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. 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. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. Search Fort Hood obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. 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. Oct 29, 2021. Rodriguez sensed something was off. A sergeant from Guillens division called it mandatory fun days. The additional scrutinythe congressional delegation visit, press toursmeant that soldiers had to work harder. 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.) Ive lost so much since Ive been in. He had also gotten married without telling his family, been evicted from his apartment, and stopped showing up to work. 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. October 14, 2021 Ryan Morgan. My caution wasnt entirely unfounded. As soon as I get out of the hospital, I will call you. 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. Guillen's youngest sister, Lupe, says. Fort Hood is the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. 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. Maxwell Hockin. Maxwell Hockin, the Central . Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. 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 . 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. 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. Reformers would say that the military had failed its men and women. Eleven of the deaths remain unresolvedsome legally; others for the victims' families. None of the messages added up, nor were they how he usually speaks to me, Rodriguez told me. From here, wars are launched. On April 30, 2021, Fort Hood found that Guillen had indeed been sexually harassed by a soldier, but not Robinson.). By then Wedel-Morales had grown distant from his family in Oklahoma, who had not been told of the marriage. 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. That American imperialism is imploding, and the blast force radiates inward. 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. I guess my point is, Rodriguez told me, if everything was fine, the way Fort Hood officials would lead us to believe, then why would this soldier, out of character, leave base without permission, and [why] did he not feel comfortable enough to call his captain or anyone on that base once he was arrested for speeding? THE GREAT PLACE. The base might have continued to devour its soldiers had it not been for a missing soldier's family whose rage, love, and devotion would attract the attention of the media, celebrities, and later the White House, sparking congressional and military investigations. Fort Hood also stated that it had completed an exhaustive search for Fernandes, and that it had interviewed all relevant parties, including the family. 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. He had messaged his sister beforehand to tell her something felt off. By Marlene Lenthang October 13, 2021, 9:15 AM 2:25 On Location: February 24, 2023 Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. His killers were never looked for properly and thus never found. A group of soldiers, including Robinson, greeted them. Hood was an unsuccessful battle commander; 400 men of his Texas Brigade died in a single fight, some would argue through incautious direction. And yet: The data is not really out of the ordinary for U.S. military bases. Barely a week later, Private Corlton Chee, 25, died during training. Spc. It's possible. ", Several days later, Rodriguez learned that Casteel had been committed to a hospital on base. We believe that Every Life has a Story which should be told and preserved. The numbers are distressing. Tributes.com is the online source for current local and national obituary news. Gloria had noticed her losing weight and pressed her for why. 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. Nov. 30, 2022. Eleven of the deaths remain unresolvedsome legally; others for the victims' families. Later, Robinson would tell investigators that Guillen completed her task and exited the building. Thomas Berg, whose son Private Brandon Rosecrans's Jeep was found burning in May, told me not to go out after dark. On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, Guillen reported for duty at Fort Hood. "As soon as I get out of the hospital, I will call you. Ozempic is also used by adults with type 2 diabetes who have heart and blood vessel disease to reduce their risk of a stroke, heart attack, or death . Fort Hood might not even stand out were it not for a particularly bad year among many. She has become that complicated, indelible thing: a hero. He seemed weird, Rodriguez said. (On July 14,2020, a federal grand injury indicted Aguilar on one count of conspiracy and two counts of tampering with evidence. The dollhouse, strip club Gregory Wedel Morales frequented, Killeen Tx. 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 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. The wave of pain went away as suddenly as it had come on but returned again, and again, and again, over the next hour. Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home 1615 South Fort Hood Road, Killeen (254) 634-2638 . Failure to comply could incur fines of hundreds of dollars or other, more severe social censure. He also wanted an education, and "joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that," his sister Carma Johnson says. (Facebook) Two weeks later, Delacruz . Had one of them stood in for Guillen during roll call? He also wanted an education, and joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that, his sister Carma Johnson says. 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. (He was found a day later.) Soon after, the Temple police, who led the investigation, ruled Fernandes's death a suicide. Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. This memory now refreshed, Gloria began asking around for a name and soon learned it through Guillens friend: Aaron Robinson, the last person to have seen her daughter. On April 30, 2021, Fort Hood found that Guillen had indeed been sexually harassed by a soldier, but not Robinson.). 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. 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." He died in 1879, leaving a troubled legacy that is only now beginning to be questioned. No skid marks were apparent, nor did anyone hear the crash. Inside the rash of explained deaths at Fort Hood. 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. Five were murdered. Before Guillen, there had been Private LaVena Lynn Johnson, who was found dead in a tent in 2005 in Iraq. 