Marine Sergeant William David Linley in Iraq, 2004
We publish David Linley’s story in Time’s print edition this week, here. The one-time sergeant gave 17 years of his life to the Marine Corps, in four different war zones. But he snapped after coming home from Iraq for the final time. He’s now serving a 16-year sentence in an Illinois prison for shooting up his neighborhood, a standoff in which no one but Linley was hurt. What happened to him shows how inadequate our treatment of veterans can be.
Some key documents in his case include the police report of the event, the appellate court’s decision ruling that Linley’s sentence was proper, and his appeal to the governor seeking clemency. We also cite a 2013 psychology paper on post-traumatic stress disorder and incarceration rates among post-9/11 vets, and a 1987 study on the “reactivation” of PTSD among combat veterans.
To hear Linley tell a bit of his story, click here.