And being mission-ready, the perpetual vigilance it requires, ensures a kind of endless possibility of war, which in turn justifies the $740 billion annual defense budget. Two days after Staff Sergeant Anthony Lovell, 40, disappeared in 2017, his body was found, eyes pecked clean, face split in half, in a creek off Killeens seedy main corridor called Rancier, the same street where Specialist Freddy Delacruz, 23, was shot and killed last March. The coming months brought the suicides of Staff Sergeant Richard Harrington, 45, and then Specialist James Green, 23. The next day, Wedel-Morales failed to show up for duty, and the day after that, he was classified as absent without leave, making him one of the thousand or so soldiers who go AWOL in any given year. Thomas Berg, whose son Private Brandon Rosecrans's Jeep was found burning in May, told me not to go out after dark. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers died or went missing. Toxic leadership is nothing new. Specialist Vanessa Guillens father, Rogelio, wondered if I shouldnt carry a gun. There she encountered Specialist Aaron Robinson, also 20 years old but a rank above. Nearly 200 miles away in Houston, Rogelio Guillen was entering his fourth hour of work at a nickel-plating factory when he felt a sharp spasm in his chest. On June 30, a construction crew found shallow graves containing human remains that belonged to Guillen. One of the first times she stepped onto the base, a rosary she had been carrying in the palm of her hand tore apart, its beads scattering over the concrete ground. From the age of 18, the only thing I knew how to do was kill people, Ring wrote on the website of his fathers veterans rights organization. In death, she is no longer a daughter or a sister or a partner. Fort Hood informed Rodriguez that he had asked for this. Amid all those other deaths, on June 21, 2020, a search party found the charred lid of a cargo box along the Leon River 20 miles east of Fort Hood. On August 11, a higher-up called Fernandess mother, Ailina, to tell her that her son had not shown up for work for two days. Two witnesses had seen Robinson roll a black cargo box out of the arms room and through the parking lot, where he loaded it into his car and drove away, contradicting an earlier affidavit from three soldiers who falsely claimed they had seen Guillen departing the arms room earlier. He had messaged his sister beforehand to tell her something felt off. He seemed weird, Rodriguez said. On June 30, a construction crew found shallow graves containing human remains that belonged to Guillen. Killeen itself sits on an especially brutal stretch of central Texas, along the Balcones Fault, which separates the high plains of the Hill Country to the west from the grand prairies and limestone plains of the east, and along which runs Interstate 35. Even then, it was she who had to scare up the $3,500 in bail money, and after Fort Hood sent two officers to pick up Casteel, officials refused to share information with Rodriguez. Soon after, the Temple police, who led the investigation, ruled Fernandes's death a suicide. Before Guillen, there had been Private LaVena Lynn Johnson, who was found dead in a tent in 2005 in Iraq. Then they tried burning the body. By then Wedel-Morales had grown distant from his family in Oklahoma, who had not been told of the marriage. Eleven of the deaths remain unresolvedsome legally; others for the victims' families. Hockin was found dead behind his company barracks. PUBLISHED 10:53 AM CT Mar. The death was ruled a suicide despite the fact that the blanket stuffed around the window to hold the pipe in place had been doused in Schuettes own blood, and Schuette was found with nine stab wounds across his body, including his forearm and his left hand. Driving into Killeen last fall, what greeted me was a deer, roadkill, that had been severed in half, Next I passed Club Dreams, where Specialist Shelby Jones was shot, bled out, and died last March; then Guns Galore, where Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan purchased a semiautomatic pistol that he would use to kill 13 people in 2009. (There was also literal toxicity on base in that some of the mold-infested barracks where soldiers lived were "technically condemned," according to Maureen Elliott, a military spouse and a housing advocate.). What happened on that base and in the Army to cause this person who is normally very [kind] and responsive to all of a sudden leave and shut down? That gun safety is a distant concern in a community where the Second Amendment tops the Maslow charts. I felt a bad vibe there, Lupe says, referring to Fort Hood. On April 29, it was Private Joshua Barnwell, 19. Five were murdered. (His sons alleged killer is in custody awaiting trial.) The stories are gruesome, then