Army: Two-star general committed suicide on Alabama military base

Army: Two-star general committed suicide on Alabama military base - CBS News

WASHINGTON -- The Army said Friday it has determined that suicide was the cause of death of a two-star general who was found dead in his home on a military base in Alabama.

Maj. Gen. John Rossi was found dead July 31 at Redstone Arsenal, two days before he was to assume command of Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

He is the first Army general to commit suicide on active duty since record-keeping began in 2000, according to the Army. Military suicides soared earlier this decade and remain a major source of concern; they typically have affected lower-ranking military members.

Rossi, a West Point academy graduate and an air defense artillery officer by training, had just moved onto Redstone Arsenal and was scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant general when he took command of Space and Missile Defense Command.

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Promotion to 3-star and taking over a significant command....something strange here.

Family problems. Depression. Could be any number of things that have nothing to do with his career success. Plenty of successful people kill themselves.

Schism said:

Army: Two-star general committed suicide on Alabama military base - CBS News



Promotion to 3-star and taking over a significant command....something strange here.

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Not unheard of, when did that Navy Admiral commit suicide over a report of his service record? I'm trying to remember his name, but in living history a four star Naval officer shot himself after there was a report alleging an improper medal wearing for his service in Vietnam....

EMNofSeattle said:

Not unheard of, when did that Navy Admiral commit suicide over a report of his service record? I'm trying to remember his name, but in living history a four star Naval officer shot himself after there was a report alleging an improper medal wearing for his service in Vietnam....

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IIRC, that admiral was authorized to wear the medal in question, but he added a "V" for valor on the medal ribbon that was not authorized and that he did not earn, and he was stripped of rank for doing so, but I don't remember hearing that he killed himself over it.

Beaudreaux said:

IIRC, that admiral was authorized to wear the medal in question, but he added a "V" for valor on the medal ribbon that was not authorized and that he did not earn, and he was stripped of rank for doing so, but I don't remember hearing that he killed himself over it.

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I found the person

Jeremy Boorda
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Michael_Boorda

The wikipedia makes it sound as if he was verbally authorized by a former admiral to wear them, he did see combat service in Vietnam, but he was never stripped of rank, he was serving as Chief of Naval Operations at the time of suicide.

Yeah, I remember the '96 suicide. Sad.

I don't know that there's anything scandalous here. I knew a man very well that was at the top of his game, and he shot himself in the head with his service pistol while driving down the highway. He put on a suit and tie and was driving to a meeting, and then he pulled out his pistol and shot himself in the head while driving. He didn't even pull over.

My friends and I thought that surely sure drug trafficker got him on the highway, but witnesses said that the vehicle just suddenly went into the ditch. I can't imagine what caused this great man that I knew to do this on a whim. But sometimes people just give up. I don't know why he did it. He had everything going for him, and he was a fabulous human being. I wish there were some government conspiracy to kill him or some drug traffickers, but I think he just decided to give up while driving down the highway. But I can say that the world is a lesser place without this man in it.

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