The death of baby Ada Mae and the tragic effects of addicted veterans - Reveal
They never made it. Less than a mile from their destination, the buggy was rear-ended by a 1997 Dodge Caravan. But his wife, Elizabeth, who was cradling 6-week-old Ada Mae, was thrown from the carriage and landed on top of her daughter. Ada Mae stopped breathing. “I would have scarcely thought it possible such a small infant could possibly have left such a void. At first glance, the 2009 accident that killed Ada Mae would seem to have nothing to do with problems at the U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Tomah 60 miles away, which earned the nickname “Candy Land” for its skyrocketing rate of... Some veterans called its chief of staff, psychiatrist Dr. David Houlihan, the “Candy Man. But the man behind the wheel of the Dodge van that day was a Marine Corps veteran, and he was stoned on painkillers and tranquilizers from the Tomah VA. Brian Witkus was a known addict who “would fall or injure himself,” court records say , to get... Ada Mae’s death is one of dozens of tragedies that begin to hint at how the flood of narcotics from the VA scarred this region. It begins with the veterans themselves, who have become addled and addicted and who have overdosed. Source: www.revealnews.org
