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Monday, Feb. 23, 2009 | 11:27 a.m.
Police standoff
Nellis Air Force Base officials say they are cooperating with North Las Vegas Police in the investigation of a domestic dispute that led to the deaths of a husband and wife on Friday.
Capt. Amanda Ferrell, a spokeswoman at Nellis, says that whether 25-year-old Jason Klinkenberg was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder after his service in Iraq is one of the areas under investigation.
Klinkenberg, a vehicle operator with the 99th Logistical Readiness Squadron based at Nellis, served in Iraq from Sept. 1, 2005, until Jan. 25, 2006, Ferrell said.
North Las Vegas Police officers and a SWAT team responded to a standoff about 5:36 a.m. Friday after a call from a friend of the wife, 23-year-old Crystal L. Klinkenberg of North Las Vegas, said she and her husband had argued and he got a gun out and was holding it to her head, Sgt. Tim Bedwell of North Las Vegas Police said.
Officers arrived at the Craig Ranch Villa Apartments at 370 Casa Norte Drive in about five minutes of the call and knocked on the door, Bedwell said. The man answered the door, but he was verbally abusive, and when he went back inside the apartment, he fired a shot out a window at officers, Bedwell said.
When SWAT members entered the apartment about two hours after the standoff began, they found both a man and a woman dead, Bedwell said.
The Clark County Coroner's Office said that Crystal Klinkenberg died of a homicide from a gunshot wound and that Jason Klinkenberg's death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Nellis is obviously coordinating with them (North Las Vegas Police)," Ferrell said today. She also said that Nellis personnel were working with family members at this time.
Nellis officials plan "a very serious and thorough investigation," Ferrell said, including reviews of Klinkenberg's service in Iraq and his medical records.
Once the USAF finishes their "thorough" investigation, the USAF needs to get with the senior leaders of the USMC and Army and adopt the "Lessons Learned" on how to best prepare, train-up, and respond in a professional manner to Wounded Warriors with PTSD! This will require a complete paradaigm shift out of denial and away from the old stupid stereotypes into the 21st Century for the entire USAF Officer Chain-of-Command and NCO Chain-of-Support!
PTSD is VERY serious! This is a TRIPLE tragedy: 1.) the USAF failed to get this Airman the type of help he needed, and 2.) The negligence and dereliction of duty by his USAF leaders led to a possibly preventable suicide, and 3.) The worst tragedy of all is that the wounded warrior took an young, beautiful innocent wife with him in an act of murderous rage!
It doesn't get anymore "serious" than this!
The bigger story here, is how 99th LRS turned their backs on Jason when he asked for help. Trust ME, this is not the first time the 99th LRS has done this. 99th LRS is the armpit of the air force in terms of leadership.
I knew Jason, when he wasn't depressed he was a really cool guy out going and a sweet heart. when I heard the news about this i was shocked. But in the back of my mind he had told me about nightmares he would have and I didn't know what to do but just listen and i don't know if i was really any help to him because Ive never been in war. Its just sad I am wondering why he was sent back int he first place.
Let's see, why would the USAF medical community need to search records when Jason was already being treated and supposed to be medically discharged for PTSD. I mean, to treat something you need to diagnose the problem first, right? that's right, he was supposed to be discharged over a year ago. You see that's what they do, get rid of you before you cause too many problems. Instead of help you heal what they broke. I PERSONALLY HAVE HAD THE MILITARY, AT NELLIS, PUSH ME ASIDE! At the end of the day this is how it works. Young Airmen, i.e. E4 and below, get sent to hell because our leaders, i.e. everyone above us, are too afraid too. we hope we get to see tomorrow and watch our friends get blown up while they cheat on their wives with the next piece of talent to enter the air force. If you're lucky enough you come home with our head unscrewed and become a strung out chain smoking alcoholic. Your leadership then tells you to shape up and look good for the commander while THEY get a medal for all the wonderful things you've done. Then, if you stay sober long enough to ask for help, the shrink at the hospital gives you the, "You're in the Air Force, wipe off those tears and act like it" speech. When the day is done you go home, pound a bottle of whatever you have and hope it's enough that you don't remember the nightmares in the morning. The trick is get real drunk real fast so that you pass out before you consider sending your head across the room. I said all that to say this. I am too familiar with the anger, rage, and frustration that drove him. The fear of not knowing, and the pain of remembering.
MY heart really goes out to you guys that serve for our country. I am deeply saddened that there is not more help for our military when they come home and suffer so much. PTSD is very disheartening because it makes very stable, healthy people turn into something that they are not.
It is a horrible feeling to not have control over your emotions. The worst part is the recurring nightmares. If you do not get 8 hours of sleep each night, then life can become a living nightmare.
I don't know what the solution is for our military that come back and desperately need help.
The 12 step philosophy has been compared to a cult in several articles I have read. Some people do respond favorable to a 12 step program, but many others do not buy into the program and get tired of the "catch phrases" such as "stinkin thinkin" if you start to get upset.
There are some hospitals that have PTSD treatment programs, but they are very exspensive. There is a good program at St. Rose hospital in Garden Grove, CA
Again, a heartfelt thank you to our military that defends my freedom everyday. I appreciate your hard-work and dedication. Please don't stop trying to find a way to have peace in your heart.
Here is a quote that helped me through a really dark time in my life:
"Through Every Storm and Darkness of Night, Comes a Patch of Blue." Ann-
My heart goes out to the family and friends of Mr & Mrs Klinkenberg. This really doesn't surprise me. The US Military (regardless of what service) makes it a SIN to have 'PTSD'. If you admit that you have PTSD, they medically get you out of the Service and then the sigma of PTSD will follow you for the rest of your life. It is almost like the sigma of 'Depression'. No one ever wants to admit that you have 'Depression' because your not Mentally Stable. But who is Mentally Stable? With all of the disfuctional family life. Hopefully with this now hitting North Las Vegas as well as Nellis maybe someone in the "Higher Up's" will take a serious look at what happen here and admit that there is a serious problem with PTSD and not label people who have it. We need to get Professional help for those who do have 'PTSD'. It is obviously a serious condition that WE ALL need to step up to, to help those Men & Women who have served over in war zones whether it be in Iraq, Afgan. or anywhere. Our Minds play wonderful tricks on us and if we can't control our minds and the tricks it plays we need Professional people who can help us realize the tricks and work them out. Getting help isn't a bad sigmata it's the right thing to do for oneself. The US Military needs to help ALL of it's communities with our Men & Women who have 'PTSD' and not kick them out and have them openly discuss what their problems are whether it is NIGHTMARES, COLD SWEATS, THOUGHTS, ANYTHING and get them the proper help and not turn their backs on our Men and Women! I am so very sorry for the families of the Klinkenberg and all of their friends. My question is to Nellis what are you going to do for the Families and your Community after this NIGHTMARE?