Young IDF veteran lost after carrying war’s invisible scars

Alex Miller, a 23-year-old former lone soldier from the United States who survived a terror attack in the Judean Desert, has died by apparent suicide after reportedly struggling with the psychological trauma of war.

Miller was moderately wounded in a 2022 car-ramming attack while serving in the IDF’s Kfir Brigade. Despite a painful rehabilitation process, he insisted on returning to combat service alongside his fellow soldiers. Friends and family say he was later devastated by the death of his close friend, Noam Shemesh, who was killed during fighting in Gaza.

After his discharge, Miller moved back to the US and was living in Miami, where he reportedly worked as a security guard. He was his father’s only child and needed special parental approval to serve in a combat unit.

His death comes as Israel faces a growing mental health crisis among soldiers and veterans following the October 7 Hamas massacre and the wars that followed. Dozens of active-duty soldiers and veterans have died by suicide since the outbreak of the war, with many reportedly suffering from severe combat trauma, repeated deployments, and the loss of close friends on the battlefield.