Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Time to talk: It takes a tough soldier to go public about the urge to kill himself

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes is the subject of a good article about how two tours in Iraq stripped him of his marriage and peace of mind, and nearly his life by his own hand. At one point in Iraq he tied himself to his own bunk. He has gone public to help other ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
U.S. Army
U.S. Army
U.S. Army

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes is the subject of a good article about how two tours in Iraq stripped him of his marriage and peace of mind, and nearly his life by his own hand. At one point in Iraq he tied himself to his own bunk.

Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Samuel Rhodes is the subject of a good article about how two tours in Iraq stripped him of his marriage and peace of mind, and nearly his life by his own hand. At one point in Iraq he tied himself to his own bunk.

He has gone public to help other soldiers. "It’s not about me. … Every one of us can tell our own story. Start telling it. Change the culture of silence." He emphasizes how important a few kind words can be at the right time. Keep that in mind, little grasshoppers.

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On Military

More from Foreign Policy

Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.
Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.
Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.
A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine

The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi
Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Masterminds

Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.