Category: Non Combat Death

Air Force Captain William DuBois Died When F-16 Aircraft Crashed in Jordan; USAF Accident Investigation Board Ruled Rapid Descent Caused Crash (2014)

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Captain William DuBois, US Air Force

Air Force Captain William DuBois, 30, of New Castle, Colorado died December 1, 2014 when his F-16 aircraft crashed near a coalition air base in Jordan. Captain DuBois was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 77th Fighter Squadron, Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. Captain DuBois grew up in New Castle, Colorado and graduated from the Reserve Officer Training Corps at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The accident was investigated and the Air Force accident investigation board reported that a rapid descent caused the fatal F-16 crash.

Because he was flying so low, DuBois was unable to recognize and recover from the descent. After pulling out of the turn, about one second before hitting the ground, DuBois apparently was able to see he was too low and attempted a 4G level pull away from the ground, but it was too late. –Air Force Times

Related Links:
Obituary: Capt William H “Will” Dubois
Air Force Capt. William H. Dubois
About Captain H.”Pyro” DuBois, Jr
Remembering Capt. William H. Dubois
DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty
Captain William H. DuBois Memorial Service
Shaw AFB pilot dies in F-16 crash in Middle East
US Air Force pilot killed in crash in Mideast
Air Force: Colorado Captain Killed In F-16 Crash
Badass Alert: Remembering Capt. Will “Pyro” Dubois
A Nickel On The Grass for Captain William H. Dubois
Air Force pilot killed in Middle East crash identified
Colorado pilot killed in F-16 crash in Middle East
New Castle man dies in mission against ISIS
Air Force pilot from Colorado killed in crash
Colorado Native William Dubois Named as F-16 Pilot Killed in Crash
US Air Force pilot, Capt. William DuBois, of Colorado, killed in F-16 crash in Middle East
F-16 top gun DuBois — ‘once in a generation’
Body of Air Force pilot returning to Colorado, flags lowered in honor
Captain William Dubois, a fallen hero, comes home
Fallen Air Force Captain William DuBois Returns Home
Body Of Fallen Air Force Pilot Returning To Home State Colorado
Governor Hickenlooper Orders Flags Lowered in Honor of Capt. William DuBois
New Castle plans memorial to Air Force pilot
USAF: Rapid descent caused fatal F-16 crash in December
Air Force: F-16 pilot in crash didn’t know he was descending
In Memoriam: William H. Dubois
In Memory Of Captain William H. DuBois
5K honors fallen Colorado Air Force captain
Annual 5k honors Colorado airman killed in action
New Castle to remember 
fallen jet pilot
New Castle honoring Air Force pilot killed in combat
Air Force Captain William H. DuBois (Congressional Record)
Aviation Safety Network Wikibase Occurrence #171812


U.S. Air Force Capt. William H. DuBois, 30, of New Castle, Colorado, was killed in a crash Monday in the Middle East. -Denver 7

Army Veteran Tomas Young Dies at 34; Shot & Paralyzed on Black Sunday in 2004 on Peace Keeping Mission with Fort Hood in Sadr City, Iraq (2014)

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US Army Veteran Tomas Young (photo by Danny Clinch)

“I write this letter on behalf of those veterans whose trauma and self-revulsion for what they have witnessed, endured and done in Iraq have led to suicide and on behalf of the active-duty soldiers and Marines who commit, on average, a suicide a day. I write this letter on behalf of the some 1 million Iraqi dead and on behalf of the countless Iraqi wounded. I write this letter on behalf of us all — the human detritus your war has left behind, those who will spend their lives in unending pain and grief.” -Tomas Young, Disabled Army Veteran

Read the rest of The Last Letter to Bush and Cheney here.

Tomas Young, who joined the Army in the days after 9/11, was deployed to Iraq where he was shot and paralyzed just five days into his tour of duty. He spent ten years battling his injuries and speaking out against war and injustice before his death on the eve of Veterans’ Day, 2014. “Tomas told me that one of the reasons he joined the Army was to obtain GI Bill funding so he could go to college,” said [Mark] Wilkerson (author of Tomas Young’s War). “He wanted to study creative writing or journalism. After his passing, we felt a scholarship would be a perfect way to honor his legacy.” –Pearl Jam

Body of War, a film by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue. It is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true face of war today. -The Real News