heartbreaking, then beyond belief. Frantic, she called around, to no avail. Later Fort Hood confirmed it was for violating quarantine. Rodriguez disputes this claim. The Lovell case was ruled an accident despite the fact that a rival club's biker vest, or kutte, was found hanging neatly from a tree near the crash site, while his motorcyclemirror, taillightswas found intact. In 2007, also in Iraq, Specialist Kamisha Block's death was ruled an accident by a single shot of friendly fire before the family received the body and saw that she had five gunshot wounds, including one to the head. Most of the groups were aboveboard, even as they were ruled by certain strictures for meeting attendance, dress code, and how to appropriately signal respect. The discovery in 2020 of the dismembered and burned remains of Vanessa Guillen, a Fort Hood soldier who disappeared on April 22, 2020, sparked outrage from central Texas to . It was ruled a suicide until her father noticed her broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, and burns on her genitals. Without any sense of purpose, the suffering at Fort Hood had started to lose its meaning. He also wanted an education, and "joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that," his sister Carma Johnson says. Chee had joined the military in part to support the young family he was starting with his high school sweetheart turned fiance. The 2020 numbers add to ongoing mysteries, including a 2016 case where a corpse's hyoid, the U-shaped neck bone typically examined to determine whether strangulation has occurred, was missing. As distressing as the remains in shallow graves or the missing hyoid bone is the fatalism from soldiers and locals alike. Chris and Moses friends of Gregory Wedel-Morales at the site of his remains, Killeen TX. Radically transparent, low cost versions of high cost generic drugs. When the family exhumed his body in November 2020 for want of a second opinion, the independent autopsy revealed that the bone had in fact gone missing.) The Times found 159 noncombat deaths of Fort Hood soldiers since the beginning of 2016, which included seven homicides and 71 suicides. My caution wasn't entirely unfounded. After a chase along Rancier Avenue, the same street near which Lovell was found dead, Robinson shot himself and died. I will tell you everything, he told his mother. The tributaries that run through Fort Hood flow into the Leon River, where Guillens remains were later found. In other battles, having lost the use of his arm and later a leg, Hood had to be strapped to a horse for combat. The corpse had been dead for a while, though it was impossible to determine exactly how long. Rosecrans, shot four times, was found three miles from his vehicle. The pursuit of happiness, or simply stability, will invariably lure people to the American military, which may be why the undocumented, the indigent, or those with a criminal record are overrepresented in its ranks. A soft October wind carried the first chill of the season. Robinson himself left soon thereafter, he would testify, to spend the night off post with his girlfriend. Fort Hood also stated that it had completed an exhaustive search for Fernandes, and that it had interviewed all relevant parties, including the family. She pleaded not guilty. Despite 10,000 hours of investigation and 300 interviews, much about Guillen's death remained a mystery. September 10, 2020. Hood was an unsuccessful battle commander; 400 men of his Texas Brigade died in a single fight, some would argue through incautious direction. Is it possible Elder killed himself? Mayra wept during the journey, already fearing the worst. Fort Hood Weather. March 1, 2023 (94 years old) View obituary. On April 30, 2021, Fort Hood found that Guillen had indeed been sexually harassed by a soldier, but not Robinson.). October 14, 2021 Ryan Morgan. All this has been true since the founding of the American military, but a sense of disorientation has increased in recent years, as wars that were never good to begin with began to lose moral shine. (The person who called in with the tip declined to collect the reward. Ive lost so much since Ive been in. Its possible. The corpse had been dead for a while, though it was impossible to determine exactly how long. Curiously, a few hours after the officers picked up Casteel, he went silent online. Army investigating after soldier, 26, found dead in latest in string of unexplained deaths at Fort Hood barracks Fort Hood officials have not released the cause of death for Maxwell. U.S. ARMY INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT COMMAND Fort Hood announced that Stump had crashed his car while driving under the influence, though a toxicology report proved inconclusive. July 2, 2022 (86 years old) View obituary Chong Thigpen November 12, 