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Brother not discussing details of suicide much

Contributed Photo Jesse C. Huff in Kuwait before deploying to Iraq in 2005. Submitted photo

An assault rifle lies in front of the Dayton VA Medical Center, located at 4100 W. Third St. Police on the scene said the death is the result of a suicide. The deceased man, Jesse C. Huff, was 27 years old and had been seen in the medical center's emergency room prior to his body being found outside, according Donna Simmons, VA spokeswoman.

Staff photo Ron Alvey An assault rifle lies in front of the Dayton VA Medical Center, located at 4100 W. Third St. Police on the scene said the death is the result of a suicide. The deceased man, Jesse C. Huff, was 27 years old and had been seen in the medical center's emergency room prior to his body being found outside, according Donna Simmons, VA spokeswoman.

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Photos courtesy of Thereasa Osborne of Elm City, N.C. Infantryman Jesse Huff during a period of training in Alaska.

Photos courtesy of Thereasa Osborne of Elm City, N.C. Infantryman Jesse Huff hands out candy to a child during a patrol in Iraq in 2006.

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By Margo Rutledge Kissell, Staff Writer Updated 12:26 AM Tuesday, April 20, 2010

DAYTON — Charles Huff was heading to his nursing job at the Dayton VA Medical Center about 6 a.m. Friday when he passed a crime scene on the 4100 W. Third St. campus.

Soon after, he received a call from the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office notifying him that the veteran dressed in U.S. Army fatigues who shot himself was his brother, Jesse, 27.

Dayton VA Medical Center spokeswoman Donna Simmons said Monday, April 19, that the center “will review its emergency department’s policies and procedures to see if there are opportunities to learn from this unfortunate incident.”

Charles Huff would not talk about the suicide note police said he found, nor the military-style rifle his brother used to take his own life other than to say he had it for at least a month.

He wouldn’t say whether he believed his brother was trying to make a statement by taking his life at the medical center. He fell near the foot of a Civil War statue, his blood covering portions of the front steps.

“There’s no way we can possibly know what he was thinking at that particular time,” he said.

Charles Huff said he and his wife, Michelle, had frequently discussed with his younger brother, a 2001 Patterson Career Center graduate, the care he received at the VA.

Jesse Huff had occasionally stayed with the couple at their Dayton home after he received an honorable discharge from the Army in 2007. An infantryman who had been promoted to the rank of specialist, he had been seriously injured during his deployment to Mosul, Iraq, from 2005 to 2007. He served with Bravo Company, 1-17 Infantry Regiment, 172 Brigade based in Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

“From my talks with him, his unit saw a lot of action. It was not unusual for them to be ‘blown up,’ as he would say,” Charles Huff said.

He was sent back to the States and later had surgery on his lower back, which was initially successful.

He continued to battle post-traumatic stress disorder.

“We were active in helping him work toward his goals,” Charles Huff said, noting that Michelle would often talk to his quiet brother to get him to open up about what was on his mind. Because Jesse didn’t stay with them for more than a couple of months at a time, “it became increasingly difficult to offer our support when he needed it, since he wasn’t around,” he said.

When the opportunity came up for the veteran to attend a resident PTSD program, he seemed hesitant at first but changed his mind after meeting with fellow veterans who completed the program, his brother said. Jesse opted for the longer three-month program, rather than a shorter one offered locally.

“He was seeking care and receiving care,” said Charles Huff, a staff sergeant with the Army Reserve, who deployed to Iraq from 2007 to 2008.

Charles Huff said one reason he took a nursing job at the VA three years ago was to help take care of veterans.

“I think they deserve the best care they can possibly receive,” he said.

Regarding the care his brother received, he said, “They really did try to help him. If I thought there was negligence, I definitely would have reported that.”

Charles Huff often spoke to counselors at the VA’s Freedom Center, not so much about his own war experiences but to paint a broader picture of who Jesse was.

Huff said his brother was trying to use the GI Bill to continue his education. He had attended Sinclair Community College. A Wright State spokesman said Huff was admitted to the university for the fall quarter of 2009 but never enrolled.

An obituary said that in addition to his father and siblings, Huff is survived by a daughter, Gabriella.

U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said during a stop in Dayton on Friday that his heart goes out to Huff’s family.

“With both active duty and veterans, we’re very concerned about the suicide rate and about how we can get people the type of services that they need and the type of treatment,” Turner said.

Staff writer Lucas Sullivan contributed to this report.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2094 or mkissell@DaytonDailyNews.com

Visitation

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. today, April 20, at Newcomer Funeral Home, 3380 Dayton-Xenia Road in Beavercreek. Funeral services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the family to assist with funeral expenses. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. Donations also may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, 7020 AC Skinner Pkwy, Suite 100, Jacksonville, FL. 32256 or online at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

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