The man who saved many: Army psychologist who…

This 2007 photo provided by Brock McNabb shows Pete Linnerooth, right, and Travis Landchild sitting outside their mental health clinic in Baghdad. McNabb, Landchild and Linnerooth were the tight-knit mental health crew in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in the Baghdad area. They were there when the surge began, rocket attacks increased and the death toll mounted. Fairchild says the three dubbed themselves 'a dysfunctional tripod.' Translation: One of the three 'legs' was always broken, or stressed out, and without fail, 'the other two would step up and support that person.' (AP Photo/Brock McNabb)<!--

if($('#container #gallery').length == 0){
$('#container').prepend('

      ');
      }
      var alt = "This 2007 photo provided by Brock McNabb shows Pete Linnerooth, right, and Travis Landchild sitting outside their mental health clinic in Baghdad. McNabb, Landchild and Linnerooth were the tight-knit mental health crew in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in the Baghdad area. They were there when the surge began, rocket attacks increased and the death toll mounted. Fairchild says the three dubbed themselves 'a dysfunctional tripod.' Translation: One of the three 'legs' was always broken, or stressed out, and without fail, 'the other two would step up and support that person.' (AP Photo/Brock McNabb)";
      var title = "";
      $('#gallery ul.ad-thumb-list').append('

      • ');
      -->

      He became a college professor in Minnesota, then counseled vets in California and Nevada. He’d done much to help the troops, but in his mind, it wasn’t enough. He worried about veteran suicides. He wrote about professional burnout. He grappled with PTSD, depression and anger, his despair spiraling into an overdose. He divorced and married again. He fought valiantly to get his life in order.

      This undated image provided by Amy Linnerooth shows a drawing made by Pete Linnerooth for their daughter, Whitney. Linnerooth created a cartoon series for her featuring a spider, center, they called 'Gigerenzer.' (AP Photo)<!--

      if($('#container #gallery').length == 0){
      $('#container').prepend('

          ');
          }
          var alt = "This undated image provided by Amy Linnerooth shows a drawing made by Pete Linnerooth for their daughter, Whitney. Linnerooth created a cartoon series for her featuring a spider, center, they called 'Gigerenzer.' (AP Photo)";
          var title = "";
          $('#gallery ul.ad-thumb-list').append('

          • ');
          -->

          But he couldn’t make it happen.

          In this 1974 photo provided by Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez, her brother, Pete, colors Easter eggs with their father, Dave Linnerooth at their home in Rochester, Minn. (AP Photo/Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez)<!--

          if($('#container #gallery').length == 0){
          $('#container').prepend('

              ');
              }
              var alt = "In this 1974 photo provided by Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez, her brother, Pete, colors Easter eggs with their father, Dave Linnerooth at their home in Rochester, Minn. (AP Photo/Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez)";
              var title = "";
              $('#gallery ul.ad-thumb-list').append('

              • ');
              -->

              As the new year dawned, Pete Linnerooth, Bronze Star recipient, admired Army captain, devoted father, turned his gun on himself. He was 42.

              He was, as one buddy says, the guy who could help everybody — everybody but himself.

              ———
              He liked to jokingly compare himself to an intrepid explorer stranded in one of the most remote corners of the earth.

              Linnerooth’s best buddy, Brock McNabb, recalls how they’d laugh and find parallels to the plight of Ernest Shackleton, whose ship, Endurance, became trapped in the Antarctic during an early 20th-century expedition.

              This was the desert, of course, but the analogy seemed apt: Both seemed impossible missions — Linnerooth and two teammates tended to the psychological needs of thousands — and both groups depended on each other to survive.

Leave a Reply