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. The shakeup comes after after a series of suspicious deaths and disappearances that have plagued Fort Hood. 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. There were no Black residents in town until the early 1950s. Alvis Franklin Bentley. Maxwell Hockin. On August 28, Chee was called into a training run. Police reopen case into Fort Hood soldier's death Austin December 25, 2022 Weather View Your 7-Day Forecast Here MILITARY Family hopeful for answers after police reopen case into Fort Hood soldier's death By Olivia Levada Texas PUBLISHED 4:24 PM CT Apr. He got home around 2 p.m. and told his wife, Gloria, about the unusual aches. On August 17, Sergeant Elder Fernandes, 23, disappeared. First it was a five-mile run, then it was a two-mile run. None of the grunts I spoke to was surprised by the number of casualties. Mayra wept during the journey, already fearing the worst. They checked into a nearby hotel and returned at 8 a.m. the next day. Also that year, Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach was raped by her superior, which she reported. 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. 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. 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. (Ring returned to base of his own accord later that day.). Barely a week later, Private Corlton Chee, 25, died during training. The tributaries that run through Fort Hood flow into the Leon River, where Guillen's remains were later found. New Market, Alabama. ARMY-WIDE IMPLEMENTATION STATUS. Inside Jeffrey Epsteins Decades-Long Relationship With Leslie Wexner Trumps Deranged Replacement Theory Mightve Lost Him the Election Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk Want to Burn Their Cash in Space Three Texans Bust Myths About the Alamos Famous Last Stand The Guy Who Could Send Trump to Prison May Soon Cooperate With the Feds Bill and Melinda Gatess Epic Divorce Saga Enters Its Next Phase Juneteenth, Critical Race Theory, and the Winding Road Toward Reckoning Trump Is Now Urging People Not to Vaccinate Their Kids Against COVID From the Archive: Microsofts Odd Couple, in the Words of Paul Allen Not a subscriber? A U.S. Army soldier, Spc. 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. It was also an ancient Comanche Native American burial ground, discovered when construction workers unearthed more than 2,200 grave sites in 1998. 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. Fort Hood announced that Stump had crashed his car while driving under the influence, though a toxicology report proved inconclusive. A unique and lasting tribute for a loved one. She pleaded not guilty. It was a "heartrending, searing experience," central Texas historian Gra'Delle Duncan said, "leaving lifetime marks on all, and actually killing some" from the psychic devastation that followed. Specialist Justen Ogden's 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. The circumstances are so strange and awful that fully understanding the events can be difficult. But the only among the victims may be the institution that them all to. There had been a few people, then it was a group run of 11. Martinez joined the Army in April 2018 as a cannoneer, according to base officials. 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. Chee, like Yazzie, was a member of the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation community, and was new to the base. 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. That September, Wedel-Morales, who was from rural Oklahoma, was due to be honorably discharged from the military. He died in 1879, leaving a troubled legacy that is only now beginning to be questioned. -. The Army's own investigation found "major flaws" at Fort Hood, leading to the firing or suspending of 14 officials. 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. I felt a bad vibe there, Lupe says, referring to Fort Hood. 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 first week I spent in Texas that October, 22-year-old Lucas Hicks-Mack went missing on base. Escorts should be arranged in advance to allow for coordination with the organization receiving coverage. During the run, Chee, who had no preexisting health conditions, collapsed. 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. Casteel had told Rodriguez "he was getting away from the abuse.". Morta's death comes amid intense scrutiny of Fort Hood in recent weeks. 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. Chee, like Yazzie, was a member of the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation community, and was new to the base. The author knocks on the doors bearing the darkest symbols, behind which lie guns, ammo, antisemitism, antiabortion dogmaand a belief in the coming civil war. At first blush, such violence at a base that calls itself the Great Place may seem extraordinary, inexplicable even. As many as 28 Fort Hood soldiers died in 2020, including in multiple homicides, suicides and other accidents. Matthew Disney, 20, of Aberdeen, Maryland, were pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical personnel at the North Carolina military. After 10 torturous weeks and growing. Texas Death Records Indexes, Obituaries and Cemetery Burials by County. Stump was going 82 mph in a 30-mph zone, the investigation report said, and had hit a tree on a mound. 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. Fort Hood Weather. The new family, like more than 70 percent of all Fort Hood service members, lived off post, but after two dead bodies were found on their street, they moved into base housing. I've lost so much since I've been in. Vanessa Guillen and a number of other soldiers at Fort Hood sparked outrage across the country, leading to an independent review of the command climate and culture on the military post. It rained that night, and the drive, which should have taken three hours, was slow going. "For nothing.". Ever since returning from a deployment to Iraq in February 2019shipped off two months after basic training for a nine-month tourRing had become withdrawn, developed a drinking problem, and had been arrested for drunk driving. Schuettes body was returned to his family wrapped like a mummy. Later that year, Private Dakota Lee Stump left his barracks to report for work less than a mile away but never arrived for formation. She filled out the paperwork that is the lifeblood of the Army before heading toward the arms room, a few paces away. Later came Koreans, Japanese, and Vietnamese, who still run sushi and pho restaurants in Killeen. The base saw 26 . She filled out the paperwork that is the lifeblood of the Army before heading toward the arms room, a few paces away. 