Eleven of the deaths remain unresolvedsome legally; others for the victims' families. Fort Hood is the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. Thirteen people were determined to have committed suicide. The plan, Wedel-Morales told anyone who would listen, was to use the G.I. The U.S. Army identified a soldier found dead behind his company barracks at Fort Hood last week as 26-year-old Spc. Guillen confessed that she was being harassed by another soldier. She had also missed her standing noon call with her fianc, Juan Cruz. The tributaries that run through Fort Hood flow into the Leon River, where Guillen's remains were later found. (Penny says they met online.) In other battles, having lost the use of his arm and later a leg, Hood had to be strapped to a horse for combat. Inside the rash of explained deaths at Fort Hood. Club Fuego where Gregory Wedel-Morales was last seen, Killeen Tx. They checked into a nearby hotel and returned at 8 a.m. the next day. After he returned to Fort Hood, Rodriguez managed to get Casteel on a video call. 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. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. 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. FORT HOOD, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - U.S. Army officials at Fort Hood have identified the soldier who was found dead Saturday, Oct. 13 behind his company barracks. On April 29, it was Private Joshua Barnwell, 19. 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. Thirteen killed themselves. As soon as I get out of the hospital, I will call you. They returned several days later to pour concrete over the remains. (The police opened an investigation on August 19.) Fort Hood hurriedly put up a $25,000 reward for Wedel-Morales as well. Chee, like Yazzie, was a member of the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation community, and was new to the base. Their minds both turned to Vanessa, whose hourly texts to family members had gone silent. She had also missed her standing noon call with her fianc, Juan Cruz. The tributaries that run through Fort Hood flow into the Leon River, where Guillens remains were later found. 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. IMCOM is not responsible for the content of links outside home.army.mil. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. What is behind the violence and tragedy at Fort Hood? Fort Hood has come under serious fire in recent years, as the incident follows the heartbreaking death of Vanessa Guilln. She has become that complicated, indelible thing: a hero. Guillens youngest sister, Lupe, made me promise to stay at the Marriott, a hotel she considered safer than the rest. Driving into Killeen last fall, what greeted me was a deer, roadkill, that had been severed in half. Fort Hood officials confirmed Monday that Martinez and Mosley were assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. 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. 24, 2021 KILLEEN, Texas Spc. At first blush, such violence at a base that calls itself "the Great Place" may seem extraordinary, inexplicable even. Thomas Berg, whose son Private Brandon Rosecranss Jeep was found burning in May, told me not to go out after dark. Then they tried burning the body. That psychological trauma among veterans vastly exceeds physical wounds. During the run, Chee, who had no preexisting health conditions, collapsed. Highway renamed & dedicated to late Fort Hood soldier . A group of soldiers, including Robinson, greeted them. I asked him directly if he wasnt willing to speak because of position and he signaled yes, and he said, Id rather tell you in person. , Several days later, Rodriguez learned that Casteel had been committed to a hospital on base. After 10 torturous weeks and growing. Wedel-Morales was thrilled to become a father. The 20-year-old small arms specialist, then a private first class, was supposed to be off that day, so she showed up in civilian clothesblack tee, purple leggings, and a fanny pack. I will tell you everything." The Army said Friday, April 30, 2021, 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.. He also wanted an education, and "joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that," his sister Carma Johnson says. It was unclear, in 2020, what American soldiers were fighting for. The shakeup comes after after a series of suspicious deaths and disappearances that have plagued Fort Hood. THE GREAT PLACE. Boots and hat at Vanessa Guillens memorial, Killeen TX, Jeffrey Epsteins Decades-Long Relationship. Later, Robinson would tell investigators that Guillen completed her task and exited the building. 20, 2021 FORT HOOD, Texas The death of Spc. Red White and Blue via The US Army is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. Fertility Rate. