Theodore S . Westhusing Colonel Theodore S . Westhusing ( November 17 , 1960 – June 5 , 2005 ) , a West Point professor of English and Philosophy , volunteered to serve in Iraq in late 2004 and died in Baghdad from an allegedly self - inflicted gunshot wound in June 2005 . At the time he was the highest - ranked American to die violently in invasion of Iraq since the start of the March 2003 United States - led invasion . He was 44 years old , married with three young children . Early life and career . Westhusing was born in Dallas , Texas and attended high school at Jenks High School in Jenks , Oklahoma where he was an outstanding student and starter for the basketball team . He attended West Point , where in his senior year he was selected as honor captain ( the highest - ranking ethics official within the cadet corps ) and graduated third in his class . He served in the 82nd Airborne Division among other duties , and eventually became a professor at West Point . In 2003 , he wrote a dissertation in philosophy at Emory University in Atlanta , " " The competitive and cooperative aretai within the American warfighting ethos " " . The dissertation explores " an ideal functional description of the American warrior [ which ] makes heavy demands of the warrior ' s entire being in supporting and defending the United States Constitution to which he has sworn his allegiance . " He held degrees and majored in Russian , Philosophy and Military Strategy . Iraq deployment . Westhusing served with what the U . S . Department of Defense called the " Multi - national Security Transition Command - Iraq " . His primary duty was to oversee the training of Iraqis for civilian police duty , in collaboration with USIS , a private military company . In mid - May 2005 he received an anonymous letter alleging fraud , waste and abuse by USIS . He also witnessed many of the following charges as well . The accusations included the following : Although Westhusing initially wrote to his commanders only seven days before his death that the allegations in the letter were false , many have determined that he was forced to write to his commanding officers , General Petraeus and General Fil , in order to keep his position and his commanding officers and USIS ' s cover on their activities , or perhaps until he could get the information to a source that would not cover up the illegalities . According to documentation , Colonel Westhusing then decided to go forward with the allegations about the illegalities to his commanders and the management of USIS , feeling that his life was now threatened and that he needed to get the information to outside sources before something happened to him . He did this regardless of the consequences to himself , to confront the injustices and to have the allegations exposed . He had also planned on returning to the U . S . to bring these allegations forward , but now feared for his life . This decision led to a subsequent , final confrontation and to his death . There is evidence that something happened in those remaining seven days that caused him to turn angrily upon the management of USIS because of threats , referring to them with intense disgust as " money grubbing " and to their participation in illegal activities with members of the Iraqi police and others . His anger soon extended to his own commanders for taking no action on his recommendations to bring honesty and efficiency to the Army ' s training of Iraqis , with particular reference to USIS ' role in that training and many illegal activities within the Iraqi Army and police . These commanders included the current Commander of Multinational Force - Iraq , 4 - star General David Petraeus ( then a 3 - star General in charge of U . S . operations in northern Iraq ) . Colonel Westhusing died at Camp Dublin outside Baghdad , Iraq in June 2005 , leaving a note saying , “ I cannot support a mission that leads to corruption , human rights abuses and liars . ” Westhusing , who was left - handed , was found in his trailer with a gunshot wound behind his left ear from his own 9mm Beretta service pistol on June 5 , 2005 , a month and three days before his tour of duty was to end . He had a heated and confrontational meeting with General Petraeus that morning concerning these issues with USIS . A DOD Army report also stated that an administrator near his trailer had heard a very loud argument in Colonel Westhusing ' s office trailer before he was found dead by the contractor . Approximately an hour after this argument and the earlier meeting with Generals Petraeus the USIS contractors that morning , he was found by a USIS contractor who then altered the death scene before reporting it . A note was found at his side in which he wrote , in addition to a short explanation , " I am sullied - no more " . Three of the seven numbered pages of the document by his side were not disclosed in the investigation . This note was part of a journal he was keeping to document these issues . Other pages were excluded from the Army ' s final report because of what was considered sensitive government issues . Controversy surrounding his death . The " New York Times " / " Los Angeles Times " reporter T . Christian Miller reported on the possibility that he was murdered by defense contractors who feared he would become a whistle - blower against their alleged fraudulent activity throughout the Iraq War . Funeral . Westhusing ' s funeral service and burial at West Point were attended by General Petraeus ( who returned from Iraq for the event ) as well as three other generals of two stars or more . Dramatized accounts . The controversy of Westhusing ' s death is depicted in the one act play " Duty , Honor , Profit , " written by Westhusing ' s West Point classmate , Dave Tucker , a Seattle playwright . I am Sullied No More . The following is the suicide note left by Col . Westhusing to his commanding officer General Petraeus . The note was featured in an article by Robert Bryce , published in the Texas Observer on March 8 , 2007 :