A respected US Army veteran, affectionately known among him peers as ‘Captain America’, unfortunately committed suicide in front of his wife.
He had served a dozen tours overseas, half of which he was deployed to Afghanistan.
Master Sergeant Andrew Christian Marckesano was 34 years old. Multiple media sources confirmed his tragic death, along with the fact that he is already the 30th veteran among his battalion to end their own lives.
As a member of the elite 82nd Airborne Division, Marckesano had won a Silver Star medal for the bravery that he showed in the battlefields. He had recently been redeployed to work in the Pentagon after doing above and beyond his call of duty in the frontlines of war.
On July 6th, Marckesano returned home after having a meal with his former battalion commander. Although the details of the suicide itself has not been disclosed as of yet, he then went on to take his own life in front of his wife. He leaves behind his widow and three children.
According to Fox News, MSG Marckesano encouraged soldiers under his command to feel free to speak to him should they need him or any other member of the leadership. Emphasizing that his door was open, he said that as long as everyone looks out for each other, they can achieve anything.
However, despite the great leadership that he showed in front of his soldiers, those closer to him remember a shattered soul that never really recovered from the horrors of the war in Afghanistan. Marckesano served with the 2-508 Battalion, which had one of the highest mortality rates.
Former Command Sergeant Major of the battalion likened the 2-508 deployment in Afghanistan with standing in a ring with Mike Tyson for a whole year, underlining the physical and mental toll that the combat had on the soldiers.
The suicide rate of soldiers, most of whom experienced the war in Afghanistan and / or Iraq, has risen to alarming rates in recent years. Statistics show that some 20 soldiers take their own lives for a multitude of reasons.
We express our greatest condolences to MSG Marckesano’s family and friends, and truly hope that tragedies such as this are put to an end.
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