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers died or went missing. Hood was an unsuccessful battle commander; 400 men of his Texas Brigade died in a single fight, some would argue through incautious direction. The Lovell case was ruled an accident despite the fact that a rival clubs biker vest, or kutte, was found hanging neatly from a tree near the crash site, while his motorcyclemirror, taillightswas found intact. "What on earth are you training for?" Bill to attend technical school in Houston to work on wind turbines or oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana. 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 circumstances are so strange and awful that fully understanding the events can be difficult. The corpse had been dead for a while, though it was impossible to determine exactly how long. In death, Guillen has become a kind of patron saint for all those who feel wronged by the U.S. military. There was a deep cut above his left eye, and cuts all over his legs. On most nights, I had nightmares. Eric Christopher Hogan and Pfc. Specialist Vanessa Guillen's father, Rogelio, wondered if I shouldn't carry a gun. So when, the following spring, Fort Hood offered a $15,000 reward for information about Guillen, then raised it to $25,000 in June, Kim called to demand the same. But as Beyer would soon realize, Finchs past wasnt what she claimedand Beyers own difficult history was up for the taking. 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. You can find Osama bin Laden, but you cant find a soldier that went missing on your own base? Guillens youngest sister, Lupe, says. A soldier stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, was found dead over the weekend behind a barracks, according to local media reports, adding to the rash of deaths and disappearances of soldiers. "Give me the name and I will report the bastard," Gloria told her daughter, who refused to tell her mother more for fear of worrying her, and also, Gloria later suspected, for fear of reprisal. Killeen was named after another disappointing man: Frank Killeen, an assistant general manager to the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway. First came the British and Germans. Staff Sergeant Devin Schuette was found dead in his pickup truck, fitted with a hose running from the exhaust pipe to the cabin, in January 2016. But when Kim called the police, they dismissed her, telling Kim that her son probably just "took off." The dollhouse, strip club Gregory Wedel Morales frequented, Killeen Tx. The disappearance of Vanessa Guilln, a 20-year-old soldier at the sprawling Texas Army base of Fort Hood last April, captured headlines across the world. 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. Fort Hood might not even stand out were it not for a particularly bad year among many. Joel Leal 12:18 PM, Oct 11, 2022 . It was ruled a suicide until her father noticed her broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, and burns on her genitals. "Is it possible Elder was murdered? Maxwell Hockin, was found dead outside his company barracks on Saturday, October 9. More than 90 lawmakers earlier this month called for an independent review of how the Army handled the disappearance of Spc. That is the opposite of what hes been consistently saying.. (The Boley case remains unsolved.) Vanessa Guilln, who was missing for about two months before her remains were found. Later that year, Private Dakota Lee Stump left his barracks to report for work less than a mile away but never arrived for formation. The day after Guillen disappeared, Private Gavin Chambers, 21, died on base. Guillen's youngest sister, Lupe, made me promise to stay at the Marriott, a hotel she considered safer than the rest. Those remains, it turned out, belonged to yet another soldier, Private Gregory Wedel-Morales, who had gone missing the previous summer. In death, she is no longer a daughter or a sister or a partner. U.S. ARMY INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT COMMAND Simply browse the Fort Hoods obituaries listing you can find on this page or conduct a search on the web site with your loved ones name. A small minority, which bikers call one percent groups, and which the Department of Justice calls by the regrettable acronym OMG, or outlaw motorcycle gangs, were the people Wedel-Morales had been hanging around with. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. Washington CNN The Army announced Tuesday that 14 senior officers will be punished following a probe that was initiated after the murder of a soldier and several other deaths at the Army's. The soldiers said that Guillens belongings had been found in the arms room, but otherwise she had left no trace. Spc. He had been happy enough there that in February he reenlisted for an additional four years. Later Fort Hood confirmed it was for violating quarantine. Robinson gave Guillen the serial number for a .50 caliber machine gun that needed servicing. (The person who called in with the tip declined to collect the reward. Gloria had noticed her losing weight and pressed her for why. In a press statement, Fort Hood officials said Hockin, 26, was initially found unresponsive outside of the