Dr. Peter John Nathanial Linnerooth, age 42, of Mankato, died Wednesday, January 2, 2013, at his home.
Peter will be laid to rest with full military honors on Monday, January 14th, at 11:00 a.m. at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Peter was born June 28, 1970, in Minneapolis and was adopted by David and Gayle (McMullen) Linnerooth. Peter attended John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota, and graduated in 1988. He graduated from Concordia College in 1992 with a Bachelors of Art and from Mankato State University, Mankato in 1995 with a Masters of Art in Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Nevada, Reno in 2004.
He was married to Amy (Robinson) Linnerooth in 1992 in Rochester, Minnesota, and later divorced. He married Melanie Walsh on July 14, 2011, in Reno, Nevada.
Peter began active duty as an Army psychologist at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, from 2003 to 2004. He was stationed in Schweinfurt Germany and from there was deployed to Iraq where he served 18 months as a psychologist. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2008 with the rank of Captain.
He worked at Mankato State University, Mankato, as an assistant professor from 2008 to 2009 before taking a position with the Veterans Administration in Capitola, California, in 2009. Pete was a loving, devoted father to his children and step-children. He was also a dedicated psychologist helping the soldiers and veterans that he served. He was known for his sense of humor and good conversation and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Peter is survived by his wife Melanie Walsh of Reno, Nevada, three children, Jack and Whitney Linnerooth, and David Walsh-Linnerooth, step-children Dan and Katie Walsh, sister Mary (Jose) Linnerooth, and mother Gayle (Ed) McMullen. He was preceded in death by his father.
(Obit published in the Mankato, Minn "The Free Press" on Jan. 10, 2013.)
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Capt. Peter J.N. Linnerooth, a Bronze Star-winning Army psychologist, died earlier this month after a long battle with post traumatic stress disorder. He was 42.
The Army captain who worked as a counselor at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center in Capitola from 2009 to 2011 took his own life on Jan. 2, 2013 in Mankato, Minn.
Linnerooth served in the Army from 2003 to 2008, working primarily as a mental health officer helping combat troops deal with the anxiety and depression associated with post traumatic stress disorder, a severe mental illness he also suffered.
He is credited with helping hundreds of soldiers with mental health illnesses throughout his Army career, but could not find solace himself.
Friends such as Santa Cruz resident Jeremiah Ridgeway, 30, described Linnerooth as a friendly guy, easy to talk to and easy to relate with.
Linnerooth and Ridgeway, an Army veteran who spent 15 months in Afghanistan, worked together at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center on 41st Avenue.
"The young guys coming back from Iraq loved him because he's been there as well," Ridgeway said Saturday. "I could see the impact of what he did for these guys. He's just a great guy."
Family and friends said Linnerooth returned from a year deployment in Iraq a changed man.
The time he spent in Iraq, August 2006 to August 2007, came at what is considered one of the bloodiest points in the ongoing war -- the height of the surge.
Linnerooth served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, in and around Baghdad. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
The article said he was haunted by the procession of bodies, alive and dead, coming into the Riva Ridge Troop Medical Clinic. Even mental-health workers had to pitch in to help after mass-casualty events.
The recollection of an explosion that ripped into four Iraqis -- two adults and two kids -- especially tormented him, said his wife Melanie Walsh of Sparks, Nev.
Linnerooth spoke in recent years about the need to care for the troops' mental woes, and was often frustrated by how military officials failed to see the toll war placed on soldiers.
Linnerooth also warned of the grinding stress that providing such care inflicted on Army mental-health workers such as him. He was the lead author of a 2011 piece on such "professional burnout" among his peers who, like him, had gone off to witness the worst of war.
Linnerooth is survived by his mother, Gayle, his widow and three children -- a son, 10, and a daughter, 6, from his first marriage, and a 4-month-old son from his second. [He is also survived by his sister, Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez.]
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
(Obit published in the "Santa Cruz Sentinel", Santa Cruz, CA on Jan. 12, 2013.)
Note:
Linnerooth was a captain in the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2008. He served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Dagger), 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One), in and around Baghdad from August 2006 to August 2007. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
"Time" magazine noted his death in the Jan. 28, 2013 issue. There are also many articles concerning Dr. Linnerooth online along with photos.