Related Links:
Tomas Young (1979-2014)
Body of War Documentary
Tomas Young’s War by Mark Wilkerson
Tomas Young Scholarship | Pearl Jam
Paralyzed man soldiers on in anti-war documentary
Back Home from Iraq with Tomas Young
Remembering Iraq War Veteran Tomas Young
In his last act, Iraq veteran’s mission turns deeply personal
This Army Veteran Is Going to Kill Himself Rather Than Continue to Live with Injuries Suffered in Iraq
Tomas Young, Dying Iraq War Veteran, Writes Last Letter to Bush and Cheney
Dying Iraq War Veteran Tomas Young Reads “Last Letter” to President Bush and Dick Cheney
Wounded Iraq Veteran, Thomas Young, to Commit Suicide by Starvation
The Iraq veteran who can no longer go on: Husband, 33, who was paralysed by sniper bullet four days into deployment plans to starve himself to death almost a decade on
A Message to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney From a Dying Veteran
Iraq War vet pens ‘last letter’ to Bush and Cheney
Tomas Young: Suicidal veteran takes parting shot at Bush
The Life and Death of Tomas Young
The Last Days of Tomas Young
Tomas Young, Iraq War Veteran and Antiwar Activist, Dead at 34
Tomas Young, Army Veteran, Dies at 34; Critic of Iraq War in Film
Tomas Young dies at 34; soldier became antiwar activist after paralyzing injury
Paralyzed Iraq War Vet Turned Peace Activist Tomas Young Dies on Eve of Veterans Day
Iraq War veteran and antiwar activist Tomas Young dies in Seattle
Tomas Young was a casualty of war and a voice of reason
Iraq War Veteran and Anti-War Activist Thomas Young Dead at 34
Tomas Young Courageously Debunked the Sanitized Image of the Iraq War
If We Don’t Ever Experience War, How Will We End It?
A Patriot Returns Home Paralyzed and Disillusioned
SPC. Tomas Young’s War on War
The Long Road Home | National Geographic
The Long Road Home – Trailer | National Geographic
First Look: The Long Road Home | The Long Road Home
Nat Geo’s Iraq War Series: Gritty, Authentic, And Army-Approved
Tributes to ‘Black Sunday’ Vets at Premiere of ‘The Long Road Home’
‘The Long Road Home’: Noel Fisher on Portraying Tomas Young
Noel Fisher Opens Up About the ‘Responsibility’ of Playing Tomas Young in ‘The Long Road Home’
‘The Long Road Home’ with the soldiers and families of Black Sunday
Army Soldiers at Fort Hood in Texas Are Dying at Alarming Rates Stateside
Violent Crime, Suicide, and Non Combat Death at Fort Hood, Texas (US Army)
73 Fort Hood Soldiers Died Since January 2016: 4 Insider Attacks & 2 Suicides Overseas; 67 Stateside Deaths Including 34 Alleged Suicides & 1 Unsolved Homicide
Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro Produce ‘Body of War’ Documentary Featuring Anti-War Activist & Disabled Army Veteran Tomas Young (2007)
The Fort Hood Fallen on Facebook

Navy Reserve Cmdr. Christopher Kalafut Died of a Non-Combat Related Incident at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar (2014)

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Cmdr. Christopher Kalafut, US Navy Reserve

Navy Commander Christopher Kalafut, 49, of Oceanside, California died of a non-combat related incident on October 24, 2014 at Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar. He was found dead in his room. Cmdr. Kalafut was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on behalf of the Naval Amphibious Liaison Element, Combined Forces Air Component Center at U.S. Central Command. Cmdr. Kalafut graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy in 1987 and entered active duty as an E-2C Hawkeye pilot. He spent some time on the USS Abraham Lincoln and spent six years in the service before leaving and entering the Navy Reserve. He had a civilian job as a pilot for Delta in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time of the DoD press release, the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.