barracks and was subsequently pronounced dead. He refused to send a selfie or get on a video chat and began using a strange and unfamiliar speech pattern. Not long after Fort Hood opened, soldiers began bringing home souvenirs in the form of war brides. He had also gotten married without telling his family, been evicted from his apartment, and stopped showing up to work. Last December, an internal investigation found that Fort Hood's culture, environment, and leadership resulted in women feeling "vulnerable and preyed upon," with no reliable recourse for their very real sense of duress. (According to Killeen police, no such vests were found at the scene of the crash. Curiously, a few hours after the officers picked up Casteel, he went silent online. Despite 10,000 hours of investigation and 300 interviews, much about Guillens death remained a mystery. Fort Hood is one of 800 United States military bases around the world, the third largest in the country. The military is necessarily an institution of state-sanctioned violence, where we teach our young to kill on our behalf in the name of ideologies such as patriotism or democracy. As many as 28 Fort Hood soldiers died in 2020, including in multiple homicides, suicides and other accidents. The vast emptiness that is most of the state can make you feel inconsequential, as if you could disappear and no one would know you ever lived. The coming months brought the suicides of Staff Sergeant Richard Harrington, 45, and then Specialist James Green, 23. Sergeant Brad Reynolds, 37, killed himself on May 16. 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. The deaths were caused by varying reasons -- gunshots, car accidents and illnesses and all the deaths were under probe. Robinson himself left soon thereafter, he would testify, to spend the night off post with his girlfriend. Shelby Tyler Jones, 20, was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound at 3:45 a.m. Sunday, March 1, 2020, outside of a convenience store on Fort Hood Street. Stump was going 82 mph in a 30-mph zone, the investigation report said, and had hit a tree on a mound. There she encountered Specialist Aaron Robinson, also 20 years old but a rank above. Creating an obituary on Echovita is free. It was also an ancient Comanche Native American burial ground, discovered when construction workers unearthed more than 2,200 grave sites in 1998. Guillen's superior confirmed she was missing. Later, Robinson would tell investigators that Guillen completed her task and exited the building. Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. As distressing as the remains in shallow graves or the missing hyoid bone is the fatalism from soldiers and locals alike. So much of reporting is opening yourself up to chance, and there I was, compulsively locking and relocking the rental car door. 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. None of the messages added up, nor were they how he usually speaks to me, Rodriguez told me. I've lost so much since I've been in. The area, east of Killeen, was built on 109,000 acres of high bluffs, ridges, sharp slopes, and mesa-like hills covered with mesquite and chaparral. Fort Hood is now the largest active-duty armored post comprised of nearly 400,000 soldiers, civilian employees, families, and retirees in the Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood metro area. At least 39 Fort Hood troops died or went missing last year. Stump was going 82 mph in a 30-mph zone, the investigation report said, and had hit a tree on a mound. On November 5, 2009, 13 people are killed and more than 30 others are wounded, nearly all of them unarmed soldiers, when a U.S. Army officer goes on a shooting rampage at Fort Hood in central. It was ruled a suicide until her father noticed her broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, and burns on her genitals. 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,. 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. His wife, Christal, was denied her husband's mobile phone, the final investigation report, and even his corpse, until Texas Congressman Ron Wright stepped in on that front. His killers were never looked for properly and thus never found. Yes, flower arrangements are fulfilled and delivered by local florists from Fort Hood. The Army's own investigation found "major flaws" at Fort Hood, leading to the firing or suspending of 14 officials. Eleven of the deaths remain unresolvedsome legally; others for the victims families. "She is now for the movement.". 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. Fifty six . If she wanted to pursue things further, they advised, she would have to file a missing persons report with the local police. Fort Hood informed Rodriguez that he had asked for this. Toxic leadership is nothing new. The wave of pain went away as suddenly as it had come on but returned again, and again, and again, over the next hour. Two more who had separated from. Later came Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese, who still run sushi and pho restaurants in Killeen. During the run, Chee, who had no preexisting health conditions, collapsed. [2] He seemed weird, Rodriguez said. You can click this link to create an obituary. As publication approached, it stopped responding to emails pertaining to both specific questions about individual cases as well as broader queries about the base.). 