Grand Praire, TX. Rebecca Morrison with some of her husband Ian's belongings in her parents homes. Ian, an AH-64 Apache Helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army committed suicide on March 21, 2012. Ian chose 'Ike' for Rebecca.
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But what makes preventing suicide so confounding is that even therapy often fails. "Over 50% of the soldiers who committed suicide in the four years that I was vice [chief] had seen a behavioral-health specialist," recalls Chiarelli. "It was a common thing to hear about someone who had committed suicide who went in to see a behavioral-health specialist and was dead within 24, 48 or 72 hours--and to hear he had a diagnosis that said, 'This individual is no danger to himself or anyone else.' That's when I realized that something's the matter."
There's the horrific human cost, and there is a literal cost as well. The educations of McCaddon and Morrison cost taxpayers a sum approaching $2 million. "If the Army can't be reached through the emotional side of it--that I lost my husband--well, they lost a $400,000 West Point education and God knows how much in flight school," Rebecca says. (The Army says Morrison's pilot training cost $700,000.) Adds Leslie: "They'd invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into this asset. At the very least, why didn't they protect their asset?"
Captain McCaddon was buried with full military honors on April 3 in Gloucester, Mass. A pair of officers traveled from Hawaii for the service and presented his family with the Army Commendation Medal "for his selfless and excellent service." Leslie and their three children also received the U.S. flag that had been draped over his casket and three spent shells fired by the honor guard. They visited his grave on Father's Day to leave flowers, and each child left a card. After two years of chemotherapy, their oldest child's leukemia remains in remission.
Captain Morrison was buried in central Texas on March 31. The Army had awarded him several decorations, including the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star. There were military honors graveside, and a bugler played taps. At his widow's request, there was no rifle volley fired.
FOR MORE STORIES BY MARK THOMPSON, GO TO time.com/battleland