October 14, 2021 Ryan Morgan. Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. 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. Site Gregory Wedel-Morales' remains were found in Killeen, Texas. Rosecrans, shot four times, was found three miles from his vehicle. Sergeant Brad Reynolds, 37, killed himself on May 16. Fort Hood might not even stand out were it not for a particularly bad year among many. "I felt a bad vibe there," Lupe says, referring to Fort Hood. (Facebook) Two weeks later, Delacruz . On April 29, it was Private Joshua Barnwell, 19. 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. That gun safety is a distant concern in a community where the Second Amendment tops the Maslow charts. Hood was an unsuccessful battle commander; 400 men of his Texas Brigade died in a single fight, some would argue through incautious direction. (The person who called in with the tip declined to collect the reward. In other battles, having lost the use of his arm and later a leg, Hood had to be strapped to a horse for combat. 2023 Cond Nast. 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. Matthew Disney, 20, of Aberdeen, Maryland, were pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical personnel at the North Carolina military. (Fort Hood does not count Moore in its official casualty list, as he was a member of the National Guard.). Amarillo - see the Potter County section below Arlington - see the Tarrant County section below U.S. ARMY INSTALLATION MANAGEMENT COMMAND Stump was going 82 mph in a 30-mph zone, the investigation report said, and had hit a tree on a mound. . 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). (Fort Hood refused all official interview requests for this story, citing ongoing investigations. Maxwell Hockin. He also wanted an education, and joining the Army he knew he could take care of all of that, his sister Carma Johnson says. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 12 Fort Hood soldiers who have vanished, died, or, in one case, turned up dead after going missing last year. As soon as I get out of the hospital, I will call you. All rights reserved. Fort Hood was founded in January 1942 as a training ground for tank destroyers, selected for its varied terrain. In 1941, Private Felix Hall was lynched by fellow soldiers, at Fort Benning, Georgia. 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. She had also missed her standing noon call with her fianc, Juan Cruz. 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. Many complained specifically of being made to cut grass to ready for such official visits. 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. The brutal murders of four Idaho college students shocked millions. Rodriguez sensed something was off. 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. After 8 p.m., Guillen's sister Mayra called the base. Photo: US Army. 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. None of the grunts I spoke to was surprised by the number of casualties. That an overwhelming majority of the towns 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. 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. (Fort Hood) A soldier in the 1st Cavalry Division was found dead Saturday in his company area, according to a statement from. The U.S. Army announced Saturday that a soldier was found dead in the . 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. Five were murdered. Maxwell Hockin, the Central . On May 18, Brandon Rosecranss burning Jeep was discovered in a hilly suburb east of Fort Hood. Tributes.com is the online source for current local and national obituary news. Far from itthe military was operating as it had been intended. That is the opposite of what hes been consistently saying.. He died the evening of September 2. In death, she is no longer a daughter or a sister or a partner. In 1941, Private Felix Hall was lynched by fellow soldiers, at Fort Benning, Georgia. 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. 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. Rodriguez sensed something was off. 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. (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. Then they tried burning the body. Frantic, she called around, to no avail. They married in May 2017, and he took her name with hyphenation. A young soldier found dead at Fort Hood has been identified, but his cause of death remains hidden. He had messaged his sister beforehand to tell her something felt off. The tributaries that run through Fort Hood flow into the Leon River, where Guillen's remains were later found. As publication approached, it stopped responding to emails pertaining to both specific questions about individual cases as well as broader queries about the base.). Dozens of people were killed, died by suicide, or went missing from the Texas military base last year alone. (Penny says they met online.) Fernandes was dropped off at his friend's house the next day, August 17, never to be seen again. Fort Hood Weather. 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. And how well will that look on your rsum?, Im 21 now, and let me tell you. Wedel-Morales was thrilled to become a father. On April 29, it was Private Joshua Barnwell, 19. A sergeant from Guillens division called it mandatory fun days. The additional scrutinythe congressional delegation visit, press toursmeant that soldiers had to work harder. Those remains, it turned out, belonged to yet another soldier, Private Gregory Wedel-Morales, who had gone missing the previous summer. A 214,968-acre installation, this is the only post in the United States capable of stationing and training two armored divisions. 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. Killeen itself sits on an especially brutal stretch of central Texas, along the Balcones Fault, which separates the high plains of the Hill Country to the west from the grand prairies and limestone plains of the east, and along which runs Interstate 35. Fort Worth (817) 293-8477 Laurel Land Funeral Home and Cemetery 7100 Crowley Road, Fort Worth . On most nights, I had nightmares. February 26, 2023 (50 years old) View obituary. Fort Hood might not even stand out were it not for a particularly bad year among many. His body was found nearly a month later, two miles from the barracks. The ancient Greeks wrote epic poems on the subject, the most famous of which is the Iliad. Had one of them stood in for Guillen during roll call? Eventually Fernandes rang from the Army hospital. He got home around 2 p.m. and told his wife, Gloria, about the unusual aches. Hood was an unsuccessful battle commander; 400 men of his Texas Brigade died in a single fight, some would argue through incautious direction. Before Guillen, there had been Private LaVena Lynn Johnson, who was found dead in a tent in 2005 in Iraq. Hoover, Alabama. Specialist Vanessa Guillen's father, Rogelio, wondered if I shouldn't carry a gun. 