Excerpts From Daniel Somers' Suicide Note

On the 14th July the BBC ran the headline 'Soldier suicides exceed Afghan toll' In 2012, 21 serving soldiers and 29 veterans killed themselves, while 44 soldiers were killed in Afghanistan. On the same day the Daily Mail ran the story 'The bloody day Harry was witness to an horrific war crime: Prince was just 220yards away when US Special Forces trooper fired machine gun at Afghan goat herders.'  At least Harry only takes his clothes off in public.

The story is similar in the United States. Daniel Somers was an American soldier, a veteran of the Iraq War. Here are some of his parting words.

'The simple truth is this: during my first deployment, I was made to participate in things, the enormity of which is hard to describe. War crimes, crimes against humanity. Though I did not participate willingly, and made what I thought was my best effort to stop these events, there are some things that a person simply cannot come back from. I take some pride in that, actually, as to move on in life after being part of such a thing would be the mark of a sociopath in my mind. These things go far beyond what most are even aware of.
To force me to do these things and then participate in the ensuing coverup is more than any government has the right to demand...........
Is it any wonder then that the latest figures show 22 veterans killing themselves each day?......all we have to look forward to is constant pain, misery, poverty, and dishonor......Since then, I have tried everything to fill the void. I tried to move into a position of greater power and influence to try and right some of the wrongs. I deployed again, where I put a huge emphasis on saving lives. The fact of the matter, though, is that any new lives saved do not replace those who were murdered. It is an exercise in futility.....The fact is that any kind of ordinary life is an insult to those who died at my hands. How can I possibly go around like everyone else while the widows and the orphans I created continue to struggle?.........
Thus I am left with basically nothing. Too trapped in a war to be at peace, too damaged to be at war. Abandoned by those who would take the easy route, and a liability to those who stick it out - and thus deserve better. So you see, not only am I better off dead, but the world is better off without me in it.
This is what brought me to my final mission. Not suicide, but a mercy killing. I know how to kill, and I know how to do it so there is no pain whatsoever. It was quick, and I did not suffer. And above all, I am now free.'