By The Jerusalem Post (World News) | Created at 2024-10-28 05:05:14 | Updated at 2024-10-28 07:24:33
2 hours ago
Dagan described her brother’s struggles, saying, “My mother dedicated her life to trying to save Asaf… He exhibited all the classic symptoms of PTSD.”
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF OCTOBER 28, 2024 06:59
Major Asaf Dagan.
(photo credit: FACEBOOK)
Inbal Dagan shared that her brother, the combat navigator Major Asaf Dagan who recently ended his life in a forest near Atlit, criticized the government for outdated and absurd policies regarding traumatized war veterans in a Facebook eulogy for her sibling on Friday.
She included the letter he left for their mother where he stated, “I want you to know, Mom, that I am no longer in pain. Now, Mom, I have finally found peace… I’m so tired, exhausted. Every day compounds my pain and difficulty, as I see you fighting with the remnants of your strength... I don’t want you to have any false hopes. I have no place in this world."
Dagan described her brother’s struggles, saying, “My mother dedicated her life to trying to save Asaf… He exhibited all the classic symptoms of PTSD.”
She emphasized her mother's relentless efforts, noting that her pleas to the Defense Ministry and various other organizations fell on "deaf ears."
Asaf, who started his service as a paratrooper, was a combat navigator in the Israel Air Force and fought in the Second Lebanon War, participating in every military operation for 20 years. Despite his worsening mental health, his sister noted in her Facebook post that he continued to serve in the reserves until weeks before his death.
Dagan emphasized, “Asaf was a clear case of a combat veteran suffering from PTSD… The most severe cases isolate themselves and wither away.”
Military burial and criticism of PTSD support system
In her post, Dagan also highlighted the bureaucratic indifference, stating, “According to the outdated protocols of the Defense Ministry… Asaf was supposed to ‘reach out himself’ and ask for help.”
She highlighted the "absurdity" of the system, noting, “Everyone knows that one characteristic of severely traumatized veterans is that they are unable to reach out for help.”
Asaf’s body is currently at the Rambam Health Care Campus, Dagan wrote in her post. In his letter, he expressed a wish for his organs to be donated, which the family honored, she explained.
According to the post, Dagan’s family calls for public support to ensure Asaf receives a military burial and recognition, stressing, “The family will not allow this double injustice… we firmly refuse to bury him in any ceremony that is not a full military ceremony.”
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Dagan concluded with the message: “Asaf, I miss you and love you. We will not give up.”