2021 (66 years old) View obituary Jaylen Tristian Bush April 3, 2021 View obituary Cecil Earl Garrison February 21, 2021 (87 years old) View obituary Daniel John Hunt January 29, 2021 (79 years old) View obituary Aage John Hoffman January 26, 2021 (86 years old) View obituary The plan, Wedel-Morales told anyone who would listen, was to use the G.I. It installed 35 firing ranges, 18 chapels, three bowling alleys, and 1,384 barracks that would house, at its peak, 95,000 soldiers, the most densely populated military base, at a cost of $35 million. "From the age of 18, the only thing I knew how to do was kill people," Ring wrote on the website of his father's veterans' rights organization. Why was Robinson not put under watch? Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. On May 18, Brandon Rosecranss burning Jeep was discovered in a hilly suburb east of Fort Hood. Eventually Fernandes rang from the Army hospital. The purported motto of the Army was "family first, mission second," Gary Shafer, a noncommissioned officer who served at Fort Hood from 2012 to 2018 and who knew Wedel-Morales through the car-club scene, told me. The dollhouse, strip club Gregory Wedel Morales frequented, Killeen Tx. Fernandes was dropped off at his friend's house the next day, August 17, never to be seen again. (He was found a day later.) Maxwell Hockin, was found dead outside his company barracks on Saturday, October 9. The death was ruled a suicide despite the fact that the blanket stuffed around the window to hold the pipe in place had been doused in Schuette's own blood, and Schuette was found with nine stab wounds across his body, including his forearm and his left hand. = Link to a nongovernmental site. Not long after Fort Hood opened, soldiers began bringing home souvenirs in the form of war brides. Before Fort Hood was built, the land was used for grazing by some 3,000 farmers and ranchers, according to Gerald D. Skidmore, a Killeen historian. Casteel had told Rodriguez he was getting away from the abuse.. On August 17, Sergeant Elder Fernandes, 23, disappeared. It rained that night, and the drive, which should have taken three hours, was slow going. I am astounded nobody is interested, the Fernandes family lawyer Lenny Kesten told me. Eventually Fernandes rang from the Army hospital. I have sponsored a a Change.org listing advocating renaming the post after Oveta . "She is now for the movement.". The ancient Greeks wrote epic poems on the subject, the most famous of which is the Iliad. According to officials, the deaths include seven off-duty accidents; seven suicides; one combat-related death; four homicides, one of which was on the base; two of natural causes; one that was. 22.4 (births per 1,000 females 15-19 years of age) Infant Mortality Rate. That American imperialism is imploding, and the blast force radiates inward. Two witnesses had seen Robinson roll a black cargo box out of the arms room and through the parking lot, where he loaded it into his car and drove away, contradicting an earlier affidavit from three soldiers who falsely claimed they had seen Guillen departing the arms room earlier. It is unclear if Killeen even bothered to visit his namesake town, which, by the early 1880s, comprised 40 people living across 360 acres, mostly working in the two cotton gins, two gristmills, and two saloonsit had the most saloons, gamblers, and shootings per capita in Bell County, according to historian Martha Bowmer. Inside the rash of explained deaths at Fort Hood. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. Ive lost brothers and sisters in arms, a marriage, Ive lost family, Ive lost friendships that were supposed to be forever. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers died or went missing. Just before noon, Guillen left her keys, Army ID, and bank cards in one arms room and entered another adjacent arms room, separated by a hallway. Vanessa Guillen. (Fort Hood) A soldier in the 1st Cavalry Division was found dead Saturday in his company area, according to a statement from. Last December, a Special Forces soldier and an Army veteran were found dead at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where another soldier disappeared in May and was later found murdered. In fact, Casteel had been convinced that CIA agents were attacking him since last June. Within days of arriving at Fort Hood, Chees clothes were stolen. Fernandes transferred to another unit where he was called a snitch and worse. In 2018, a soldier was allegedly shot and killed in her front yard by her husband at Fort Campbell, in Kentucky, which also has one of the highest rates of suicide in the Army. The wave of pain went away as suddenly as it had come on but returned again, and again, and again, over the next hour. He had then driven the body to the Leon River and had come back to pick Aguilar up from the gas station where she worked on Veterans Memorial Boulevard, five miles east of Fort Hood. There, Wedel-Moraless remains had been found, long ago decomposed in the Texas heat. