Discharged IDF soldier from US dies of apparent suicide after struggling with PTSD

Times of Israel ^ | 24 May 2026 | Stav Levaton

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Alex Miller, a 23-year-old discharged IDF combat soldier originally from the United States, recently died by apparent suicide after struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder linked to his military service...

Miller was also deeply affected by the death of his close friend Sgt. First Class Noam Shemesh, 21, who was killed during fighting in southern Gaza in 2025...

He was reportedly in Miami at the time of his death...

Miller was his father’s only child and required special parental approval to serve in combat.

At least 60 active and reserve soldiers died by suicide between October 2023 and April of this year, including 10 this year alone...The Knesset Research and Information Center last October found that between January 2024 and July 2025, 279 active soldiers attempted to take their own lives...

While the IDF has said that it was drawing systemic conclusions and stepping up its mental health measures, some reservists have accused the government of failing to do enough to solve the problem.

[21twelve]

It would be interesting to see the statistics on suicides for different countries. I wonder if in countries where we value human life (like the USA, Israel, and most western nations) the rate is higher, and in muslim and other countries the rate is lower? Heck, the muslims glorify their own deaths.

[montag813]

It's hard for many to cope. Our own VA does not do an adequate enough job with our own veterans - a national disgrace how many suicides we have amongst our warfighters.

Israel has a hard time with it too. Many Israelis have taken their own lives since October 7, and not just soldiers, but people who witnessed what Hamas did.

One particularly sad example I read about was a man who was hiding in bushes while Hamas raped and murdered a female friend. He could hear everything. He survived but could not live with the guilt of not being able to save her. He lasted almost 2 years but then hung himself.

[zeestephen]

Sad, often tragic, but still quite rare.

Less than one percent of USA and Israeli combat soldiers attempt suicide.

That is roughly the same average for young males who are NOT in the military.

Human beings come with all kinds of genetic flaws.

[faithhopecharity]

Both USA and Israel have extensive mental health care services including for this. In USA, almost any local clinic or county hospital or community college health services office either has professional providers or can refer to them.

I don’t expect counselors and advisors and psychologists and all the rest to score 100 percent success rates. That would be unrealistic.

Still, I refer people all the time ... we can only hope

[Uncle Miltie]

There was a Big Lie told after Viet Nam about the crazy suicidal vets.

Statistics eventually showed Vietnam Vets to be far more psychologically and socially stable than their peers who did not serve.

It was all a lie to support leftism and defeat America.

I’ll be interested to see how Israeli vets fare over long periods of time. Those folks are some of the most well adjusted people I’ve ever met.

We’ll see …

[No name given]

Rest In Peace, Alex Miller.

[Gunslingr3]

Less than one percent of USA and Israeli combat soldiers attempt suicide.

That is roughly the same average for young males who are NOT in the military.

That's misleading. In both cases suicides are well under 1%, but the rates themselves differ significantly.

Male veterans are significantly more likely to die by suicide than men who never served in the armed forces. In the United States, the suicide rate for male veterans is approximately 44 percent higher than that of non-veteran men (the age-adjusted rates are 42.7 versus 29.6 per 100,000), respectively)

I'm sure the difference would be more stark if comparing those who actually served under fire in combat, and those who served without experiencing that distinction.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

According to the report, combat soldiers made up 78 percent of all suicide cases in Israel in 2024, a sharp rise from previous years: The rate hovered between 42% and 45% from 2017 to 2022, and stood at just 17% in 2023.

As for former soldiers, an August 2025 committee found that, as of the report, 15 civilians died by suicide linked to their military service since the onset of the war.

Most recent suicides among Israeli soldiers and veterans were driven by psychological trauma from the ongoing war in Gaza, including prolonged deployments in combat zones, witnessing harrowing scenes and the loss of friends.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

^ - Times of Israel