A decorated Green Beret who committed suicide on New Year’s Day and triggered the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck in Las Vegas participated in a counseling program designed for special operations troops involved in high-risk operations .
Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Livelsberger, 37, enrolled in the Preserve the Force and Family Program, a resiliency initiative created in 2010 by U.S. Special Operations Command Brig. Gen. Amanda Azubuike, the Army’s chief of public affairs, said Saturday.
“He did not display any concerning behavior at that time and was granted personal leave,” General Azubuike said. “All relevant documents have been provided to the FBI as the lead investigating agency.”
Las Vegas law enforcement officials said evidence indicates Sgt. Livelsberger, a veteran of several combat missions, was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder when he stopped at the Trump International Hotel on New Year’s Day and set off the explosives.
Investigators recovered a cell phone that gave clues to a possible motive. Sgt. Livelsberger used a note-taking app to document his thoughts on political and personal grievances. Deputy Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department read part of the newspaper aloud during a news conference.
“We are the United States of America, the best country (and) the best people that ever lived, but right now we are terminally ill and heading toward collapse. It was not a terrorist attack. It was a wake-up call,” Sheriff Koren read. “Americans only pay attention to spectacles and violence. What better way to get my message across than a stunt with fireworks and explosives? »
The Green Beret wrote that the United States was run by “irresponsible” government officials concerned only with the accumulation of wealth and power.
Sgt. Livelsberger was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group in Germany when he took leave and returned to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the rest of the unit is located. Authorities said he rented the Tesla Cybertruck in Denver.
He flew several combat missions and received several decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, the Army Commendation Medal for Valor, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
But one of the notes left on the cellphone indicates that Sgt. Livelsberger was also troubled by his experiences fighting in Afghanistan.
“I must cleanse my mind of the brothers I have lost and relieve myself of the burden of the lives I have taken,” he wrote.
FBI agents interviewed friends and family members, as well as fellow soldiers he served with, to obtain information about him. Sgt. Livelsberger had no animosity toward President-elect Donald Trump, even though the truck exploded outside his Las Vegas hotel.
“He likely suffered from PTSD, and we are also aware that there were potentially other family issues or personal grievances in his own life that may have contributed to those factors,” said Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office. .
The Veterans Administration has said that 10 to 18 percent of U.S. troops who served in Afghanistan or Iraq are likely to suffer from PTSD when they return home. They are also at risk of other mental health problems. Estimates of depression among returning troops range from 3% to 25%, VA officials said.
Gen. Azubuike said the Army is “fully committed” to helping soldiers and employs many behavioral health specialists to help them.
“We encourage our Soldiers, if they need help – mental health treatment – or if they need to talk to someone, to seek proactive behavioral health treatment, either on base, either online,” she said. “They also have the opportunity to speak to an Army chaplain. We are committed to supporting our Soldiers in every way possible.
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