After reservist commits suicide, sister blasts gov’t’s ‘absurd’ PTSD policy

Inbal Dagan on Friday criticized the government over what she called its outdated, absurd policies regarding traumatized war veterans in a Facebook eulogy for her sibling, combat navigator Maj. (res.) Asaf Dagan, who recently ended his life in a forest near Atlit.

She included the letter he left for their mother, where he stated, “I want you to know, mother, that I am no longer in pain. Now, mother, 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.”

Her brother, who started his service as a paratrooper, was a combat navigator in the Israel Air Force and fought in the Second Lebanon War. He participated in every military operation for 20 years. In her post, Dagan’s sister wrote that despite his worsening mental health, he continued to serve in the reserves until weeks before his death.

Military burial and criticism of PTSD support system

She emphasized, “Asaf was a clear case of a combat veteran suffering from PTSD... The most severe cases isolate themselves and wither away.”

Dagan also highlighted that the family was met with bureaucratic indifference, saying, “According to the outdated protocols of the Defense Ministry… Asaf was supposed to ‘reach out by himself’ to ask for help.”

She pointed to 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.”

Her brother’s body was currently in Haifa’s 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.

Further, the IDF allegedly denied Dagan a military burial, to which, according to the post, Dagan’s family has been calling on the public for support to ensure that he received it and recognition.

“The family will not allow this double injustice... we firmly refuse to bury him without a full military ceremony.”

His sister concluded with the message: “Asaf, I miss you and love you. We will not give up.”