“It is his post-traumatic shock, which killed him”

Photo courtesy
Jacques Bertrand (left on the photo) is convinced that the death of his son Leo (right) is due to a bad treatment of his post-traumatic shock.

Nicolas Saillant

Monday, 9 October 2017 00:00

UPDATE
Monday, 9 October 2017 00:00

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Convinced that their son has not had the help necessary to heal its wounds of war, the parents of the military have stopped the army in its death notices.

The military ” Leo Bertrand lost her battle against the syndrome of post-traumatic stress disorder on August 20, 2017 ; he was 33 years old “, could be read in his obituary.

“It is his post-traumatic shock, which killed him “, is convinced his father Jacques Bertrand.

Deployed twice to Afghanistan in 2006 and 2008, the state of Leo deteriorated quietly after his last mission in Afghanistan. “He had the misery to sleep, he looked underneath his bed, in the morning, and then he began to use alcohol and drugs to the extreme,” says his father.

“Sign of weakness “

If the military said openly to his parents that his condition was deteriorating, he always refused to talk to his chain of command. “He said it was a sign of weakness, it was thought that it would not be good for his career in the military and not seen well in front of his friends,” says his father.

Finally, after a suicide attempt, in 2014, the army has supported the military by placing it in a special unit for six months, in the province of Quebec.

Descent to the underworld

This treatment occurred too late, will ultimately not stop the descent of the military. Leo has even confessed to playing Russian roulette. The meeting of a new joint has then resulted in the consumption of hard drugs.

“There, it’s gone down really quickly,” says his father. The military has then been arrested twice for impaired driving, which has earned him his expulsion from the army, on the 12th of June last, and four months in prison.

“We went to fetch him at the prison on 19 August, and less than 24 hours after he was dead. It’s a drug overdose “, explains with lucidity the father.

Mr. Bertrand wants to send a message to the army to change its mindset towards its ill. “It is an attitude. If you complain, they’ll get out of the army “.

“The fear of getting out of the army was delayed for several years his call for help. And when he did, it was too late, ” says Mr. Bertrand repeating that the disorder of post-traumatic stress cost lives.