Peter will be laid to rest with full military honors on Monday, January 14th, at 11:00 a.m. at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Peter was born June 28, 1970, in Minneapolis and was adopted by David and Gayle (McMullen) Linnerooth. Peter attended John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota, and graduated in 1988. He graduated from Concordia College in 1992 with a Bachelors of Art and from Mankato State University, Mankato in 1995 with a Masters of Art in Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Nevada, Reno in 2004.
He was married to Amy (Robinson) Linnerooth in 1992 in Rochester, Minnesota, and later divorced. He married Melanie Walsh on July 14, 2011, in Reno, Nevada.
Peter began active duty as an Army psychologist at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, from 2003 to 2004. He was stationed in Schweinfurt Germany and from there was deployed to Iraq where he served 18 months as a psychologist. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2008 with the rank of Captain.
He worked at Mankato State University, Mankato, as an assistant professor from 2008 to 2009 before taking a position with the Veterans Administration in Capitola, California, in 2009. Pete was a loving, devoted father to his children and step-children. He was also a dedicated psychologist helping the soldiers and veterans that he served. He was known for his sense of humor and good conversation and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Peter is survived by his wife Melanie Walsh of Reno, Nevada, three children, Jack and Whitney Linnerooth, and David Walsh-Linnerooth, step-children Dan and Katie Walsh, sister Mary (Jose) Linnerooth, and mother Gayle (Ed) McMullen. He was preceded in death by his father.
(Obit published in the Mankato, Minn "The Free Press" on Jan. 10, 2013.)
*****************************
Capt. Peter J.N. Linnerooth, a Bronze Star-winning Army psychologist, died earlier this month after a long battle with post traumatic stress disorder. He was 42.
The Army captain who worked as a counselor at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center in Capitola from 2009 to 2011 took his own life on Jan. 2, 2013 in Mankato, Minn.
Linnerooth served in the Army from 2003 to 2008, working primarily as a mental health officer helping combat troops deal with the anxiety and depression associated with post traumatic stress disorder, a severe mental illness he also suffered.
He is credited with helping hundreds of soldiers with mental health illnesses throughout his Army career, but could not find solace himself.
Friends such as Santa Cruz resident Jeremiah Ridgeway, 30, described Linnerooth as a friendly guy, easy to talk to and easy to relate with.
Linnerooth and Ridgeway, an Army veteran who spent 15 months in Afghanistan, worked together at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center on 41st Avenue.
"The young guys coming back from Iraq loved him because he's been there as well," Ridgeway said Saturday. "I could see the impact of what he did for these guys. He's just a great guy."
Family and friends said Linnerooth returned from a year deployment in Iraq a changed man.
The time he spent in Iraq, August 2006 to August 2007, came at what is considered one of the bloodiest points in the ongoing war -- the height of the surge.
Linnerooth served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, in and around Baghdad. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
The article said he was haunted by the procession of bodies, alive and dead, coming into the Riva Ridge Troop Medical Clinic. Even mental-health workers had to pitch in to help after mass-casualty events.
The recollection of an explosion that ripped into four Iraqis -- two adults and two kids -- especially tormented him, said his wife Melanie Walsh of Sparks, Nev.
Linnerooth spoke in recent years about the need to care for the troops' mental woes, and was often frustrated by how military officials failed to see the toll war placed on soldiers.
Linnerooth also warned of the grinding stress that providing such care inflicted on Army mental-health workers such as him. He was the lead author of a 2011 piece on such "professional burnout" among his peers who, like him, had gone off to witness the worst of war.
Linnerooth is survived by his mother, Gayle, his widow and three children -- a son, 10, and a daughter, 6, from his first marriage, and a 4-month-old son from his second. [He is also survived by his sister, Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez.]
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
(Obit published in the "Santa Cruz Sentinel", Santa Cruz, CA on Jan. 12, 2013.)
Note:
Linnerooth was a captain in the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2008. He served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Dagger), 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One), in and around Baghdad from August 2006 to August 2007. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
"Time" magazine noted his death in the Jan. 28, 2013 issue. There are also many articles concerning Dr. Linnerooth online along with photos.
Dr. Peter John Nathanial Linnerooth, age 42, of Mankato, died Wednesday, January 2, 2013, at his home.
