The Suicide of Keiffer Wilhelm, Soldier
The suicide of Keiffer Wilhelm, a soldier in Iraq, was a member of a military family which made his suicide all the more unbelievable.
Keiffer Wilhelm, a soldier who committed suicide in Iraq is from a family with a military history. His father, grandfather,brother, and his best friends have all been military men. It’s what Keiffer wanted to be since he was a little boy. He looked forward to being a soldier. After going through Boot Camp he volunteered to join another unit to head out for Iraq the sooner. But something that happened just a few days after Keiffer arrived in Iraq was worse then just the war, and any soldier can tell you war is the hardest thing they have ever had to face.
Now his family want to know what it was that pushed this young soldier into such a desperate act, and why it was allowed to happen. It just doesn’t fit with this young man who grew up in a military family and knew the ins and outs of military life. Five days after Keiffer arrived in Iraq on July 25, he called home and told his mother he was being forced to exercise for hours and all his personal items were disappearing. A few days later he said he was being forced to run miles with rocks in his pockets that smashed against his knees until they were bloody, and he was forced to do sit ups and push up in piles of dirt. His mother said he sounded bad and he stayed in trouble for everything. That was the last time this mother talked to her son. He committed suicide two days later.
Two soldiers who served with Wilhelm have already been charged with maltreatment of Wilhelm and two other soldiers. At least two more will appear at a military hearing next week. Military investigators say Wilhelm and the two other soldiers had been the brunt of mistreatment by 4 soldiers in their platoon. Investigators think the mistreatment had been going on since June, weeks before Wilhelm arrived. Little more information has been released by the Army. Keiffer’s parents wants to know why this cruelty was allowed to go on until their son saw no way out but to take his own life.
A friend said, “Keiffer would have made a very good soldier. He was smart, and all he ever wanted was to be a soldier. His grandfather retired from the U.S.Coast Guard. His father served in the Gulf War in the early 90s and his brother, Shannon, is a military police officer in the Air Force. Keiffer wasn’t ignorant of what he would have to face in the military but he wasn’t prepared for cruelty from those he expected to be his allies.
http://scienceray.com/technology/applied-science/nuclear-testing-and-howard-hughes/
http://newsflazvor.com/world/middle-east/soldiers-die-in-iraq-due-to-contractors-shoddy-work/
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User Comments
ken bultman
On October 13, 2009 at 6:36 am
It’s a sad story but I can tell you we don’t know all of it.
cardy
On October 13, 2009 at 7:01 am
A sad sad story.
raman13
On October 13, 2009 at 7:29 am
excellent
Christine Ramsay
On October 13, 2009 at 7:51 am
What a terrible thing to happen to a young soldier. A sad piece.
Christine
Jenny Heart
On October 13, 2009 at 8:06 am
Sad story but very well written.
chitragopi
On October 13, 2009 at 8:12 am
Strange and cruel.
martie
On October 13, 2009 at 8:44 am
I think his family deserves answers.
Joe Dorish
On October 13, 2009 at 9:48 am
Very sad story. The military needs to do a thorough investigation but whether they will who knows?
Lisa Clayton Williams
On October 13, 2009 at 11:04 am
How awful! I hope the guilty ones are punished appropriately. To have pushed this boy to commit suicide is hideous. Hopefully, the cruelty they inflicted won’t be copied by anyone else. People like that not only ruin lives, they tarnish the good reputations of most of our soldiers bravely doing their jobs overseas.
Frances Lawrence
On October 13, 2009 at 11:09 am
Teribly sad, these kind of incidents happen too often.
Vikram Chhabra
On October 13, 2009 at 11:41 am
A very sad story. The world can be very cruel.
Lostash
On October 13, 2009 at 11:43 am
You give your life to the armed forces and end up taking that same life. So wrong!
CA Johnson
On October 13, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I agree that this was a very sad story. My heart goes out to Keiffer Wilhelm’s family. I also agree that there may be more to this than anyone knows.
Mystify
On October 13, 2009 at 4:56 pm
What a sad unfortunate story!His family must feel a number of things from devastation to complete anger!The poor man!It makes me wonder why this was allowed to happen for so long.excellent write Ruby as usual and very enjoyable read!
Eunice Tan
On October 13, 2009 at 9:57 pm
I don’t blame Keiffer. May be he was depressed. We should take care each other in this cruel world.
T.Rex McGoogle
On October 13, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Sad story. I just hope they get to the bottom of it and punish the perpetrators. Presented well.
RS Wing
On October 13, 2009 at 10:24 pm
That is so sad. Really depressing to hear and see these guys throw their lives at the enemy to protect our country and then get treated like an animal. Animals don’t even get it that bad. My God what have they done to our world? Superiors are not suppose to torture their own. Where’s the unity? The bond? This is terrible and we really have to re-think our placement on this planet. Let the others fight out their problems. Who made the U.S. the policeman of the world when you hear this kind of cruelty. We’re suppose to set the example of values not kill our own. I’m really mad about this. Great article Ruby on a sad and very ugly truth!
J J Neuman
On October 13, 2009 at 10:30 pm
As a parent of a former soldier who served twice in Iraq, it was hard enough when he got a call through to us to tell us everything was okay. To have these kind of calls, and the end result makes me sick.
Borneon
On October 14, 2009 at 12:40 am
This is sad. He could done so much more in life.
deep blue
On October 14, 2009 at 3:15 am
Military life is a nightmare to some and a dream to many. Take it from the man who served such life, retired as a general and became the president of the 5th French republic, Charles DeGaulle. “Men who adopt the profession of arms submit themselves on their own freewill to a law of perpetual constraint….If they drop in their tracks, if their ashes are blown by the four winds, it is part and parcel of the job”. I don’t know if I had it right but last thng I recall I was reciting that while doing 1,000 jumping jacks (kidding). Thanks for sharing, Ruby.
Mythili Kannan
On October 14, 2009 at 3:58 am
sad
daisy peasblossom
On October 14, 2009 at 7:30 am
A very sad story. I hated the draft–like most of my generation. But is this what we get with an all-volunteer army? Yet…if we had the draft we would still get cruel people. It is a dreadful thing to think of a bully with guns and authority.
cebuanaeyez
On October 14, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Such tragic story!
Teves
On October 15, 2009 at 2:48 am
Good Article…Thanks
Ruby Hawk
On October 16, 2009 at 9:13 pm
thank you my friends. this is a sad story to know our guys are in Iraq risking their lives for our country and their countrymen hassle them to death. I have had two grandsons in Iraq, one is going in Nov. to serve his third tour. It breaks my heart to know this happens.
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