How One Man’s Suicide Changed Montana — and the National Guard
Chris Dana’s suicide shocked the Montana National Guard. Although the guard was surpassing all requirements set by the Defense Department to assess and treat Montana service members as they came home, the state concluded four months after Dana’s suicide that it wasn’t doing enough for those with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues.
Dana’s death was the impetus for a task force that took a hard look at the post-deployment effort, especially the mental health screening process of returning Montana National Guardsmen and women. That investigation found Dana’s case wasn’t isolated, and that other returning service members were rushed through the same inadequate system and left with nowhere to turn. Full story on Hidden Surge
