Sergeant Brad Reynolds, 37, killed himself on May 16. It rained that night, and the drive, which should have taken three hours, was slow going. So much of reporting is opening yourself up to chance, and there I was, compulsively locking and relocking the rental car door. Later Fort Hood confirmed it was for violating quarantine. He told his sister there were three white soldiers who did not like him. On August 28, Chee was called into a training run. Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home 1615 South Fort Hood Road, Killeen (254) 634-2638 . Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. 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. 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. Thirteen killed themselves. (There was also literal toxicity on base in that some of the mold-infested barracks where soldiers lived were "technically condemned," according to Maureen Elliott, a military spouse and a housing advocate.). What is behind the violence and tragedy at Fort Hood? At the Dollhouse, he got to know Penny Morales, a dancer and mother of two. New Market, Alabama. It was also an ancient Comanche Native American burial ground, discovered when construction workers unearthed more than 2,200 grave sites in 1998. He wondered if it was something he had eaten and carried on with his shift. He ultimately murdered her when she was eight months pregnant, then set her on fire before fleeing to Mexico. Hood was an unsuccessful battle commander; 400 men of his Texas Brigade died in a single fight, some would argue through incautious direction. On June 30, a construction crew found shallow graves containing human remains that belonged to Guillen. The small Texas frontier town was also a hotbed of Klan activity, according to Texas historian Gene Preuss of the University of Houston, so much so that when trains stopped in Killeen, Black passengersrelegated to colored carsknew to pull down their window shades to avoid a pelting with rocks by locals. All are former soldiers. 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 first week I spent in Texas that October, 22-year-old Lucas Hicks-Mack went missing on base. From here, wars are launched. His body was found nearly a month later, two miles from the barracks. Maj. Gen. Scott Efflandt. (According to Killeen police, no such vests were found at the scene of the crash. Hood was an unsuccessful battle commander; 400 men of his Texas Brigade died in a single fight, some would argue through incautious direction. 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. At first, Aguilar told investigators, they cut her up using a machete. That American imperialism is imploding, and the blast force radiates inward. 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. Fertility Rate. Back in Houston, Gloria recalled a conversation with her daughter not long before, when Guillen had been home for the weekend. 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. Green Beret training death special forces training soldier dies in training army training . A group of soldiers, including Robinson, greeted them. Many complained specifically of being made to cut grass to ready for such official visits. First it was a five-mile run, then it was a two-mile run. Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. There, Wedel-Morales's remains had been found, long ago decomposed in the Texas heat. There was a deep cut above his left eye, and cuts all over his legs. (Fort Hood refused all official interview requests for this story, citing ongoing investigations. Fort Hood hurriedly put up a $25,000 reward for Wedel-Morales as well. 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.. 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. 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). 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. Fort Hood might not even stand out were it not for a particularly bad year among many. Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. First came the British and Germans. As soon as I get out of the hospital, I will call you. 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. Eric Christopher Hogan and Pfc. ), Wedel-Moraless death was not the first from the base that may have involved bike gangs. 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. 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. 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. Fort Hood also stated that it had completed an exhaustive search for Fernandes, and that it had interviewed all relevant parties, including the family. Is it possible Elder was murdered? And so his disappearance was no surprise, his father told me. Why had it taken forensics 72 days to conduct a search of the arms room? Fernandess family told me they have never been interviewed. (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. The 20-year-old US Army soldier died in a Fort Hood, Texas,. This was true of many I met at Fort Hood, including press officer Major Gabriela Thompson, my tour guide on base, who told me she joined to pay off her student loans: It was my ticket out, she said, echoing other soldiers sentiments about how the military had rescued them from hardscrabble existences. Driving into Killeen last fall, what greeted me was a deer, roadkill, that had been severed in half. (The Boley case remains unsolved.) Ive lost brothers and sisters in arms, a marriage, Ive lost family, Ive lost friendships that were supposed to be forever. Robinson gave Guillen the serial number for a .50 caliber machine gun that needed servicing. THE GREAT PLACE. Sewell is the latest soldier to disappear from the base after a series of soldiers disappeared in the past few years. If she wanted to pursue things further, they advised, she would have to file a missing persons report with the local police. She had also missed her standing noon call with her fianc, Juan Cruz. 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. Casteel had told Rodriguez he was getting away from the abuse.. On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, Guillen reported for duty at Fort Hood. September 10, 2020. It was unclear, in 2020, what American soldiers were fighting for. More than 2,200 trials over land rights commenced. Their minds both turned to Vanessa, whose hourly texts to family members had gone silent. That September, Wedel-Morales, who was from rural Oklahoma, was due to be honorably discharged from the military. After 10 torturous weeks and growing. 