Aussie family's desperate 'scramble' after receiving soldier son's suicide note
Parents of a troubled Aussie soldier were left "scrambling" after receiving a suicide note from their son, as they desperately tried to save him before it was too late.
Private Thomas Halloran, 21, was staying at Darwin's Robertson Army Barracks when he alerted his family via WhatsApp of the "constant pain" he was feeling. He was found dead hours later.
Speaking at the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in Darwin on Tuesday, John and Robyn Halloran recalled the chaos they endured after receiving the message in April.
Mr Halloran said he and his wife kept trying to make contact with their son, hoping someone would get to his room in time.
"We just kept ... ringing him on the off chance, maybe there's time," Mr Halloran told the inquiry.
"We knew what he intended to do, but we didn't know how, so we thought there was a chance we could catch him, so to speak."
During the excruciating wait for news of their son, Mrs Halloran said an army chaplain called to say defence personnel were heading to his room.
She said the chaplain promised they would "be in touch" and let them know "once I know something".
But it took three and a half hours for the army to confirm his death. By then the Hallorans had already learned of their son's fate from his sister who called Darwin police.
"The whole way it was put together was a mess, and a horrendous way to find out from our daughter crying on the phone," Mr Halloran said.
Soldier's diagnosis 'more like a sentence'
The inquiry was told Thomas Halloran's suicide note referred to the "constant pain" he had experienced, a reference to a serious back injury which had resulted in him ending his first overseas deployment.
Mr Halloran said his son suffered the injury early in his career while training at Kapooka, southwest of Wagga Wagga in NSW
He had been so worried he would be forced out of the army on medical grounds, so he tried to hide the pain.
When Private Halloran finally sought treatment for his injury in November 2021, his worst fears were realised. Medical advice was to leave the army and "look after your back", the inquiry was told.
"When Tom told us that, it was not a diagnosis, it was more like a sentence," an emotional Mr Halloran said.
Private Halloran was placed on reduced duties as his army colleagues headed on an overseas deployment.
Mr Halloran said his son, who had been popular with his army mates, suddenly found himself feeling completely isolated with no future.
His injury also left him open to being taunted on occasion for being a "linga", which is army slang for malingerer.
But he said the army support systems for young injured soldiers were so "broken", his son felt he had no one he could turn to for help.
with AAP
Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
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