MERRIMACK ? A decorated member of the New Hampshire Air National Guard killed himself at his home Wednesday, just a day after returning from a six-month tour of duty in Iraq.
Tech. Sgt. Dave Guindon, 48, of Merrimack was a member of the 157th Air Refueling Wing based in Newington. In Iraq, he and four other members of the unit provided security to Army convoys. They returned Tuesday.
According to the state medical examiner?s office, Guindon died Wednesday afternoon of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Maj. Gen. John E. Blair, who heads the New Hampshire National Guard, said even after having two days to absorb the shock, the news is baffling.
?The problem is trying to rationalize an irrational act. It?s hard to know how to address this thing, I?m so confused and baffled. I don?t know how to categorize it,? Blair said yesterday.
Blair was among those waiting at Manchester Airport Tuesday to welcome Guindon and his fellow airmen after a six-month deployment in Iraq.
?I spent some time speaking with him Tuesday, and I got quite the opposite impression. He particularly was talking to me about the pride they had in helping our transportation company,? Blair said.
Guindon?s wife, Sharon, was quoted as saying she was elated to have him home and was anxious for a chance to catch up with her husband.
?I tell you, it?s such a big relief that he?s coming home,? she said. ?You don?t realize what they go through until you have someone over there.?
Guindon sounded equally hopeful and upbeat during an interview Tuesday.
?It feels fantastic. It?s hard to explain it, it fees so good,? Guindon said shortly after his plane touched down in Manchester. ?I?m just going to take today slow, wake up tomorrow, and see what it?s like to be back in a normal place.?
But for Guindon, there would be no tomorrow.
Blair said there is a process in place by the National Guard for helping returning guardsmen as they readjust to civilian life, but it is usually scheduled after guardsmen are settled in at home.
?We thought it was something we could do after they had some private time with families. I guess we realize ? or I realize now ? it needs to be sooner rather than later,? said Blair.
Members of Guindon?s unit, including the three airmen who flew home with him Tuesday, were called in for grief counseling Wednesday provided through the Veterans Hospital, Blair said.
Part of the deployment process includes preparing families in advance for what to expect in the aftermath of their loved ones? return.
Blair said he didn?t know if Guindon had left a suicide note. Speculating on the ?why? of the situation was impossible, he said, without more information.
?There are so many things it could be. War is a terrible thing sometimes. You don?t know what they?ve seen or heard or had to do,? Blair said. ?I wish I could explain it, but I can?t.?
Guard officials praised Guindon?s service, saying his mission marked the first time Air National Guard members from New Hampshire participated in Army combat missions.
Last month Guindon and his team were awarded Army combat honors after carrying out more than 100 missions.
?Dave was an outstanding airman and a good friend to many in our wing family,? said Col. Richard Martial, the unit?s commander. ?He continually demonstrated a willingness to embrace new challenges and always performed to the best of his abilities. We are all deeply saddened by his sudden death. Our hearts and prayers are with his wife and daughter during this very difficult time. We have lost a good man and a true patriot.?
Guindon joined the unit?s logistics readiness squadron in 1997 after having served 23 years in the Navy, Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air Force Reserve and New Hampshire Army National Guard.
?Trained by the Air Force as a vehicle operator, he was called upon to perform an Army combat mission in Iraq,? said Maj. Chris Hurled, the squadron?s commander. ?In the face of these extraordinary circumstances, Dave displayed the courage and dedication of a true professional. His actions are a testament to his character and his love for his country.?
No one was home last night at the Guindon residence, where a country blue wooden plaque hung on the front door with the word ?Liberty!? and several American flags adorned the well-manicured lawn.
The last time neighbor Joe Mitchell saw Guindon was when the two men were shoveling snow together in the gripping cold of early February. Guindon left two weeks later for Iraq.
?He was a patriotic person,? Mitchell said. ?He told me he knew there was danger and obligation involved, but was sad to leave his family.?
Mitchell said he?d known Guindon for about 10 years, since the Guindons moved into the neighborhood.
Guindon was employed by Raytheon in the electronics and communications industry, and had been sent to Bosnia about five years ago for six months as a civilian contractor for the company.
?He was a patriotic fellow, and he went,? Mitchell said.
Mitchell said Guindon had served a stint in the Army on active duty in electronics, joining the Army Reserve afterward for a few years before joining the Air National Guard.
?They were looking for people and he joined again,? Mitchell said of Guindon?s decision to head to Iraq. ?He said he was interested again. He told me he was a truck driver. He enjoyed a little diversion from what he did during the week.?
Mitchell described his neighbor as a positive, upbeat and enthusiastic person.
?Of all the people on this street, he was the probably one of the easiest, nicest guys you could talk to. His life seemed to be all positives. His wife is a great person. His daughter is liked by everyone,? Mitchell said.
?You?ve got to think it?s related to stress somehow because he just came from a stressful environment. You fly back and you are, what, eight or nine hours out of time . . . the stress of the ride back, you get to the airport, you end up on the (front page of the) Union Leader on Wednesday morning . . . I mean, there is a lot of stuff going on.?
Another neighbor, Don Wolfsohn, was shocked to learn about Guindon?s death as he stopped to talk to Mitchell last night.
?He was a very stable person, a great family man. I don?t know what he went through. It doesn?t make sense,? Wolfsohn said. ?This is about the last person you would expect.?
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