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. They married in May 2017, and he took her name with hyphenation. I will tell you everything." Eleven of the deaths remain unresolvedsome legally; others for the victims families. Fort Hood soldier found dead behind barracks, investigation underway Officials identified the soldier as 26-year-old Spc. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. Just before noon, Guillen left her keys, Army ID, and bank cards in one arms room and entered another adjacent arms room, separated by a hallway. After a chase along Rancier Avenue, the same street near which Lovell was found dead, Robinson shot himself and died. Victoria a friend of Gregory Wedel-Morales at the site of his remains, Killeen TX. Fernandess family told me they have never been interviewed. Vanessa Guillen. If not, what explained the false accounting? Garrison Policies and Regulations. There, Wedel-Morales's remains had been found, long ago decomposed in the Texas heat. On June 30, a construction crew found shallow graves containing human remains that belonged to Guillen. 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. Mayra wept during the journey, already fearing the worst. (Penny says they met online.) Terrie Boley, whose daughter Candance became addicted to crack cocaine while serving at Fort Hood and was murdered in a motel room in 2011, told me not to drink the water. The military, Rodriguez said, had known about this but had refused to treat him. Prepare a personalized obituary for someone you loved.. Search Fort Hood obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. 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. Traveling in the time of plague, trying to build rapport with people from six feet away, was enervating. A few days later, they spoke again, for the last time. Oct 29, 2021. 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. Fort Hood is the Army's premier installation to train and deploy heavy forces. The Army's own investigation found "major flaws" at Fort Hood, leading to the firing or suspending of 14 officials. 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. Also that year, Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach was raped by her superior, which she reported. In other battles, having lost the use of his arm and later a leg, Hood had to be strapped to a horse for combat. Chee had joined the military in part to support the young family he was starting with his high school sweetheart turned fiance. New Market, Alabama. Most of the groups were aboveboard, even as they were ruled by certain strictures for meeting attendance, dress code, and how to appropriately signal respect. I've even lost myself." So much of reporting is opening yourself up to chance, and there I was, compulsively locking and relocking the rental car door. Killeen was named after another disappointing man: Frank Killeen, an assistant general manager to the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway. 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. There she encountered Specialist Aaron Robinson, also 20 years old but a rank above. Fernandes was dropped off at his friends house the next day, never to be seen again. He ultimately murdered her when she was eight months pregnant, then set her on fire before fleeing to Mexico. 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. We believe that Every Life has a Story which should be told and preserved. Rodriguez disputes this claim. 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 Armys own investigation found major flaws at Fort Hood, leading to the firing or suspending of 14 officials. 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. 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. The numbers are distressing. A group of soldiers, including Robinson, greeted them. But with each encounter, it was becoming clear that the military had not failed its soldiers at all. His body was mostly intact but for his hyoid, which was never found. He wondered if it was something he had eaten and carried on with his shift. 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. Boots and hat at Vanessa Guillens memorial, Killeen TX, Jeffrey Epsteins Decades-Long Relationship. After hours, media should call the Emergency Operations Center at (254) 287-2054 and ask for the on-call PAO. The soldiers said that Guillen's belongings had been found in the arms room, but otherwise she had left no trace. Because what the military asks of its men and women is so antisocial, it must co-opt the rhetoric of the family. CID and Homeland security believe the NVGs were stolen from shipping . 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. 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. These figures eclipse American casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq in the same year. -. At 9:30 p.m., Mayra, Cruz, Guillen's other sister Yovana, and Yovana's boyfriend set out for Fort Hood. Is it possible Elder was murdered? 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. Also that year, Marine Lance Corporal Maria Lauterbach was raped by her superior, which she reported. (The person who called in with the tip declined to collect the reward. On August 13, Staff Sergeant Bradley Moore died during a land navigation exercise on the base. Curiously, a few hours after the officers picked up Casteel, he went silent online. ), On July 3, a fortnight after Wedel-Morales's body was found, Specialist Miguel Yazzie, 33, died at Fort Hood after his repeated requests to see a doctor were denied, according to Carma Johnson, whose brother died at Fort Hood. The soldiers said that Guillens belongings had been found in the arms room, but otherwise she had left no trace. The family began posting online about Guillens disappearance and distributing Missing fliers. 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. 20, 2021 FORT HOOD, Texas The death of Spc. All are former soldiers. She has become that complicated, indelible thing: a hero. He told his sister there were three white soldiers who did not like him. On August 28, Chee was called into a training run. 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 search party arrived at Fort Hood at 3 a.m. Guillens staff sergeant told the group to come back in the morning. Memorial that now stands at the site Vanessa Guillen's remains were found in Killen, Texas. Had one of them stood in for Guillen during roll call? Chee, like Yazzie, was a member of the Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation community, and was new to the base. Visit this link to create a free obituary then read the advantages of creating an obituary on Echovita and either click Start now or Create an obituary for your loved to begin. 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 . 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. 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.