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. The sense of dehumanizing alienation soldiers complained about was not a symptom of a malfunctioning system, it was its original design. Thomas Berg, whose son Private Brandon Rosecrans's Jeep was found burning in May, told me not to go out after dark. 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. Despite 10,000 hours of investigation and 300 interviews, much about Guillen's death remained a mystery. His body was found nearly a month later, two miles from the barracks. Before Guillen, there had been Private LaVena Lynn Johnson, who was found dead in a tent in 2005 in Iraq. The story appears in the July/August 2021 issue of Vanity Fair.I enthusiastically recommend this article. In fact, Casteel had been convinced that CIA agents were attacking him since last June. But with each encounter, it was becoming clear that the military had not failed its soldiers at all. The Times found 159 noncombat deaths of Fort Hood soldiers since the beginning of 2016, which included seven homicides and 71 suicides. She pleaded not guilty. Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, . Echovita Inc is a registered trademark. Back in Houston, Gloria recalled a conversation with her daughter not long before, when Guillen had been home for the weekend. 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. It was also an ancient Comanche Native American burial ground, discovered when construction workers unearthed more than 2,200 grave sites in 1998. The 20-year-old US Army soldier died in a Fort Hood, Texas,. Fort Hood concluded Chee had died in training. Traveling in the time of plague, trying to build rapport with people from six feet away, was enervating. Soon after, the Temple police, who led the investigation, ruled Fernandess death a suicide. Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home 1615 South Fort Hood Road, Killeen (254) 634-2638 . But with each encounter, it was becoming clear that the military had not failed its soldiers at all. (The person who called in with the tip declined to collect the reward. Chee had joined the military in part to support the young family he was starting with his high school sweetheart turned fiance. Within days of arriving at Fort Hood, Chees clothes were stolen. He died in 1879, leaving a troubled legacy that is only now beginning to be questioned. When Ailina offered the Fort Hood authorities the contents of her son's car, including a laptop, iPad, and external hard drive, they declined to investigate further. Mayra wept during the journey, already fearing the worst. "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. Fernandes was dropped off at his friends house the next day, never to be seen again. His killers were never looked for properly and thus never found. 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. "He seemed weird," Rodriguez said. He died the evening of September 2. 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. None of the grunts I spoke to was surprised by the number of casualties. Congress launched an investigation of Fort Hood citing the deaths and other felonies that occurred on the fort between 2014-2019. . Failure to comply could incur fines of hundreds of dollars or other, more severe social censure. (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.). Casteel had told Rodriguez "he was getting away from the abuse.". "I am astounded nobody is interested," the Fernandes family lawyer Lenny Kesten told me. How had he managed to escapeand where had he gotten his gun? A few days later, so did 21-year-old Specialist Trey Ring. Oct 29, 2021. February 26, 2023 (50 years old) View obituary. SHARE. On May 18, Brandon Rosecrans's burning Jeep was discovered in a hilly suburb east of Fort Hood. On June 30, a construction crew found shallow graves containing human remains that belonged to Guillen. The U.S. Army on Tuesday announced the removal . His mother, Kim, only heard from her son when he needed money. (Facebook) Two weeks later, Delacruz . Jennifer Anthony Lovells sister, Temple Tx. Reformers would say that the military had failed its men and women. That psychological trauma among veterans vastly exceeds physical wounds. Military bases are the last piece of the homeland that soldiers see before they are deployed to fight and the first glimpse of home when they return. Radically transparent, low cost versions of high cost generic drugs. On March 5, 2020, Destanie Sawyer's five-year-old daughter found her father, Specialist Christopher Sawyer, 29, after he had shot himself dead in the bedroom of their Fort Hood housing. Vanessa Guillen. On April 30, 