Only a few hours after Brandon Ketchum, 33, a former Marine and Army National Guardsmen who suffered from PTSD, was denied admittance to a VA facility in Iowa City, he killed himself.
On July 7, Ketchum had an emergency appointment at the Iowa City VA Medical Center, where he told doctors he was having “serious mental issues.” Ketchum had served three tours overseas; twice in Iraq as a Marine combat engineer clearing roadside explosives and once in Afghanistan in the Army National Guard. Because of several explosions, Ketchum had Traumatic Brain Injuries(TBI’s) and concussions.
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