He told his sister there were three white soldiers who did not like him. On August 28, Chee was called into a training run. The additional scrutinythe congressional delegation visit, press toursmeant that soldiers had to work harder. Casteel had told Rodriguez he was getting away from the abuse.. There had been a few people, then it was a group run of 11. Ive lost brothers and sisters in arms, a marriage, Ive lost family, Ive lost friendships that were supposed to be forever. Spc. 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. 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. A group of soldiers, including Robinson, greeted them. He wondered if it was something he had eaten and carried on with his shift. Guillen's superior confirmed she was missing. US Army Since then, Vanessa's family and their attorney Natalie Khawam have tried to shine a spotlight on a string of deaths at the central Texas installation. Hockin was found dead behind his company barracks. Thirteen killed themselves. 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. 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. Fort Hood has come under serious fire in recent years, as the incident follows the heartbreaking death of Vanessa Guilln. Joshua Diamond, 35, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Pfc. But the only among the victims may be the institution that them all to kill. The very next day, a Fort Hood investigation concluded that Fernandess charges of sexual assault were unsubstantiated. Photo: US Army. 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. In January 2017, Fox News cited reports to say the Army and local police were probing deaths of 11 Fort Hood soldiers who died on and off the base in the months before under mysterious circumstances, as per reports. He also wanted an education, and joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that, his sister Carma Johnson says. (On July 14, 2020, a federal grand injury indicted Aguilar on one count of conspiracy and two counts of tampering with evidence. There, Wedel-Morales's remains had been found, long ago decomposed in the Texas heat. Stump was going 82 mph in a 30-mph zone, the investigation report said, and had hit a tree on a mound. On April 30, 2021, Fort Hood found that Guillen had indeed been sexually harassed by a soldier, but not Robinson.). 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. 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. Guilln's death triggered a social media movement of former and current military service people speaking out about sexual assault and harassment on the base. "For nothing.". Also that year, Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach was raped by her superior, which she reported. Around the Guillen murals in Killeen and in Houston, I met people who had lost loved ones to the military, who felt harm done, who saw in Guillen a savior. As distressing as the remains in shallow graves or the missing hyoid bone is the fatalism from soldiers and locals alike. Rodriguez sensed something was off. It was also an ancient Comanche Native American burial ground, discovered when construction workers unearthed more than 2,200 grave sites in 1998. Fort Hood also stated that it had completed an exhaustive search for Fernandes, and that it had interviewed all relevant parties, including the family. 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,. 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 Montreal Mafia Murders: Blood, Gore, Cannolis, and Hockey Bags, Scene Stealer: The True Lies of Elisabeth Finch, Part 2. = Link to a CAC-required sites . Casteel had told Rodriguez "he was getting away from the abuse.". 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. Fort Hood is one of 800 United States military bases around the world, the third largest in the country. The sense of dehumanizing alienation soldiers complained about was not a symptom of a malfunctioning system, it was its original design. All rights reserved. The very next day, a Fort Hood investigation concluded that Fernandes's charges of sexual assault were unsubstantiated. His killers were never looked for properly and thus never found. 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. 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. Five were murdered. None of the grunts I spoke to was surprised by the number of casualties. (Fort Hood refused all official interview requests for this story, citing ongoing investigations. Fort Hood informed Rodriguez that he had asked for this. Within days of arriving at Fort Hood, Chees clothes were stolen. Thomas Berg, whose son Private Brandon Rosecranss Jeep was found burning in May, told me not to go out after dark. Memorial that now stands at the site Vanessa Guillen's remains were found in Killen, Texas. Fernandes transferred to another unit where he was called a snitch and worse. Guillens youngest sister, Lupe, made me promise to stay at the Marriott, a hotel she considered safer than the rest. Chee, like Yazzie, was a member of the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation community, and was new to the base. Thirteen killed themselves. Today, Reform Austin is attempting to put the entire chain of events into a concise timeline for our readers. That is the opposite of what hes been consistently saying.. He had messaged his sister beforehand to tell her something felt off. Amarillo - see the Potter County section below Arlington - see the Tarrant County section below Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt. The first week I spent in Texas that October, 22-year-old Lucas Hicks-Mack went missing on base. Frantic, she called around, to no avail. After he returned to Fort Hood, Rodriguez managed to get Casteel on a video call. 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. The U.S. Army identified a soldier found dead behind his company barracks at Fort Hood last week as 26-year-old Spc. Without any sense of purpose, the suffering at Fort Hood had started to lose its meaning. Had anyone helped Robinson clean up Guillen's murder in those 40 minutes? Its possible. After 10 torturous weeks and growing. 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. Many complained specifically of being made to cut grass to ready for such official visits. Martinez joined the Army in April 2018 as a cannoneer, according to base officials. Namely, the military. There were no Black residents in town until the early 1950s. The brutal murders of four Idaho college students shocked millions. This negates civic participation, as the state no longer needs to collect taxes and thus stops serving the people, who in turn have no need to pressure the government for anythingthe very dynamic that continues to play out in oil-rich Gulf states. 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. Not long after Fort Hood opened, soldiers began bringing home souvenirs in the form of war brides. Robinson gave Guillen the serial number for a .50 caliber machine gun that needed servicing. