The Times found 159 noncombat deaths of Fort Hood soldiers since the beginning of 2016, which included seven homicides and 71 suicides. On May 11, however, Fernandes reported to Fort Hood abusive sexual contact from a staff sergeant, whom he alleged groped him in a supply room, according to the redacted military investigation report. 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. ", Several days later, Rodriguez learned that Casteel had been committed to a hospital on base. Red White and Blue via The US Army is licensed with CC BY-ND 2.0. No skid marks were apparent, nor did anyone hear the crash. 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. A few hours later, Robinson, who had mostly been playing video games, escaped Fort Hood by car. By Marlene Lenthang October 13, 2021, 9:15 AM 2:25 On Location: February 24, 2023 Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. Fernandes's family told me they have never been interviewed. The murder of Vanessa Guilln, a 20-year-old United States Army soldier, took place inside an armory at Fort Hood, Texas, on April 22, 2020, when she was bludgeoned to death by another soldier, Aaron David Robinson. 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. On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, Guillen reported for duty at Fort Hood. 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. Atop these sedimentary layers of desecration, displacement, and disorientation, the War Department set out to build a base that would go on to serve as a footnote to nearly every war in modern memoryKorea, Vietnam, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, but also Grenada, Panama, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. First it was a five-mile run, then it was a two-mile run. First came the British and Germans. A few days later, so did 21-year-old Specialist Trey Ring. Namely, the military. Justice for Vanessa Guillen. Reformers would say that the military had failed its men and women. Fernandes was dropped off at his friends house the next day, never to be seen again. Maxwell Hockin. (He was found a day later.) 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. His body was mostly intact but for his hyoid, which was never found. Barely a week later, Private Corlton Chee, 25, died during training. Robinson himself left soon thereafter, he would testify, to spend the night off post with his girlfriend. Sgt. 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. This memory now refreshed, Gloria began asking around for a name and soon learned it through Guillen's friend: Aaron Robinson, the last person to have seen her daughter. (Fort Hood does not count Moore in its official casualty list, as he was a member of the National Guard.). Fernandes transferred to another unit where he was called a snitch and worse. Fort Hood hurriedly put up a $25,000 reward for Wedel-Morales as well. At least 39 Fort Hood troops died or went missing last year. After hours, media should call the Emergency Operations Center at (254) 287-2054 and ask for the on-call PAO. It was unclear, in 2020, what American soldiers were fighting for. It was ruled a suicide until her father noticed her broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, and burns on her genitals. That an overwhelming majority of the town's economy comes from Fort Hood makes Killeen a kind of rentier state, in that most of its revenue comes through a foreign entity, which historically has led to the collapse of domestic industries, leading to increased dependence on a single source of income. In death, she is no longer a daughter or a sister or a partner. (Fort Hood refused all official interview requests for this story, citing ongoing investigations. (Among 1.29 million members of the U.S. military, 65,000 are immigrants, according to The Washington Post.) Club Fuego where Gregory Wedel-Morales was last seen, Killeen Tx. Those remains, it turned out, belonged to yet another soldier, Private Gregory Wedel-Morales, who had gone missing the previous summer. 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. More than 2,200 trials over land rights commenced. 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.) Fernandes had just been stationed at Fort Hood in January. Ive lost brothers and sisters in arms, a marriage, Ive lost family, Ive lost friendships that were supposed to be forever. In 2020 alone, 31. Those remains, it turned out, belonged to yet another soldier, Private Gregory Wedel-Morales, who had gone missing the previous summer. The U.S. Army on Tuesday announced the removal . Later the same day, at 8:30 p.m., Aaron Robinson's 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. (Fort Hood does not count Moore in its official casualty list, as he was a member of the National Guard.). 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. Why hadn't the arms room been treated like the crime scene it was? At 9:30 p.m., Mayra, Cruz, Guillens other sister Yovana, and Yovanas boyfriend set out for Fort Hood. He had messaged his sister beforehand to tell her something felt off. And so his disappearance was no surprise, his father told me. The figures coming out of the deaths at Fort Hood are depressing, as reported in Vanity Fair. He ultimately murdered her when she was eight months pregnant, then set her on fire before fleeing to Mexico. (Killeen Police stated they have no knowledge of anyone declining to investigate.) 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. On August 25, a rail worker in Temple, Texas, 26 miles east of Fort Hood, saw a body hanging from a tree across from a burned-out warehouse near the tracks. Jef Rouner. (The Boley case remains unsolved.) 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. 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. But when Kim called the police, they dismissed her, telling Kim that her son probably just took off. (Killeen Police stated they have no knowledge of anyone declining to investigate.) After 8 p.m., Guillens sister Mayra called the base. 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 had been a few people, then it was a group run of 11. Spc. But the only among the victims may be the institution that them all to. Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. Frantic, she called around, to no avail. September 10, 2020. Ad Choices. Dominic Criqui, who served in Vanessa Guillen's unit, says that the training had come to feel "stupid" and "pointless." On August 17, Sergeant Elder Fernandes, 23, disappeared. 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. Soon after, the Temple police, who led the investigation, ruled Fernandes's death a suicide. Oct 13, 2021 An official Army photo of Spc. 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. Rodriguez sensed something was off. Bill to attend technical school in Houston to work on wind turbines or oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana. 