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 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. During the day, though, it was still hot enough that if you dropped a beer bottle, the contents appeared to dry on contact. "What on earth are you training for?" Hazel Buck Blackwell, whose family lost their farm, homestead, barns, orchards, and adjoining land when the base took over, said the closest thing might be the unexpected death of someone you loved very much. It was a heartrending, searing experience, central Texas historian GraDelle Duncan said, leaving lifetime marks on all, and actually killing some from the psychic devastation that followed. His body was found nearly a month later, two miles from the barracks. The police too told Ailina that Fernandes was an adult and that they would not report him as missing. There were no Black residents in town until the early 1950s. Ive even lost myself. (Ring returned to base of his own accord later that day.). Rodriguez disputes this claim. I played a small role in the story by providing some background information on Confederate General John Bell Hood.. "Is it possible Elder was murdered? 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. Site Gregory Wedel-Morales' remains were found in Killeen, Texas. The soldiers said that Guillens belongings had been found in the arms room, but otherwise she had left no trace. 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. These deaths confirm to many the issues reported at the post . 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. 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. 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. The plan, Wedel-Morales told anyone who would listen, was to use the G.I. 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. But the only among the victims may be the institution that them all to. 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. Joshua Diamond, 35, of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Pfc. Soon after, the Temple police, who led the investigation, ruled Fernandess death a suicide. 60.2 (births per 1,000 women 15-44 years of age) Teen Birth Rate. That most soldiers enlist when they are still teenagers, their yet-unformed minds taught to kill. There, Wedel-Moraless remains had been found, long ago decomposed in the Texas heat. (Marine Lance Corporal Riley Schultzs death on March 15, 2019, at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, was also ruled a suicide, despite his hyoid being broken. Basic details of the incident kept changing. 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. When Elisabeth Finch met Jennifer Beyer in 2019, the two women forged a fiercely loyal friendship, and eventually got married. 20, 2021 FORT HOOD, Texas The death of Spc. Gloria had noticed her losing weight and pressed her for why. Spc. Then they tried burning the body. The story appears in the July/August 2021 issue of Vanity Fair.I enthusiastically recommend this article. On May 19, military investigators went through Robinson's phone and learned that he had called his girlfriend, Cecily Aguilar, multiple times on the night of April 22, as late as 3:30 a.m., from a town 20 miles east of Fort Hooddespite his claim he had been with Aguilar that night. Guillen's superior confirmed she was missing. Its possible. 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. You can click this link to create an obituary. It's possible. He joined the U.S. Army in March of 2017 as a combat engineer and had been assigned to . On May 18, Brandon Rosecranss burning Jeep was discovered in a hilly suburb east of 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." Texas as of 9 July 2021; some devices had already been sold and shipped. March 1, 2023 (94 years old) View obituary. Fernandes transferred to another unit where he was called a snitch and worse. Chee had joined the military in part to support the young family he was starting with his high school sweetheart turned fiance. 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. Ad Choices. At first blush, such violence at a base that calls itself "the Great Place" may seem extraordinary, inexplicable even. 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. Five were murdered. 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. If he killed himself, don't they want to know why?". Namely, the military. (Facebook) Two weeks later, Delacruz . Inside the rash of explained deaths at Fort Hood. Fort Hood informed Rodriguez that he had asked for this. 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. The deaths were caused by varying reasons -- gunshots, car accidents and illnesses and all the deaths were under probe. Wedel-Morales was thrilled to become a father. My caution wasnt entirely unfounded. Namely, the military. 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. Bill to attend technical school in Houston to work on wind turbines or oil rigs off the coast of Louisiana. 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. 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. The day after Guillen disappeared, Private Gavin Chambers, 21, died on base. Victoria a friend of Gregory Wedel-Morales at the site of his remains, Killeen TX. 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. 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. On August 17, Sergeant Elder Fernandes, 23, disappeared. Reformers would say that the military had failed its men and women. Those remains, it turned out, belonged to yet another soldier, Private Gregory Wedel-Morales, who had gone missing the previous summer. After a chase along Rancier Avenue, the same street near which Lovell was found dead, Robinson shot himself and died. 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. 