Soldier's suicide leaves family with unanswered questions
LONGVIEW, Wash. - It's the knock on the door that every military family dreads and it happened a year ago for the family of a Longview soldier. But that was only the beginning of their pain.
In the weeks and months that followed, the family of Spc. Mikayla Bragg learned from the military that her death was ruled a suicide.
Why would the young woman take her life? That's the question that is haunting her family and after they received a 205-page report on her death, they are troubled by what they have learned.
"When she told me that she was going to join the National Guard, I was like 'OK, Mikayla, I support you in whatever you do," her father, Steve Bragg, said when we asked him about his daughter's career in the military.
Days later, Steve Bragg would come home from work and learn that his daughter had instead enlisted in the Army. It all happened so fast - boot camp, deployment and suddenly his child was on the other side of the world.
"She was really happy with what she was doing," her father said. "She wanted to better herself."
After five months on the ground in Afghanistan, Bragg was awaiting Christmas and had purchased a plane ticket to return home.
So what happened at the Bagram airfield the morning of Dec. 21, 2011, when her body was found in a guard tower where she had been stationed?
The official word from the military is that Bragg died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. For the family, the details of her death were unclear early on and they are still trying to understand what happened.
"They go by basically a script," her father said. "You know, he sat down and explained to me 'the Department of Defense is sorry to inform you that your daughter has been killed.' "
Bragg's fellow soldiers wrote in the report that she was "as happy and sarcastic as always," "seemed very happy the morning of the suicide," and "the morning of the incident she was happy."
But there was also a reference that Bragg had confided to another soldier that she had gotten drunk with a civilian, had passed out and had awoken to the civilian taking her clothes off and taking advantage of her. The soldier who wrote that in the report said Bragg "made me promise not to tell anyone about it." The soldier said Bragg had shared that story a month before her death.
We asked her father if there are still things that he wants to know.
"I have a lot of questions," he said. "There are still a couple of things I haven't received yet - bits of information that hopefully will answer some of those questions. It doesn't change the fact that she was over there fighting for our freedom. She was there fighting every day, doing her job and what she was asked to do."
Bragg had been treated by military counselors for previous mental health issues the year before she deployed but those reports never made it to the commanding officers of the unit she was with when she died.
And had she attempted suicide before? The Army says yes - that she drank a cup of bleach at one point, had talked about wanting to crash her car and had suicidal thoughts. But she later told her father that the bleach incident was an accident and he said he believed her.
There is more documentation that the Bragg family will be receiving about the death and the investigation into the alleged sexual assault. KATU will keep digging and keep you posted.
No mystery here. Â The military is a horrendous place for people, especially women. Â It is living hell and she couldn't take it.Â
Something is wrong here. She was happy and going to come home for Christmas, why would she kill herself?
Initially I agree with you but later on it mentions that she did drink bleach. She told her dad it was an accident and he believed her. It seems apparent that the suicide mentality issues may have been there all along and just kind of gone unnoticed by some. It's unfortunate.
I am sorry for you loss.
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I wish the families would avoid the comments after stories are printed. I hope the Braggs get the information they need. I only wish that people could ask for (and get) the help they really need instead of inflicting pain on themselves and in turn their loved-ones. RIP Mikayla.
I hope the Braggs can get the truth. The military has a bad rep of covering up what tarnishes their honor. Seems suspicious enough to me that if a soldier was raped by someone connected to her service, especially if she threatened charges, she may have been killed over it and it made to look like a suicide. I'm sure suicide is less costly to the military than being murdered on duty and they would default to that explanation rather than investigate aggressively and risk uncovering an unpleasant and potentially costly truth.
As stated, it doesn't change the fact that she was over there fighting for our freedom. As a vet, when you loose a member of your team, Its like loosing a family member. As a family member, your world spirals while searching for answers. May God bless this young soldier and her family.
Does not matter what anyone any place in this world says my niece mikayla was a very brave young lady noone not even the media has any right to talk about  certain things and when you do a interview dont take what you were told and twist it to the words you want to print or go public with have respect just think about what ifm it was your own child. thats all i have to say
Glad she had parents that supported her. Â My mom said it was a "disgrace" that I joined the military. Â She considered it "low-class".....now I don't speak to her...typical american woman.
