Portsmouth Police Investigating Death of Virginia-Based Command Master Chief as Suicide

Master Chief Petty Officer Gregg Snaza, 50, is One of the Navy’s Most Senior Navy Enlisted Leaders Thought to Have Died of Suicide, Few Details Released

by Mike Hixenbaugh, October 28, 2015
The Virginian-Pilot

PORTSMOUTH VA — The top enlisted sailor at the command overseeing all of the Navy’s bases in the mid-Atlantic region died Monday night at his home.

Master Chief Petty Officer Gregg Snaza was 50.

“Master Chief Snaza served our nation, our Navy and sailors with honor and distinction for more than 32 years,” Rear Adm. Rick Williamson, commander of Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, said in a statement.

Snaza reported to the Norfolk-based command in May.

The Navy did not give the cause of death. Portsmouth police spokeswoman Misty Holley said it is being investigated as a suicide.

Snaza was the senior enlisted adviser to Williamson, who oversees more than 94,000 sailors in 20 states.

He previously served as command master chief of the Navy Exchange Command and the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Snaza is survived by his wife, two daughters, parents and a grandson.

Click here to read this article at its source.

HEARTBREAKING VIDEO: Young Navy Widow Shares Her Family’s Touching Story of Love and Pain After Her Special Warfare Sailor-Husband Died From Suicide

HEARTBREAKING VIDEO: Young Navy Widow Shares Her Family’s Touching Story of Love and Pain After Her Special Warfare Sailor-Husband Died From Suicide

by TMSR
September 24, 2015

Click here to view the touching and heartbreaking video made by Navy widow Stephanie Lembo about her family’s experience with, love, deployments, PTSD and losing her “soul mate” to military suicide.

Her husband Petty Officer First Class Anthony J. Lembo served with the Navy SEALS as a Fastboat Crewman. He came home from overseas deployments and stateside training missions a changed man, she said.

In 2010, after the family of four — they had two young sons — had already endured a recent miscarriage, PO1(SW) Anthony Lembo died from suicide.

Ms. Limbo says he experienced sleep problems, speech problems, and nearly stopped eating in the months before he took his life.

She says he suffered from severe PTSD, and had refused her pleas that he seek help because he was afraid of losing his security clearance and his career.

Click here to read the story of the Lembo family’s experience with suicide.

Click here to help Stephanie Lembo’s initiative to help other military wives learn about PTSD and Suicide Prevention and awareness.

GQ MAGAZINE: More Than 113,500 Suicides Among Veterans and Service Members Since 9/11

Editor’s Note: GQ Magazine published last month, an article detailing Iraq veteran Daniel Wolfe’s 2014 suicide that happened live on social media.

Part of Wolfe’s story was a graphic chart on the latest estimated number of veterans and service members dead from suicide.

GQ Magazine reports 113,500 estimated suicides since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.

TMSR believes the number is far higher. GQ Magazine is one of very few news media publications to inform its audience to the seriousness of the suicide epidemic.

Most news editors quote the “22 a day” statistic. Few ever quote the “100,000 suicides” statistic.

Why is that? Why does the American citizenry not know the 100,000 suicides statistic?

TMSR praises GQ Magazine for publishing the larger statistic.

Will Americans notice? And, if they do notice … will they care?

Click here to read Daniel Wolfe’s story.

Click here to view the graphic chart.