(Reproduced from INDYSTAR.COM)

January 20, 2008

Psychiatrist: Job lost over soldier's death

Associated Press

January 20, 2008

A psychiatrist who treated an injured Indiana soldier found dead in his Fort Knox barracks in September says he has been relieved of his duties and blames it on political pressure.

Dr. William Kearney had treated Sgt. Gerald Cassidy, an Indiana National Guardsman found dead in his room at Fort Knox about 15 months after being wounded in a roadside bombing in Iraq.

Kearney told The Courier-Journal of Louisville, Ky., that he was informed Monday that he has been placed on a paid, 30-day administrative leave pending further review.

"It's been extremely upsetting," said Kearney, an employee of the Louisville Veterans Affairs Medical Center who's contracted to the Army. "I do everything to help the soldiers, and I'm totally devoted to helping them."

Connie Shaffery, a spokeswoman at Fort Knox, confirmed Friday that Kearney is not working there but declined to discuss the matter further. She also would not say whether Kearney had ever treated Cassidy, a 32-year-old from Westfield.

In October, the Army said it had relieved three soldiers of leadership roles in a "warrior transition unit" for wounded veterans at Fort Knox over Cassidy's death.

Cassidy was wounded in June 2006. He arrived at Fort Knox in April with blinding headaches, memory and hearing loss and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He was found dead in his room on Sept. 21, alone and slumped in a chair. An autopsy determined Cassidy had been dead for hours before he was found and might have been unconscious for days before that.

The Army is still investigating Cassidy's death and its cause.

In October, the Army said it had relieved three soldiers of leadership roles in a "warrior transition unit" for wounded veterans at Fort Knox over Cassidy's death.

Cassidy was wounded in June 2006. He arrived at Fort Knox in April with blinding headaches, memory and hearing loss and post-traumatic stress disorder.

He was found dead in his room on Sept. 21, alone and slumped in a chair. An autopsy determined Cassidy had been dead for hours before he was found and might have been unconscious for days before that.

The Army is still investigating Cassidy's death and its cause.