2021, Fort Hood found that Guillen had indeed been sexually harassed by a soldier, but not Robinson.). Guillens superior confirmed she was missing. Eventually Fernandes rang from the Army hospital. Dominic Criqui, who served in Vanessa Guillens unit, says that the training had come to feel stupid and pointless. What on earth are you training for? he asks, then answers. Martinez joined the Army in April 2018 as a cannoneer, according to base officials. Specialist Justen Ogdens death in July 2017 was ruled a suicide, but the suicide note Fort Hood produced as evidence did not match his handwriting, according to his mother, Toni. In 2020 alone, 31. The 2020 numbers add to ongoing mysteries, including a 2016 case where a corpses hyoid, the U-shaped neck bone typically examined to determine whether strangulation has occurred, was missing. Texan sentenced to 20 years following drug-related death of Fort Hood soldier. The military, Rodriguez said, had known about this but had refused to treat him. Frantic, she called around, to no avail. (Fort Hood does not count Moore in its official casualty list, as he was a member of the National Guard.). Five were murdered. Eleven of the deaths remain unresolvedsome legally; others for the victims' families. Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. The family began posting online about Guillens disappearance and distributing Missing fliers. Nelda Lee Edwards. Within days of arriving at Fort Hood, Chee's clothes were stolen. The police too told Ailina that Fernandes was an adult and that they would not report him as missing. None of the grunts I spoke to was surprised by the number of casualties. The figures coming out of the deaths at Fort Hood are depressing, as reported in Vanity Fair. Specialist Vanessa Guillens father, Rogelio, wondered if I shouldnt carry a gun. Terrie Boley, whose daughter Candance became addicted to crack cocaine while serving at Fort Hood and was murdered in a motel room in 2011, told me not to drink the water. 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. Terrie Boley, whose daughter Candance became addicted to crack cocaine while serving at Fort Hood and was murdered in a motel room in 2011, told me not to drink the water. American military bases, once established, seldom shutter, and Fort Hood, which started operating during World War II, has remained open for business, its 218,000 acres spreading across two counties in central Texas near an otherwise unremarkable town called Killeen. Is it possible Elder killed himself? They pointed glumly to past cases, some of which there were public records for and others I could find no traces of in the official files. Anthony Nevelle Peak Jr. Hogan, 19, and Peak Jr., 21, were both killed in a. Hoover, Alabama. His body was found nearly a month later, two miles from the barracks. THE MURDERS AT FORT HOOD Remains of soldiers have been turning up around the Texas military base with terrifying frequency. 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. Atop these sedimentary layers of desecration, displacement, and disorientation, the U.S. War Department set out to build a base that would go on to serve as a footnote to nearly every war in modern memory. ), Wedel-Morales's death was not the first from the base that may have involved bike gangs. Fort Hood also stated that it had completed an exhaustive search for Fernandes, and that it had interviewed all relevant parties, including the family. By then, the Army, it seemed, had stopped providing Wedel-Morales with a sense of purpose, and he had turned to alternate sources of meaning, namely car and motorcycle clubs, and life beyond the base. 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. October 14, 2021 Ryan Morgan. But at Fort Hood, it sometimes seemed like mission first, equipment second, he said, highlighting the paradox of the military that in word puts the well-being of soldiers first but in deed must, by design, favor combat readiness over all else. "None of the messages added up, nor were they how he usually speaks to me," Rodriguez told me. (On July 14,2020, a federal grand injury indicted Aguilar on one count of conspiracy and two counts of tampering with evidence. A small minority, which bikers call "one percent" groups, and which the Department of Justice calls by the regrettable acronym OMG, or outlaw motorcycle gangs, were the people Wedel-Morales had been hanging around with. He got home around 2 p.m. and told his wife, Gloria, about the unusual aches. Alvis Franklin Bentley. He told his sister there were three white soldiers who "did not like him." The rolling, semi-arid terrain is ideal for multifaceted training and testing of military units and troops. Today, Reform Austin is attempting to put the entire chain of events into a concise timeline for our readers. So much of reporting is opening yourself up to chance, and there I was, compulsively locking and relocking the rental car door. In 1941, Private Felix Hall was lynched by fellow soldiers, at Fort Benning, Georgia.