 @archon312 You have some major issues you need to get addressed. You sound a lot like my brother, who is one lonely, effed-up individual.
 @archon312Â
Your misogyny comes through in almost everything you post. For your sake and that of the women you come into contact with get some help for your anger and hatred of women. It's abnormal - no matter what you have personally experienced. You can't condemn an entire gender based on your own limited experiences.
 @archon312 Well I certainly thank you for your service and protection of our country's freedoms. There are many people in our country who have forgotten who gave us our freedoms.
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They completely take for granted the amazing freedoms we have in our country compared to any other place on planet Earth and belittle the people that protect them from losing all that freedom and becoming no better than China, Mexico, Russia or God forbid somewhere in the Middle East...
My heart and prayers go out to the Bragg family. If this were my child I would want as much information as possible and I hope they can obtain more. I cannot imagine the grief. We are all very grateful for the service of this young woman to our country. I am grateful to these brave young men and women who choose to put themselves in harm's way to ensure our safety and freedom. We can never say thank you enough and can only hope to do them honor by the way we live our lives and the manner in which we treat each other.
It's heartbreaking to lose a loved one this way. Â My condolences to those who are missing her in their lives. Â I can't speak from experience regarding the military and their protocols when it comes to the mental and emotional challenges that our soldiers face, but I worry that there isn't a good enough system to spot those that are having problems. Â Then, Â when a soldier has admitted to suicidal thoughts, etc, what is done about it? Â Would someone who has expressed suicidal thoughts as a youth still be allowed to join the Army? Â You bet they would. Â I'm scared to death that I could lose my son this way. Â I'm very sorry for your loss SBragg.
Crap, another Veteran takes a way out that none of us can judge having been so close to that point myself after an earlier war. I sort of survived and became a sheriff and every suicide I went to - since we were Deputy Medical Examiners - I could not help but help but talking to the deceased like they were there. I never judged and always said a small prayer as I left the scene. GOD love her and may she finally find peace and fly with the Angels as she deserves...
 @boned They were there; your words and prayer were not wasted.Â
@nick. Your comments were not taken as offensive on my part. I see you have said you deployed, thank you for your service. My comment was directed at the other person who commented about me not getting her help.
Please don't keep digging. Let it be. *sigh*
 @Ella Mentry Mr. Bragg deserves to have ALL of his questions answered. If K2 can help  him get those answers, then let them and godspeed, I say. What's it to you, anyway?
 @SocietyToday Until you know the whole story don't be quick to judge. I was there and she did receive help. It was not a suicide attempt it was 2  cups  the same color with water and one with bleach and water mixed. She made a mistake and grabbed the wrong one to drink. You ever make a mistake in your life?
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@sbragg @SocietyToday Mr. Bragg, I'm sorry if my earlier comment was taken the wrong way. I place no blame at the feet of your daughter. I think that what happened to your daughter is a travesty. The rush to deploy soliders and the lack of decent mental health care is criminal. When the story I read mentioned drinking bleach and a desire to crash her car I was led to believe it was a suicide attempt. I apologize if i was misled. I have experienced a deployment and know how it feels. Please know that my thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
Mr. Bragg, I'm sorry for the loss of your daughter. It sounds as though there are still unanswered questions concerning her death, but regardless of the outcome, you've lost your daughter and for that you have my sincere sympthies.
the fact that one of our soldiers was even able to get into a situation where she could be sexually assaulted disgusts me. the fact that we are actively deploying suicidal soldiers horrifies me. i will keep the family in my thoughts.
@Nick I hope you're joking!! She didn't do anything wrong, the rapist did. I do agree though that they shouldn't have deployed her AFTER the fact of the other attempts. The dad believing that she accidently drank bleach is just ridiculous, he should feel terrible for not trying to get her some help....
@SocietyToday i hope my comment is not misunderstood. i place ZERO blame on the victim. my understanding, from the story, is that she attempted suicide before the deployment... was then deployed... and then sexually assaulted during her deployment. there is no blame to be placed on this woman whatsoever.