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 Boley case remains unsolved.) There had been a few people, then it was a group run of 11. By then Wedel-Morales had grown distant from his family in Oklahoma, who had not been told of the marriage. When Ailina contacted the military police at Fort Hood, they told her that Fernandes was an adult, and that if he was missing, he likely didnt want to be found. Fort Hood Weather. Reformers would say that the military had failed its men and women. 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. He refused to send a selfie or get on a video chat and began using a strange and unfamiliar speech pattern. 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. She has become that complicated, indelible thing: a hero. Fort Hood concluded Chee had died in training. The wave of pain went away as suddenly as it had come on but returned again, and again, and again, over the next hour. III Corps Inspector General. Maxwell Hockin, 26, joined the U.S. Army in 2017. Specialist Vanessa Guillen's father, Rogelio, wondered if I shouldn't carry a gun. Ive lost so much since Ive been in. (The person who called in with the tip declined to collect the reward. During the day, though, it was still hot enough that if you dropped a beer bottle, the contents appeared to dry on contact. 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. 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. In fact, Casteel had been convinced that CIA agents were attacking him since last June. 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. (Marine Lance Corporal Riley Schultz's death on March 15, 2019, at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, was also ruled a suicide, despite his hyoid being broken. 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. 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. As publication approached, it stopped responding to emails pertaining to both specific questions about individual cases as well as broader queries about the base.). Copyright 2023 Echovita Inc. All rights reserved. Four days later, an anonymous tip directed investigators to an urban prairie at the end of a residential street where Penny Morales used to live. A group of soldiers, including Robinson, greeted them. (Among 1.29 million members of the U.S. military, 65,000 are immigrants, according to The Washington Post.) After a chase along Rancier Avenue, the same street near which Lovell was found dead, Robinson shot himself and died. Hockin was found dead behind his company barracks. Joshua Diamond, 35, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Pfc. On the night of August 19, Wedel-Morales went out to Club Fuego, located in a desolate strip mall about 10 miles east of Fort Hood. 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. The plan, Wedel-Morales told anyone who would listen, was to use the G.I. In 2009, Nidal Hasan was an Army major when he killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 others in a mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. They are part of Killeens population of 151,000, many transient and very young, two thirds of whom have military ties. Basic details of the incident kept changing. When Kim called Fort Hood inquiring after her son, she was told the case was the remit of the Killeen Police Department as Wedel-Morales had gone missing off base. The soldiers said that Guillen's belongings had been found in the arms room, but otherwise she had left no trace. 5.2 (infant deaths per 1,000 live births) Life Expectancy (at Birth) 76.5 years (2020) Marriage Rate. 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. When Kim called Fort Hood inquiring after her son, she was told the case was the remit of the Killeen Police Department as Wedel-Morales had gone missing off base. For nothing.. Fort Hood might not even stand out were it not for a particularly bad year among many. He died the evening of September 2. ", "I'm 21 now, and let me tell you. = Link to a CAC-required sites . Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. 22.4 (births per 1,000 females 15-19 years of age) Infant Mortality Rate. "I felt a bad vibe there," Lupe says, referring to Fort Hood. 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? Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. On May 18, Brandon Rosecranss burning Jeep was discovered in a hilly suburb east of Fort Hood. At first blush, such violence at a base that calls itself "the Great Place" may seem extraordinary, inexplicable even. Family of Fort Hood soldier demands answers after military refuses to release report on his death Chase Lawrence 4 April 2021 Seventeen months have passed since Private First Class (PFC). Green Beret training death special forces training soldier dies in training army training . Frantic, she called around, to no avail. (The police opened an investigation on August 19.) Is it possible Elder killed himself ? Their minds both turned to Vanessa, whose hourly texts to family members had gone silent. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The military, Rodriguez said, had known about this but had refused to treat him. 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. Maxwell Hockin. "You can find Osama bin Laden, but you can't find a soldier that went missing on your own base?" Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. Two more who had separated from. Why hadnt the arms room been treated like the crime scene it was? Fort Hood is one of 800 United States military bases around the world, the third largest in the country. Guillen confessed that she was being harassed by another soldier. 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. Fort Hood had refused to list him as missing, and it was only after his then fiance, Paradise Rodriguez, posted a video on Facebook that an officer at the parish jail saw it and got into contact. Its possible. 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. (Fort Hood contributed nearly $30 billion to the Texas economy in 2019, according to the Texas comptrollers office.). Wedel-Morales was thrilled to become a father. Fort Hood informed Rodriguez that he had asked for this. 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 Army's own investigation found "major flaws" at Fort Hood, leading to the firing or suspending of 14 officials. A soft October wind carried the first chill of the season. The day after Guillen disappeared, Private Gavin Chambers, 21, died on base. That psychological trauma among veterans vastly exceeds physical wounds. 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. 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.
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