INDIANAPOLIS – Despite 10 years of military service, a mother is having trouble getting her son’s name included on memorial walls.
Debra Reber said her son Staff Sgt. Jeffery Reber committed suicide in 2014 while on active duty in California.
“I have found that if you die by suicide or traffic accident or any other means than killed in action or in combat, you are not recognized by the Department of Defense, in fact, you will not be placed on any memorials, at all,” said Reber.
Jeffery, who served in the Marines Corps, died after one of his corpsmen lost his life.
Fellow Marines told Reber that the experience changed her son, and he wasn’t the same after the death because he felt guilty.
Reber said a memorial wall in California, run by a non-profit, refused to add her son’s name.
“Regardless of where they died, they need to be recognized,” she said.
Reber said she wants to fight the stigma of military suicides.
She said if Jeffery’s name isn’t placed on a memorial wall, it will be a “disgrace.”
A petition to have Jeffery’s name place on a memorial wall was started last week with a goal of 1,000 signatures. The petition has over 6,000 supporters and Reber said she hopes to catch the attention of President Donald Trump.You can sign the petition here.