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Stump was going 82 mph in a 30-mph zone, the investigation report said, and had hit a tree on a mound. "None of the messages added up, nor were they how he usually speaks to me," Rodriguez told me. ), Wedel-Morales's death was not the first from the base that may have involved bike gangs. A few days later, so did 21-year-old Specialist Trey Ring. The soldiers said that Guillens belongings had been found in the arms room, but otherwise she had left no trace. They married in May 2017, and he took her name with hyphenation. First came the British and Germans. Fernandes had just been stationed at Fort Hood in January. She has become that complicated, indelible thing: a hero. And yet: The data is not really out of the ordinary for U.S. military bases. If he killed himself, dont they want to know why?. That September, Wedel-Morales, who was from rural Oklahoma, was due to be honorably discharged from the military. Traveling in the time of plague, trying to build rapport with people from six feet away, was enervating. Who were the soldiers who had testified to seeing Guillen leave the arms room the day she disappeared? III Corps Policies and Regulations . Two more who had separated from. A soft October wind carried the first chill of the season. The sense of dehumanizing alienation soldiers complained about was not a symptom of a malfunctioning system, it was its original design. (The police opened an investigation on August 19.) Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Death Notices Famous Deaths Search Wednesday, March 01, 2023 Audrie Talmadge "A.T." Powell 10 hrs ago Services for Audrie Talmadge "A.T." Powell, 78, will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday at Salado. Killeen was named after another disappointing man: Frank Killeen, an assistant general manager to the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway. Killeen was named after another disappointing man: Frank Killeen, an assistant general manager to the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway. Namely, the military. Justice for Vanessa Guillen. They are part of Killeen's population of 151,000, many transient and very young, two thirds of whom have military ties. In death, she is no longer a daughter or a sister or a partner. The exact cause of Hockin's death remains unclear . She filled out the paperwork that is the lifeblood of the Army before heading toward the arms room, a few paces away. Fernandess family told me they have never been interviewed. The shakeup comes after after a series of suspicious deaths and disappearances that have plagued Fort Hood. First it was a five-mile run, then it was a two-mile run. The police too told Ailina that Fernandes was an adult and that they would not report him as missing. He also wanted an education, and joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that, his sister Carma Johnson says. How had he managed to escapeand where had he gotten his gun? Thirteen killed themselves. 24, 2021 KILLEEN, Texas Spc. Fernandes had just been stationed at Fort Hood in January. Rodriguez disputes this claim. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. The ancient Greeks wrote epic poems on the subject, the most famous of which is the Iliad. Guillen's superior confirmed she was missing. Fort Hood might not even stand out were it not for a particularly bad year among many. Tributes.com is the online source for current local and national obituary news. The search party arrived at Fort Hood at 3 a.m. Guillen's staff sergeant told the group to come back in the morning. ", "I'm 21 now, and let me tell you. A few days later, so did 21-year-old Specialist Trey Ring. The rolling, semi-arid terrain is ideal for multifaceted training and testing of military units and troops. Nearly 200 miles away in Houston, Rogelio Guillen was entering his fourth hour of work at a nickel-plating factory when he felt a sharp spasm in his chest. In the same week, Private Edward Casteel, who had been missing from Fort Hood since October 6, was found in a parish jail in Louisiana, arrested after a high-speed chase. Lenz was found dead at Fort Hood on Feb. 1. After 8 p.m., Guillens sister Mayra called the base. (Fort Hood refused all official interview requests for this story, citing ongoing investigations. There, Wedel-Morales's remains had been found, long ago decomposed in the Texas heat. (Fort Hood contributed nearly $30 billion to the Texas economy in 2019, according to the Texas comptroller's office.). The figures coming out of the deaths at Fort Hood are