Chris Rodriguez, a friend who worked with Aron Andersson as a recruiter, says no one wanted to lie, but pressure on recruiters is intense during wartime. Recruiting is considered one of the most stressful jobs in the military.
"A soldier doesn't want to get down and beg a person to join the Army, but I think often at times these recruiters, myself, we felt like we were begging them and trying to do anything to convince them to give it a try like we had," Rodriguez says. "We often sat in the recruiting station, sometimes really late, and talked about how we'd rather be in Iraq than recruiting."
Aron Andersson was diagnosed with PTSD and depression, prescribed medication, and returned to recruiting duty. His unit was advised to keep an eye on him, and six months later, he took his life.
On Aug. 9, Staff Sgt. Larry Flores, an Iraq veteran, hanged himself in his garage with an extension cord. Fellow recruiters told the Houston Chronicle that a week earlier, Flores had been yelled at and threatened with firing for failing to meet the goal of two recruits each month. He was also having trouble with his wife.
Two weeks later, Sgt. First Class Patrick Henderson, also an Iraq veteran in the same recruiting company with Flores, hanged himself in the garage behind his home. Like Aron Andersson, Henderson had earlier called his wife, Amanda, from his pickup, saying he was going to kill himself.
"Crazed, hysterical he was crying and screaming, and I kept asking him what's wrong, and he said 'I just can't deal with it anymore,' " Amanda Henderson says. "He said, 'I've got the shotgun.' "
Be Well.
