Lariam not considered a factor in Fort Bragg murders
Read and comment on this story from the Charlotte Observer on the results of the Army's three month study of factors in the slayings of four Army wives at Fort Bragg this summer.
Investigators concluded that marital discord, job-related stress and fears of how counseling might affect their careers were factors in the slayings and promised to make mental health services more available to soldiers and their families and to offer counseling for soldiers returning from front-line duty.
Peace Corps Volunteers were concerned about the possible link between the use of Lariam by our troops in Afghanistan and whether behavioral or physical problems caused by Lariam might be involved in the domestic killings at Fort Bragg by soldiers who have used the drug. There was speculation that the anti-malaria drug Lariam may have played a role in the killings. Army investigators ruled out the drug because only two of the soldiers involved were known to have taken it.
Lariam is the most effective anti-malarial drug known and has been used by thousands of Peace Corps Volunteers over the past ten years. However, the drug's potential side effects are rarely reported and include agitation, depression and aggression.
Read our ongoing coverage of the Lariam controversy at:
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Stress, marital discord cited in Ft. Bragg killings
Army promises more mental health services for soldiers, families
HOWIE PAUL HARTNETT Staff Writer
FORT BRAGG - After three months of study, investigators have concluded marital discord, job-related stress and fears of how counseling might affect their careers were factors in the slayings of four Army wives here this summer.
To fix those problems, a panel of military and civilian domestic-violence experts promised Thursday to make mental health services more available to soldiers and their families and to offer counseling for soldiers returning from front-line duty.
But the Army's most daunting task is still to come.
To effect real change, the Army must convince its soldiers and commanders that seeking counseling is not a weakness.
That will be no easy feat among the Army's elite troops, who believe they must take care of all their problems themselves, officials say.
Three of the four men involved in this summer's slayings were members of the Special Forces who spent time in Afghanistan as part of the war on terrorism.
There was some speculation that the anti-malaria drug Lariam may have played a role in the killings. Army investigators ruled out the drug because only two of the soldiers involved were known to have taken it.
Sgt. 1st Class Rigoberto Nieves -- who had been back from Afghanistan just two days -- shot his wife, Teresa, and himself in their bedroom June 11. Officials say Nieves had requested leave to resolve personal problems.
Jennifer Wright was strangled June 29. Her husband, Master Sgt. William Wright, reported her missing two days later. July 19, he led investigators to her body and was charged with murder. Wright, who had been back from Afghanistan for about a month, had moved out of his house and was living in the barracks.
The Wrights were high school sweethearts in Mason, Ohio, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati.
Sgt. Cedric Ramon Griffin was charged with stabbing his estranged wife, Marilyn, at least 50 times and setting her home on fire July 9. Griffin was in the 37th Engineer Battalion, not a special operations unit, and he had not been deployed to Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Floyd shot his wife, Andrea, then killed himself in their home July 19. The Fayetteville Observer reported that Floyd was a member of Delta Force, a secretive anti-terrorism unit. He returned from Afghanistan in January.
"In none of these cases was behavior health treatment sought prior to these tragedies," said Col. Dave Orman, head of the investigation team. "We need to do a better job of how we handle these soldiers coming back from theater."
What will make the transition difficult, Orman said, is there is some truth to the perception that seeking counseling will hurt a soldier's career.
Many soldiers who talk to counselors leave the military. But that's because most soldiers in need of help wait until their problems are too great to overcome, Orman said.
Part of the Army's solution is to make more counseling available.
With more access, though, needs to come a message of acceptance from Army leaders, said Fort Bragg Commander Col. Tad Davis.
"There's an education process that needs to unfold so that the soldier is sure treatment will not affect their career," he said.
But the Army can't concentrate solely on its soldiers, officials said. Military families must have the same access to counseling programs and protections.
One recommendation is to increase the time military couples who report domestic violence must spend apart. Couples now must separate for 48 hours. Officials plan to up that to 72 hours and include an intervention to discuss problems.
Army officials also are reaching out to civilian social-services groups for help and have agreements with local law enforcement agencies to exchange information about domestic violence cases.
Under current law, civilian protective orders are not enforceable on military bases because the bases are federal property. U.S. Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., has authored a bill to close that loophole, but Army officials aren't waiting. Under the agreements with civilian authorities and new Army rules, commanders will be notified of any domestic disputes and deal with them, said Lt. Col. Thomas Cook, Fort Bragg's staff judge advocate.
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