depressing, as reported in Vanity Fair. "She doesn't belong to the Army anymore," AnaLuisa Tapia, a local organizer, told me. Casteel had been stationed at Fort Hood since the end of June, where he'd been bullied for a spinal injury that consigned him to desk duties. The military, Rodriguez said, had known about this but had refused to treat him. Is it possible Elder killed himself ? When Ailina offered the Fort Hood authorities the contents of her sons car, including a laptop, iPad, and external hard drive, they declined to investigate further. The suicides, which reportedly jumped by as much as 20 percent across the military last year, work out to a rate of one soldier a month. From here, wars are launched. Driving into Killeen last fall, what greeted me was a deer, roadkill, that had been severed in half. When his parents rushed to the hospital, they saw that Chee, lying unconscious, had bruises and scrapes on his chin and on both sides of his face. "For nothing.". A 214,968-acre installation, this is the only post in the United States capable of stationing and training two armored divisions. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. Yet instead of being taken into custody, Robinson was placed in a conference room on base, initially, it was said, for committing adultery, which is against the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Linda Schweers, whose specialist son, Justin, died in a car crash in June while suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, wanted me to "be careful of cartels," which she said ran the area. The numbers are distressing. Wedel-Morales was thrilled to become a father. Beyond the base, gas station attendants and restaurant servers, many of whom were veterans or had ties to the military, all seemed resigned to certain fates. Guillen confessed that she was being harassed by another soldier. Last December, an internal investigation found that Fort Hoods culture, environment, and leadership resulted in women feeling vulnerable and preyed upon, with no reliable recourse for their very real sense of duress. At first blush, such violence at a base that calls itself the Great Place may seem extraordinary, inexplicable even. Texas Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemetery Burials by County. Site Gregory Wedel-Morales' remains were found in Killeen, Texas. Ad Choices. . Many complained specifically of being made to cut grass to ready for such official visits. (According to Killeen police, no such vests were found at the scene of the crash. Green Beret training death special forces training soldier dies in training army training . ), On July 3, a fortnight after Wedel-Moraless body was found, Specialist Miguel Yazzie, 33, died at Fort Hood after his repeated requests to see a doctor were denied, according to Carma Johnson, whose brother died at Fort Hood. he asks, then answers. October 13, 2021 04:48 PM. (Facebook) Two weeks later, Delacruz . Escorts should be arranged in advance to allow for coordination with the organization receiving coverage. If he killed himself, don't they want to know why?". Fort Hood also stated that it had completed an exhaustive search for Fernandes, and that it had interviewed all relevant parties, including the family. If she wanted to pursue things further, they advised, she would have to file a missing persons report with the local police. I played a small role in the story by providing some background information on Confederate General John Bell Hood.. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers vanished or died, including 13. What happened on that base and in the Army to cause this person who is normally very [kind] and responsive to all of a sudden leave and shut down?, When I asked soldiers at Fort Hood what they thought was the matter on base, they mentioned toxic leadership, a catholic term that seemed to encompass all: lack of care, general command climate, and so-called toxic masculinity. The base was named after John Bell Hood, a Confederate general from a family that enslaved people in Kentucky, who made his name by breaking a Union line at Eltham's Landing in Virginia and who, by today's standards, likely suffered from PTSD. Later, Robinson would tell investigators that Guillen completed her task and exited the building. At least 39 Fort Hood troops died or went missing last year. At the Dollhouse, he got to know Penny Morales, a dancer and mother of two. Failure to comply could incur fines of hundreds of dollars or other, more severe social censure. One of the first times she stepped onto the base, a rosary she had been carrying in the palm of her hand tore apart, its beads scattering over the concrete ground. "What on earth are you training for?" A few days later, they spoke again, for the last time. My caution wasnt entirely unfounded. He refused to send a selfie or get on a video chat and began using a strange and unfamiliar speech pattern. But then certain details start illuminating the mystery: that one out of three women soldiers have experienced sexual harassment, according to a recent survey. 