Peter will be laid to rest with full military honors on Monday, January 14th, at 11:00 a.m. at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Peter was born June 28, 1970, in Minneapolis and was adopted by David and Gayle (McMullen) Linnerooth. Peter attended John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota, and graduated in 1988. He graduated from Concordia College in 1992 with a Bachelors of Art and from Mankato State University, Mankato in 1995 with a Masters of Art in Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Nevada, Reno in 2004.
He was married to Amy (Robinson) Linnerooth in 1992 in Rochester, Minnesota, and later divorced. He married Melanie Walsh on July 14, 2011, in Reno, Nevada.
Peter began active duty as an Army psychologist at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, from 2003 to 2004. He was stationed in Schweinfurt Germany and from there was deployed to Iraq where he served 18 months as a psychologist. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2008 with the rank of Captain.
He worked at Mankato State University, Mankato, as an assistant professor from 2008 to 2009 before taking a position with the Veterans Administration in Capitola, California, in 2009. Pete was a loving, devoted father to his children and step-children. He was also a dedicated psychologist helping the soldiers and veterans that he served. He was known for his sense of humor and good conversation and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Peter is survived by his wife Melanie Walsh of Reno, Nevada, three children, Jack and Whitney Linnerooth, and David Walsh-Linnerooth, step-children Dan and Katie Walsh, sister Mary (Jose) Linnerooth, and mother Gayle (Ed) McMullen. He was preceded in death by his father.
(Obit published in the Mankato, Minn "The Free Press" on Jan. 10, 2013.)
*****************************
Capt. Peter J.N. Linnerooth, a Bronze Star-winning Army psychologist, died earlier this month after a long battle with post traumatic stress disorder. He was 42.
The Army captain who worked as a counselor at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center in Capitola from 2009 to 2011 took his own life on Jan. 2, 2013 in Mankato, Minn.
Linnerooth served in the Army from 2003 to 2008, working primarily as a mental health officer helping combat troops deal with the anxiety and depression associated with post traumatic stress disorder, a severe mental illness he also suffered.
He is credited with helping hundreds of soldiers with mental health illnesses throughout his Army career, but could not find solace himself.
Friends such as Santa Cruz resident Jeremiah Ridgeway, 30, described Linnerooth as a friendly guy, easy to talk to and easy to relate with.
Linnerooth and Ridgeway, an Army veteran who spent 15 months in Afghanistan, worked together at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center on 41st Avenue.
"The young guys coming back from Iraq loved him because he's been there as well," Ridgeway said Saturday. "I could see the impact of what he did for these guys. He's just a great guy."
Family and friends said Linnerooth returned from a year deployment in Iraq a changed man.
The time he spent in Iraq, August 2006 to August 2007, came at what is considered one of the bloodiest points in the ongoing war -- the height of the surge.
Linnerooth served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, in and around Baghdad. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
The article said he was haunted by the procession of bodies, alive and dead, coming into the Riva Ridge Troop Medical Clinic. Even mental-health workers had to pitch in to help after mass-casualty events.
The recollection of an explosion that ripped into four Iraqis -- two adults and two kids -- especially tormented him, said his wife Melanie Walsh of Sparks, Nev.
Linnerooth spoke in recent years about the need to care for the troops' mental woes, and was often frustrated by how military officials failed to see the toll war placed on soldiers.
Linnerooth also warned of the grinding stress that providing such care inflicted on Army mental-health workers such as him. He was the lead author of a 2011 piece on such "professional burnout" among his peers who, like him, had gone off to witness the worst of war.
Linnerooth is survived by his mother, Gayle, his widow and three children -- a son, 10, and a daughter, 6, from his first marriage, and a 4-month-old son from his second. [He is also survived by his sister, Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez.]
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
(Obit published in the "Santa Cruz Sentinel", Santa Cruz, CA on Jan. 12, 2013.)
Note:
Linnerooth was a captain in the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2008. He served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Dagger), 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One), in and around Baghdad from August 2006 to August 2007. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
"Time" magazine noted his death in the Jan. 28, 2013 issue. There are also many articles concerning Dr. Linnerooth online along with photos.
