Struggling with the psychological effects of serving in four combat tours and an undiagnosed brain injury, Larkin died by suicide on a Sunday morning in 2017 dressed in a SEAL Team shirt with the medals he earned in service next to him.
As a decorated Navy SEAL operator and explosives breacher, Ryan Larkin was regularly exposed to high-impact blast waves throughout his 10 years of service.
Struggling with the psychological effects of serving in four combat tours and an undiagnosed brain injury, Larkin died by suicide on a Sunday morning in 2017 dressed in a SEAL Team shirt with the medals he earned in service next to him.
“Ryan died from combat injuries, just not right away,” Frank Larkin, Ryan’s father, said.
Ryan Larkin’s repeated exposure to blast waves severely damaged his brain by causing microscopic tears in the tissue, internal lining and blood vessels.
Ryan Larkin told his father in the months before his death that he wanted his body to be donated to traumatic brain injury research. The 29-year-old’s brain was examined at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center where a doctor discovered that Ryan had a severe level of microscopic brain injury that was uniquely related to blast exposure.
Sixty-four U.S. service members have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury as a result of an Iranian ballistic missiles attack on American troops at Iraqi air bases in January.
President Donald Trump dismissed the concussion injuries as “headaches” and “not very serious” injuries relative to other injuries he’s seen. His comments were criticized by veteran advocates, including Frank Larkin, a former Navy SEAL and retired Senate Sergeant of Arms.
Frank Larkin, who stood beside Trump when he signed an executive order to prevent veteran suicides, wrote a letter to the president about the “invisible wounds” Ryan sustained from the concussive effects of high-powered weapons during his time as a sniper and explosives breacher.
Larkin asked Trump to heighten the sense of urgency around the need for scientific research in traumatic brain injuries.
“There a lot of people that do not understand what this means and the impact it’s having on our society,” Larkin said.
Each year in the United States an estimated 1.5 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury, according to the CDC. These injuries can range from mild concussions to severe disabilities that result in death.