16 Apr 2021 Military.com | By Matthew Cox The Army 's People First Task Force on Friday unveiled sweeping actions underway to transform the service's sexual harassment and assault prevention. Soon after, the Temple police, who led the investigation, ruled Fernandess death a suicide. Amarillo - see the Potter County section below Arlington - see the Tarrant County section below As publication approached, it stopped responding to emails pertaining to both specific questions about individual cases as well as broader queries about the base.). Dominic Criqui, who served in Vanessa Guillen's unit, says that the training had come to feel "stupid" and "pointless." Had one of them stood in for Guillen during roll call? "He seemed weird," Rodriguez said. A young soldier found dead at Fort Hood has been identified, but his cause of death remains hidden. Fort Hood concluded Chee had died in training. The numbers are distressing. Hazel Buck Blackwell, whose family lost their farm, homestead, barns, orchards, and adjoining land when the base took over, said the closest thing might be the unexpected death of someone you loved very much. It was a heartrending, searing experience, central Texas historian GraDelle Duncan said, leaving lifetime marks on all, and actually killing some from the psychic devastation that followed. He wondered if it was something he had eaten and carried on with his shift. The U.S. Army on Tuesday announced the removal . Creating an obituary on Echovita is free. Deaths of two female soldiers in Texas under investigation January 5, 2021 / 11:39 AM / CBS News Investigations are underway across Texas after two female soldiers were found dead on New. She had also missed her standing noon call with her fianc, Juan Cruz. Fort Hood concluded Chee had died in training. His wife, Christal, was denied her husbands mobile phone, the final investigation report, and even his corpse, until Texas Congressman Ron Wright stepped in on that front. There had been a few people, then it was a group run of 11. It was also an ancient Comanche Native American burial ground, discovered when construction workers unearthed more than 2,200 grave sites in 1998. I will tell you everything." Fort Bragg; which has nearly double the soldier population as Fort Hood, is reporting 24 deaths so far this year, with five of them happening in accidents, one homicide, seven from illness,. A sergeant from Guillens division called it mandatory fun days. The additional scrutinythe congressional delegation visit, press toursmeant that soldiers had to work harder. Lenz's mother, Margie Taylor, said her son loved children and looked forward to having a family of his own one day. Since being stationed at Fort Hood in November 2016, Wedel-Morales had frequented the Dollhouse, a strip club not far from where his remains would eventually be found. Memorial that now stands at the site Vanessa Guillen's remains were found in Killen, Texas. After the public remonstrations began, Fort Hood launched something it called Operation Phantom Action, a weeklong retreat of sorts that was meant to rebuild trust between soldiers and the leadership. Here are some of the tragic deaths that have plagued the base in recent months: Pvt. (The police opened an investigation on August 19.) Barely a week later, Private Corlton Chee, 25, died during training. WASHINGTON - The Army said Friday that it has taken disciplinary action against 21 officers and non-commissioned officers at Fort Hood, Texas, in connection with death last year of Spc.. They checked into a nearby hotel and returned at 8 a.m. the next day. Dozens of people were killed, died by suicide, or went missing from the Texas military base last year alone. He had been happy enough there that in February he reenlisted for an additional four years. Before Guillen, there had been Private LaVena Lynn Johnson, who was found dead in a tent in 2005 in Iraq. We believe that Every Life has a Story which should be told and preserved. Matthew Disney, 20, of Aberdeen, Maryland, were pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical personnel at the North Carolina military. [2] "You can find Osama bin Laden, but you can't find a soldier that went missing on your own base?" There she encountered Specialist Aaron Robinson, also 20 years old but a rank above. There was a deep cut above his left eye, and cuts all over his legs. More than 2,200 trials over land rights commenced. When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married.
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