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. 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. Its possible. In death, Guillen has become a kind of patron saint for all those who feel wronged by the U.S. military. Women, who make up 17 percent of active-duty military, were doubly bereft, and the case files were awash with stories of the dead. FORT HOOD, Texas - Fort Hood officials say they do not suspect foul play in the death of 26-year-old SPC Maxwell Hockin. 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? Far from itthe military was operating as it had been intended. At first, Aguilar told investigators, they cut her up using a machete. Don't they care as to what happened to Elder Fernandes? 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. 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. Texas Death Records, 1890-1976 includes scanned copies of the death certificates Texas Death Records, 1977-1986 includes digitized copies of the death certificates; not yet complete. 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. 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. 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. He died the evening of September 2. (Fort Hood does not count Moore in its official casualty list, as he was a member of the National Guard.). She has become that complicated, indelible thing: a hero. The stories are gruesome, then heartbreaking, then beyond belief. That September, Wedel-Morales, who was from rural Oklahoma, was due to be honorably discharged from the military. The military, Rodriguez said, had known about this but had refused to treat him. 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. Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. Failure to comply could incur fines of hundreds of dollars or other, more severe social censure. Robinson gave Guillen the serial number for a .50 caliber machine gun that needed servicing. "I felt a bad vibe there," Lupe says, referring to Fort Hood. Guillen's youngest sister, Lupe, made me promise to stay at the Marriott, a hotel she considered safer than the rest. Maxwell Hockin, 26, was. Who were the soldiers who had testified to seeing Guillen leave the arms room the day she disappeared? Fort Hood concluded Chee had died in training. Fernandes was dropped off at his friend's house the next day, August 17, never to be seen again. IMCOM is not responsible for the content of links outside home.army.mil. Chee had joined the military in part to support the young family he was starting with his high school sweetheart turned fiance. Far from itthe military was operating as it had been intended. Fort Hood has been the center of a bizarre and horrific set of tragedies in 2020. The base might have continued to devour its soldiers had it not been for a missing soldiers family whose rage, love, and devotion would attract the attention of the media, celebrities, and later the White House, sparking congressional and military investigations. Oct 13, 2021 An official Army photo of Spc. Is it possible Elder was murdered? 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. Garrison Policies and Regulations. 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. THE MURDERS AT FORT HOOD Remains of soldiers have been turning up around the Texas military base with terrifying frequency. There was a deep cut above his left eye, and cuts all over his legs. 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. 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. Killeen was named after another disappointing man: Frank Killeen, an assistant general manager to the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers died or went missing. 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. The numbers are distressing. Specialist Vanessa Guillen's father, Rogelio, wondered if I shouldn't carry a gun. 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. I am astounded nobody is interested, the Fernandes family lawyer Lenny Kesten told me. ", "I'm 21 now, and let me tell you. (Among 1.29 million members of the U.S. military, 65,000 are immigrants, according to The Washington Post.) No skid marks were apparent, nor did anyone hear the crash. 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. There, Wedel-Moraless remains had been found, long ago decomposed in the Texas heat. Why hadn't the arms room been treated like the crime scene it was? At first blush, such violence at a base that calls itself "the Great Place" may seem extraordinary, inexplicable even. 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.) So much of reporting is opening yourself up to chance, and there I was, compulsively locking and relocking the rental car door. It was unclear, in 2020, what American soldiers were fighting for. The story appears in the July/August 2021 issue of Vanity Fair.I enthusiastically recommend this article. In 2007, also in Iraq, Specialist Kamisha Blocks 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. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers died or went missing. At the Dollhouse, he got to know Penny Morales, a dancer and mother of two. 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. 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. 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. And yet: The data is not really out of the ordinary for U.S. military bases. His body was found nearly a month later, two miles from the barracks. 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. Later, Robinson would tell investigators that Guillen completed her task and exited the building. Radically transparent, low cost versions of high cost generic drugs. Eric Christopher Hogan and Pfc. 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 Killeen's seedy main corridor called Rancier, the same street where Specialist Freddy Delacruz, 23, was shot and killed last March. Last year, at least 39 Fort Hood soldiers died or went missing. Reformers would say that the military had failed its men and women. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. On May 18, Brandon Rosecranss burning Jeep was discovered in a hilly suburb east of Fort Hood. Schuette's body was returned to his family "wrapped like a mummy." More than 2,200 trials over land rights commenced. Joshua Diamond, 35, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Pfc. he asks, then answers. On June 30, a construction crew found shallow graves containing human remains that belonged to Guillen.
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