in full by Gawker , he wrote: 'This is what brought me to my actual final mission. Not suicide, but a mercy killing.



'It was quick, and I did not suffer. And above all, now I am free. I feel no more pain.

'I have no more nightmares or flashbacks or hallucinations. I am no longer constantly depressed or afraid or worried.



'I am free.'

Duty: Somers served in various capacities in Iraq from 2004 to 2007 Music: Somers was also a producer, singer and guitarist of Phoenix band Lisa Savidge, which broke up in 2011



Mr Somers served in Iraq as part of Task Force Lightning and was on more than 400 combat missions as a machine gunner in a Humvee.



He also worked with Joint Special Operations Command in Mosul in an intelligence position.



But Mr Somers, 30, suffered a traumatic brain injury and had endured flashbacks and hallucinations related to the horrors he saw between 2003 and 2006.

He killed himself on June 10.



In his suicide note he wrote: 'My body has become nothing but a cage, a source of pain and constant problems.



'The illness I have has caused me pain that not even the strongest medicines could dull, and there is no cure.



'Mercy': Somers wrote in his suicide note that after killing himself he was 'free'

'All day, every day a screaming agony in every nerve ending in my body. It is nothing short of torture.

'My mind is a wasteland, filled with visions of incredible horror, unceasing depression, and crippling anxiety, even with all of the medications the doctors dare give. Simple things that everyone else takes for granted are nearly impossible for me.

'I can not laugh or cry. I can barely leave the house. I derive no pleasure from any activity. Everything simply comes down to passing time until I can sleep again. Now, to sleep forever seems to be the most merciful thing.'

Mr Somers said that he was haunted by the 'war crimes' he took part in but tried to stop from happening, although he does not give details.



He also claimed that the army instigated a cover up but again does not give specifics about what supposedly happened.



Illness: Somers said in his suicide note that the government did nothing to help him with his PTSD

The letter said that Mr Somers has wrestled with his condition for more than a decade and that his main motivation for getting up each day 'has been so that you (his family) would not have to bury me'.



He cited the statistic that 22 veterans kill themselves every day and railed at President Obama for not doing more to stop it.

He said: 'Where are the huge policy initiatives? Why isn't the president standing with those families at the state of the union? Perhaps because we were not killed by a single lunatic.



'It leaves us to where all we have to look forward to is constant pain, misery, poverty, and dishonor.



'I assure you that, when the numbers do finally drop, it will merely be because those who were pushed the farthest are all already dead.'



Mr Somers leaves behind a wife, Angeline, and a group of friends who fondly remembered him as a talented musician.



Singing: In his suicide note, Somers, front left, wrote the 'widows and orphans [he] created' would be 'outraged' if 'they could see me sitting here in suburbia, in my comfortable home working on some music project'

In a post on her Facebook page Mr Somers' wife Angeline has uploaded a picture of her and her late husband together at an Army ball - he is smiling in full military uniform.



Another post shows her left hand with her wedding ring on the finger.



She has said: 'I wish I could believe that if it had gotten out sooner that he would still be here'.

Mr Somers' cousin Jamie also wrote on Facebook that he was not a 'martyr' but that he wanted to change the system - many veterans like him claim they do not get enough support to deal with their problems.



Jamie wrote: 'There is something very rational about his letter, which almost makes it cut deeper. He was just so out of hope.'



Haunted: Somers said he tried to replace 'destruction with creation' but he still had flashbacks and hallucinations

Mr Somers is far from alone in suffering from PTSD.



Between 2000 and 2010 the number of veterans killing themselves went up from 20 to 22 per day, according to figures from the Veterans Agency.



That means the total for the year for 2010 stood at 8,030, an increase of 730.

Among serving military personnel, the suicide rate is now almost one every day.



In February this year, a US Marine reservist suffering from PTSD was charged with shooting dead Chris Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL who was the most deadly sniper in US history.



Eddie Ray Routh, 25, is said to have blasted Mr Kyle at a shooting range during a trip to apparently help him overcome his demons.



Mr Kyle, 38 notched up 255 kills during the Iraq war and became so feared by insurgents they put a $80,000 bounty on his head and nicknamed him al-Shaitan Ramad, or 'the Devil of Ramadi'.

Veterans and their families can receive confidential support through the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 1 (800) 273-8255, chatting online at http://www.veteranscrisisline.net/ , or sending a text message to 838255 from the U.S.