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Later the same day, at 8:30 p.m., Aaron Robinsons girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, changed her story and told Army investigators that Robinson had confessed to her that he killed Guillen in the arms room, beating her to death with a hammer. This negates civic participation, as the state no longer needs to collect taxes and thus stops serving the people, who in turn have no need to pressure the government for anythingthe very dynamic that continues to play out in oil-rich Gulf states. 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.. WASHINGTON (AP) 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. Fort Hood officials confirmed Monday that Martinez and Mosley were assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. At first, Aguilar told investigators, they cut her up using a machete. A few days later, they spoke again, for the last time. 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. Fifty six . On March 5, 2020, Destanie Sawyers 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. Eventually Fernandes rang from the Army hospital. 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. 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. 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." 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. March 2, 2023 (86 years old) 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. 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. 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. Casteel had been stationed at Fort Hood since the end of June, where hed been bullied for a spinal injury that consigned him to desk duties. . Courtesy | Margie Taylor Spc.. In fact, Casteel had been convinced that CIA agents were attacking him since last June. 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 soldiers said that Guillen's belongings had been found in the arms room, but otherwise she had left no trace. During the run, Chee, who had no preexisting health conditions, collapsed. "And how well will that look on your resume? Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers died or went missing. As soon as I get out of the hospital, I will call you. Fort Hood also stated that it had completed an exhaustive search for Fernandes, and that it had interviewed all relevant parties, including the family. The first week I spent in Texas that October, 22-year-old Lucas Hicks-Mack went missing on base. Women, who make up 17 percent of active-duty military, were doubly bereft, and the case files were awash with stories of the dead. In death, Guillen has become a kind of patron saint for all those who feel wronged by the U.S. military. More than 2,200 trials over land rights commenced. Those remains, it turned out, belonged to yet another soldier, Private Gregory Wedel-Morales, who had gone missing the previous summer. How had he managed to escapeand where had he gotten his gun? I will tell you everything, he told his mother. Rodriguez sensed something was off. Frantic, she called around, to no avail. In a press statement, Fort Hood officials said Hockin, 26, was initially found unresponsive outside of the barracks and was subsequently pronounced dead. "She doesn't belong to the Army anymore," AnaLuisa Tapia, a local organizer, told me. His body was mostly intact but for his hyoid, which was never found. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. Search Fort Hood obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. Fernandes had just been stationed at Fort Hood in January. 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. 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. At first, Aguilar told investigators, they cut her up using a machete. 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. 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. The deaths of Fort Hood soldiers have gained international attention in recent months after the slaying of Vanessa Guillen, a 20-year-old Army specialist the authorities say was killed on. Later Fort Hood confirmed it was for violating quarantine. The ancient Greeks wrote epic poems on the subject, the most famous of which is the Iliad. Then they tried burning the body. I am astounded nobody is interested, the Fernandes family lawyer Lenny Kesten told me. Texas Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemetery Burials by County. 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 fact, Casteel had been convinced that CIA agents were attacking him since last June. Chee had joined the military in part to support the young family he was starting with his high school sweetheart turned fiance. Mayra wept during the journey, already fearing the worst. Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. I have sponsored a a Change.org listing advocating renaming the post after Oveta . From this inauspicious start, Killeen grew into a proper military town and is now home to six strip clubs, 18 pawn shops, 35 dollar stores, and 38 tattoo parlors. (The person who called in with the tip declined to collect the reward. Maxwell Hockin, the Central . 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. A soft October wind carried the first chill of the season. For nothing.. The back-to-back deaths come just four months after two congressional committees launched probes into the high number of deaths at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, in 2020, highlighted by the . Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, . "I asked him directly if he wasn't willing to speak because of position and he signaled yes, and he said, 'l'd rather tell you in person.' 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. He died in 1879, leaving a troubled legacy that is only now beginning to be questioned. A few hours later, Robinson, who had mostly been playing video games, escaped Fort Hood by car. 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. Alvis Franklin Bentley. 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. 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. 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 . 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. Ad Choices. On August 17, Sergeant Elder Fernandes, 23, disappeared. ), Wedel-Moraless death was not the first from the base that may have involved bike gangs. That morning, Guillen had left her third-floor barracks and headed downstairs to her work station at the motor pool, a vast garage for military vehicles. Soon after, the Temple police, who led the investigation, ruled Fernandess death a suicide. In death, she is no longer a daughter or a sister or a partner. The shakeup comes after after a series of suspicious deaths and disappearances that have plagued Fort Hood. Agamemnon demonstrates disrespect, vanity, and other lapses in judgment, the result of which is what clinical psychiatrist Jonathan Shay describes as "moral injury"a " (i) betrayal of what's right, (ii) by someone who holds legitimate authority, (iii) in a high stakes situation." Rosecrans, shot four times, was found three miles from his vehicle. 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. (Ring returned to base of his own accord later that day.). 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.
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