Peter will be laid to rest with full military honors on Monday, January 14th, at 11:00 a.m. at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Peter was born June 28, 1970, in Minneapolis and was adopted by David and Gayle (McMullen) Linnerooth. Peter attended John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota, and graduated in 1988. He graduated from Concordia College in 1992 with a Bachelors of Art and from Mankato State University, Mankato in 1995 with a Masters of Art in Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Nevada, Reno in 2004.
He was married to Amy (Robinson) Linnerooth in 1992 in Rochester, Minnesota, and later divorced. He married Melanie Walsh on July 14, 2011, in Reno, Nevada.
Peter began active duty as an Army psychologist at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, from 2003 to 2004. He was stationed in Schweinfurt Germany and from there was deployed to Iraq where he served 18 months as a psychologist. He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2008 with the rank of Captain.
He worked at Mankato State University, Mankato, as an assistant professor from 2008 to 2009 before taking a position with the Veterans Administration in Capitola, California, in 2009. Pete was a loving, devoted father to his children and step-children. He was also a dedicated psychologist helping the soldiers and veterans that he served. He was known for his sense of humor and good conversation and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.
Peter is survived by his wife Melanie Walsh of Reno, Nevada, three children, Jack and Whitney Linnerooth, and David Walsh-Linnerooth, step-children Dan and Katie Walsh, sister Mary (Jose) Linnerooth, and mother Gayle (Ed) McMullen. He was preceded in death by his father.
(Obit published in the Mankato, Minn "The Free Press" on Jan. 10, 2013.)
*****************************
Capt. Peter J.N. Linnerooth, a Bronze Star-winning Army psychologist, died earlier this month after a long battle with post traumatic stress disorder. He was 42.
The Army captain who worked as a counselor at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center in Capitola from 2009 to 2011 took his own life on Jan. 2, 2013 in Mankato, Minn.
Linnerooth served in the Army from 2003 to 2008, working primarily as a mental health officer helping combat troops deal with the anxiety and depression associated with post traumatic stress disorder, a severe mental illness he also suffered.
He is credited with helping hundreds of soldiers with mental health illnesses throughout his Army career, but could not find solace himself.
Friends such as Santa Cruz resident Jeremiah Ridgeway, 30, described Linnerooth as a friendly guy, easy to talk to and easy to relate with.
Linnerooth and Ridgeway, an Army veteran who spent 15 months in Afghanistan, worked together at the Santa Cruz County Vet Center on 41st Avenue.
"The young guys coming back from Iraq loved him because he's been there as well," Ridgeway said Saturday. "I could see the impact of what he did for these guys. He's just a great guy."
Family and friends said Linnerooth returned from a year deployment in Iraq a changed man.
The time he spent in Iraq, August 2006 to August 2007, came at what is considered one of the bloodiest points in the ongoing war -- the height of the surge.
Linnerooth served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, in and around Baghdad. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
The article said he was haunted by the procession of bodies, alive and dead, coming into the Riva Ridge Troop Medical Clinic. Even mental-health workers had to pitch in to help after mass-casualty events.
The recollection of an explosion that ripped into four Iraqis -- two adults and two kids -- especially tormented him, said his wife Melanie Walsh of Sparks, Nev.
Linnerooth spoke in recent years about the need to care for the troops' mental woes, and was often frustrated by how military officials failed to see the toll war placed on soldiers.
Linnerooth also warned of the grinding stress that providing such care inflicted on Army mental-health workers such as him. He was the lead author of a 2011 piece on such "professional burnout" among his peers who, like him, had gone off to witness the worst of war.
Linnerooth is survived by his mother, Gayle, his widow and three children -- a son, 10, and a daughter, 6, from his first marriage, and a 4-month-old son from his second. [He is also survived by his sister, Mary Linnerooth Gonzalez.]
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the National Cemetery in Minneapolis.
(Obit published in the "Santa Cruz Sentinel", Santa Cruz, CA on Jan. 12, 2013.)
Note:
Linnerooth was a captain in the U.S. Army from 2003 to 2008. He served as the mental-health officer in charge of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Dagger), 1st Infantry Division (the Big Red One), in and around Baghdad from August 2006 to August 2007. The Army awarded him a Bronze Star for exemplary service at the end of the deployment.
"Time" magazine noted his death in the Jan. 28, 2013 issue. There are also many articles concerning Dr. Linnerooth online along with photos.
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