It is the job of a defense lawyer to get his client set free. Secondly, CPT Hernon is right to some level, though the wording is insensitive. Suicide is a selfish act, it only hurts those that care about the deceased. Many suicidal people were predisposed to it (low levels of stress management skills, chronic depression, being too tightly strung). As an eight year veteran of the military, I can testify that it is a highly stressful job, both in battle and in garrison. This might be why suicide rates amongst service members are so high, since a pre-disposed person is more likely to meet the level of stress required to push them over the edge. People who commit suicide are generally selfish individuals who are thinking only of themselves and lack adequate problem solving skills. They may be nice enough people, but they lack the ability to deal with high levels of long-term stress.
Secondly, incompetence in the military can drastically increase one's stress level. If he really did fall asleep on guard duty, he was lucky to get away without a Field Grade Article 15 (Non-judicial punishment). Sleeping on guard duty in a warzone is an offense punishable by death. If there was racial abuse, then that needs to be dealt with, but at the worst its an Equal Opportunity complaint that, if found substantiated, would tank the subject's Army Career.
This is a common trend in America, of blaming other people for one's own faults and actions. When someone kills themselves, we look for someone else to blame and everyone talks about how happy the person was (obviously they weren't that happy). Maybe what we need to do is look at teaching people and raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of a suicidal person so that their friends can recognize a problem and get them the help that they need. There's no one to blame in a suicide except for the person who committed it, and all we should do is offer our condolences to the family of the deceased as they are the real victims.
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