California

Death rate higher among young vets

Mark Tyree Sr. stands inside the mobile home where he lives. Pictures of his son adorn the walls. His son Mark, a Marine veteran, died in 2011, from a single-car crash into a power pole after returning from Iraq. "He was so reckless at times," the veteran's father said. "He had no fear whatsoever."

Mark Tyree Sr. stands inside the mobile home where he lives. Pictures of his son adorn the walls. His son Mark, a Marine veteran, died in 2011, from a single-car crash into a power pole after returning from Iraq. “He was so reckless at times,” the veteran’s father said. “He had no fear whatsoever.”  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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The death rate for California veterans under 35 outpaces that of both active-duty service members and other civilians of the same ages, according to an analysis of state mortality records by The Times. The phenomenon has been largely unstudied by the government until recently, and researchers say the government now needs to systematically track the lives and deaths of veterans to understand the long-term effect of the wars in the Middle East.
Read more: Death rate unusually high for young veterans

Veterans

Mark Tyree, a Marine Corps veteran who did a tour in Iraq, is buried in the Northern California Veterans Cemetery.   (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Veterans

Mark Tyree Sr. visits his son’s grave. “I grieve every day now,” he said. “I don’t want it to go away.”  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Veterans

On the wall of his home, Mark Tyree has hung photos of himself, his father, his deceased son, and his brother -- all military veterans.   (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Veterans

Marine veteran Mark Tyree’s grave sits among others in the Northern California Veterans Cemetery.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Veterans

A patched bullet hole is still visible in the front door of Bonnie and Danny McAlpin’s home, where their son Rusty committed suicide with a handgun in 2011, soon after he left the Army and returned to civilian life.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Veterans

The parents of Iraq war veteran Rusty McAlpin have not been able to bring themselves to clean out their son’s room, where he lived upon his return to civilian life until he committed suicide. Combat boots and battle fatigues are among the items that still sit in his closet.   (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Veterans

Bonnie McAlpin sits with her son’s dog Scout in the place where her son killed himself with the family’s .357 magnum.  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

Veterans

Bonnie and Danny McAlpin stand in their home, not far from the place where their son, Rusty McAlpin, committed suicide four months after he left the Army. The transition had been hard on him, Bonnie McAlpin said. “He never wanted to seem weak.”  (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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