Soldier held in wife's death

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By Associated Press | April 23, 2004

LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- An Army sergeant who recently returned from Iraq was arrested in the death of his wife, and relatives said something caused his mind to snap while he was deployed.

James Kevin Pitts, 31, turned himself in late Wednesday and was booked for investigation of murder, according to booking records.

Tara Pitts, 28, who earlier this month obtained a temporary restraining order against her husband, was found dead Wednesday in her apartment, police said.

Pierce County sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer said she had been dead several hours and an autopsy was planned. Troyer said there was no indication Pitts had been shot or stabbed.

It was not immediately clear whether or not Pitts had a lawyer.

The soldier called his family on Wednesday and confessed, said his brother, Joshua Pitts.

"He's been a totally changed person. Obviously it [Iraq] did something to him," he said.

James Pitts is a sergeant first class who operated heavy equipment for the 555th Combat Engineer Group, his brother said. He returned in March after nearly a year in Iraq.

"This has devastated me," Pitts's father, also named James, told KIRO-TV of Seattle. "My son called and said, 'I just killed my wife.' . . . He's not my son anymore. I feel my son is still in Iraq. You can thank George W. Bush for this."
© Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.

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All our lives we are told "thou shalt not kill". That killing is wrong. Some even say that if you kill, hell is a certainty.

Soldiers, most in their late teens early twenties, are sent off to war, M16 (or whatever weapon they use these days) in hand with plenty of ammo, and are told to KILL...lest YOU be killed.

Is it any wonder they return home screwed up...some so bad they commit murder. The tenticles of Bush's illegal war are far and long reaching.

My heart goes out to sergeant Pitts and the family.

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It is convenient and possibly correct to blame the murder on the brutalization caused by war; however the majority of murders are committed by people who have not been brutalized by war so let's not jump to conclusions just because it is convenient to support your feelings.

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flyboy804 wrote:

It is convenient and possibly correct to blame the murder on the brutalization caused by war; however the majority of murders are committed by people who have not been brutalized by war so let's not jump to conclusions just because it is convenient to support your feelings.

flyboy...I'm not politicizing this sad incident. What I say is the truth. The human psyche and spirit is very fragile. These young men and women who go to war experience hell. A hell that I can't begin to comprehend. They return home receiving little or no counseling. Oft times, they have a very difficult time erasing the horrible images of war, the people the killed and the whole experience in general. I don't need to support my feelings with 'conclusions'.

I have a deceased uncle who lost an arm in WWII over in Italy. For over 50 years he never talked of his experiences there. Finally, when he was in his late 70's he finally talked and when he did he cried like a baby. He died a short time after. The same for my father in law.

These men and women need counseling. All of them...even if they appear 'normal'. War is hell...it's traumatic. Feelings and emotions arent political. Shame on you flyboy for making this tragedy a political issue.

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Did you see my sniper story? it's the same deal, only it hasn't happened yet.
Flyboy, it might be jumping to conclusions, but there's also a great possibility that it might not.

Did you know that there are distinct changes in the brains of those with post traumatic stress disorder? it's not just psychological. I mention this because some people doubt the validity of such disorders.
I've seen it more than a few times.

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Quote:

These men and women need counseling. All of them...even if they appear 'normal'. War is hell...it's traumatic. Feelings and emotions arent political.

I think that this is one area where the government (of ALL administrations) have let our service people down. I believe that service men and women who have seen action should automatically be provided counselling and stress reduction training as an integral part of the mustering out process.

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Suzy, my first sentence conceded the point that the incident could be a case of being brutalized by war; and Doglover, if you don't mean to politicize the incident, why is the expression "Bush's illegal war" in your post?

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Sorry, Flyboy, I didn't mean to lecture. Embarrassed

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flyboy804 wrote:

Suzy, my first sentence conceded the point that the incident could be a case of being brutalized by war; and Doglover, if you don't mean to politicize the incident, why is the expression "Bush's illegal war" in your post?

Because the war in Iraq, unlike the war in Afghanastan IS illegal in my opinion. However, the devestating effects of war on the troops is the same...regardless of the legitimacy of the war.

While I believe the war in Iraq is a war founded on lies and deception on the part of the Bush administration, making reference to it in the post about Sgt. Pitt's unfortunate circumstance was inappropriate.

I have to ask you flyboy...are you offended/bothered by my belief that I find the war in Iraq illegal?

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Absolutely not, Doglover. There are numerous threads that debate the wrongfulness or righteousness of various U.S. activities in Iraq. I just don't think this should be one of them. The situation being discussed is in no way unique to Iraq. I agree totally that troops should be given proper psychological assistance whenever they have been in excessively stressful situations.

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Soldier held in wife's death

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