Only five months after a senior neuropsychologist in charge of Fort Hood’s outpatient psychiatry clinic revealed to WND a crisis in psychological testing and treatment at the U.S. Army post, a decorated war veteran who sought therapy at the installation is now in federal custody for jumping the White House fence and bursting through the executive mansion doors.
On Sept. 19, Omar J. Gonzalez, a 42-year-old Army veteran who had deployed to Iraq three times and was injured by a homemade bomb, jumped over the north fence, sprinted across the lawn and was stopped only after he entered the White House doors.
Omar Gonzalez
Gonzalez has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia and was being treated at Fort Hood, Texas, for a time, according to his former stepson, Jerry S. Murphy.
A psychiatrist at Fort Hood prescribed Gonzalez medications, he said.
An unidentified family member told the Los Angeles Times Gonzalez said he had planned to go to a Veterans Administration hospital to seek treatment after his exit from the military in 2012. The person said Gonzalez had been taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, but he was unsure if Gonzalez had stopped.
“Omar is not some maniac,” he said. “He’s a veteran who needs help.”
Gonzalez joined the Army in 1997 and was assigned to the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood. In 2003, he was honorably discharged. He re-enlisted in 2005, serving at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state and the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood until he retired in 2012 due to disability from a combat-related wound.
Murphy described Gonzalez as a “hero” who was proud of his service to his country.
But every time the soldier deployed, his mental state deteriorated.