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. They returned several days later to pour concrete over the remains. The exact cause of Hockin's death remains unclear . Fort Hood announced that Stump had crashed his car while driving under the influence, though a toxicology report proved inconclusive. As soon as I get out of the hospital, I will call you. Casteel had been stationed at Fort Hood since the end of June, where he'd been bullied for a spinal injury that consigned him to desk duties. May Jeong has written an in-depth analysis of the rash of unexplained deaths at Fort Hood. Without any sense of purpose, the suffering at Fort Hood had started to lose its meaning. A few days later, so did 21-year-old Specialist Trey Ring. The sense of dehumanizing alienation soldiers complained about was not a symptom of a malfunctioning system, it was its original design. Fort Hood Weather. In a press statement, Fort Hood officials said Hockin, 26, was initially found unresponsive outside of the barracks and was subsequently pronounced dead. 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 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. III Corps Policies and Regulations . 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. 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. Later, Robinson would tell investigators that Guillen completed her task and exited the building. They checked into a nearby hotel and returned at 8 a.m. the next day. Anthony Nevelle Peak Jr. Hogan, 19, and Peak Jr., 21, were both killed in a. Alvis Franklin Bentley. Photo: US Army. 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. "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 corpse had been dead for a while, though it was impossible to determine exactly how long. [2] 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. Specialist Vanessa Guillens father, Rogelio, wondered if I shouldnt carry a gun. That American imperialism is imploding, and the blast force radiates inward. 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. "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.' The shakeup comes after after a series of suspicious deaths and disappearances that have plagued Fort Hood. On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, Guillen reported for duty at Fort Hood. 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. He also wanted an education, and "joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that," his sister Carma Johnson says. Is it possible Elder killed himself? And yet: The data is not really out of the ordinary for U.S. military bases. 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. Five were murdered. (On July 14,2020, a federal grand injury indicted Aguilar on one count of conspiracy and two counts of tampering with evidence. 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. 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. And on June 19, skeletal remains were found in a field behind a cul-de-sac of a residential neighborhood in Killeen. Maxwell Hockin, the Central . First it was a five-mile run, then it was a two-mile run. 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. After he returned to Fort Hood, Rodriguez managed to get Casteel on a video call. No skid marks were apparent, nor did anyone hear the crash. The sense of dehumanizing alienation soldiers complained about was not a symptom of a malfunctioning system, it was its original design. The day after Guillen disappeared, Private Gavin Chambers, 21, died on base. I have sponsored a a Change.org listing advocating renaming the post after Oveta . At 9:30 p.m., Mayra, Cruz, Guillen's other sister Yovana, and Yovana's boyfriend set out for 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. Fernandes was dropped off at his friends house the next day, never to be seen again. Guillen's youngest sister, Lupe, made me promise to stay at the Marriott, a hotel she considered safer than the rest. Five were murdered. Eventually Fernandes rang from the Army hospital. Stump was going 82 mph in a 30-mph zone, the investigation report said, and had hit a tree on a mound. They returned several days later to pour concrete over the remains. After 8 p.m., Guillens sister Mayra called the base. At first, Aguilar told investigators, they cut her up using a machete. Frantic, she called around, to no avail. 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. 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. She had also missed her standing noon call with her fianc, Juan Cruz. 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. The search party arrived at Fort Hood at 3 a.m. Guillens staff sergeant told the group to come back in the morning. (His son's alleged killer is in custody awaiting trial.) 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. I've lost so much since I've been in. 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. Justice for Vanessa Guillen. She filled out the paperwork that is the lifeblood of the Army before heading toward the arms room, a few paces away. If he killed himself, dont they want to know why?. "You can find Osama bin Laden, but you can't find a soldier that went missing on your own base?" But as Beyer would soon realize, Finchs past wasnt what she claimedand Beyers own difficult history was up for the taking. On August 11, a higher-up called Fernandes's mother, Ailina, to tell her that her son had not shown up for work for two days. Chris and Moses friends of Gregory Wedel-Morales at the site of his remains, Killeen TX. He told his sister there were three white soldiers who "did not like him." 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. 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? 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.) But with each encounter, it was becoming clear that the military had not failed its soldiers at all. By then Wedel-Morales had grown distant from his family in Oklahoma, who had not been told of the marriage. 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 . Rodriguez disputes this claim. We believe that Every Life has a Story which should be told and preserved. Fort Hood is the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. The very next day, a Fort Hood investigation concluded that Fernandes's charges of sexual assault were unsubstantiated. Far from itthe military was operating as it had been intended. Killeen was named after another disappointing man: Frank Killeen, an assistant general manager to the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway. After he returned to Fort Hood, Rodriguez managed to get Casteel on a video call. The stories are gruesome, then heartbreaking, then beyond belief.

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