He flew with the reserves less often in recent years. The July deployment, a non-flying position, was seen as a final step before retirement. –Steve Kalafut (father)

Related Links:
Obituary: Cmdr. Christopher “Chris” Edward Kalafut
Navy Cmdr. Christopher E. Kalafut
DoD Identifies Navy Casualty
Navy officer dies in Qatar
Navy pilot from Acworth dies in Qatar
Navy commander from Oceanside killed overseas
Navy Officer And Father Of Five Dies In Qatar
San Diego Naval Officer Dies in Qatar
Naval Commander From Oceanside Who Died in Qatar Identified
Navy officer found dead at Qatar air base was pilot nearing retirement, dad says
Navy Officer Found Dead in Qatar Was Pilot Nearing Retirement
Tribute To Our Fallen Soldiers – US Navy Cmdr. Christopher E. Kalafut, 49, of Oceanside, CA


Cmdr. Christopher E. Kalafut, US Navy

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Sean Neal Died from a Non-Combat Related Incident in Baghdad, Iraq in Support of Operation Inherent Resolve (2014)

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Lance Cpl. Sean Neal, US Marine Corps

Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Neal, 19, of Riverside, California died from a non-combat related incident on October 23, 2014 in Baghdad, Iraq. Lance Cpl. Neal was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central Command, whose headquarters element deploys from Camp Pendleton, California. At the time of the DoD press release, the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.

Related Links:
Obituary: Marine Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal
Marine Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal
DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
Marine dies in Baghdad in noncombat incident
19-Year-Old Marine Is First Soldier to Die Fighting ISIS in Iraq
DOD: Marine’s death 1st in Iraq, 2nd since start of US campaign against Islamic State
Riverside Marine dies in Iraq, second to die in Islamic State mission
Marine, 19, becomes second U.S. military death in campaign against ISIS just one month after deployment to Iraq
Marine’s death in Iraq under investigation
Marine Is Reclassified as First to Die in Operation Inherent Resolve
California Marine is first service member to die in Iraq on mission against Islamic State
Marine becomes first U.S. military serviceman to die in Iraq while fighting ISIS, officials say
Riverside Marine, 19, Dies in Iraq; Is Second Military Member to Die in US Mission Against ISIS
First US military death announced since Isis offensive started in Iraq
In Memory Of Us Marine Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal


In Memory Of US Marine Lance Cpl. Sean P. Neal

PSYOPS Army Major Jonathan Walker Died of Non Combat Related Incident in Qatar in Support of Operation Inherent Resolve (2014)

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Major Jonathan Walker, US Army

Army Major Jonathan Walker, 44, of Merriam, Kansas died of a non-combat related incident on October 1, 2014 at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar. He was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Psychological Operations Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. At the time of the DoD press release, the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.

Related Links:
Obituary: Jonathan D. Walker
Army Maj. Jonathan D. Walker
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Fort Bragg soldier dies in Qatar
Army Loses Two: A PSYOPS Major And a Green Beret Sgt 1st Class
Interview with MAJ Jonathan Walker
Violent Crime, Non Combat Death & Suicide at Fort Bragg

Army Reservist SSG Virginia Caballero Died on Plane Enroute in US After Deployment in Kuwait, Family Received Conflicting Accounts of Cause of Death (September 13, 2014)

On By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Medical, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Stateside Death, Suspicious Deaths2 Comments

If you have any information that could help this family find answers, please contact us at militaryjusticeforall@gmail.com. Thank you.

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SSG Virginia Caballero, US Army Reserves (2014)

Honoring SSG Virginia Caballero, US Army Reserves, who became ill while en-route from Kuwait and then died unexpectedly shortly thereafter at a hospital in Rockford, Illinois on September 13, 2014. Apparently the commercial plane needed fuel and/or had to do an emergency landing for Virginia in Rockford, Illinois. It appears that they were on their way to Fort McCoy in Wisconsin. According to reports, Caballero was a Reservist stationed with the 452nd Combat Support Hospital, 330th Medical Brigade out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin but trained at Fort McCoy prior to her deployment to Kuwait.  She served in Kuwait for roughly eight months and for some reason was coming home a month early with a high ranking travel companion. Media reports claim she wanted to surprise her family in Texas. It is believed Caballero suffered from a blood clot which was exacerbated with the altitude on the flight. She was not listed as a non-combat death by the Department of Defense but this would in fact be considered a non-combat death due to medical. The family admits in newspaper articles that a lot of the details are sketchy.

Here are the questions we have after combing through the below articles. Why was she coming home a month early accompanied by a high ranking travel companion if she was going to surprise her family? Did something happen in country prior to her boarding that plane? Was this an early surprise for family in Texas or an expedited transfer from Kuwait back to the states? The military isn’t in the business of assigning high ranking travel companions unless there is an issue. Were there any concerns about medical health prior to boarding the plane? Where were they flying to? Rockford, Illinois is only a couple hour drive from Fort McCoy. Why did they not land the plane sooner at a larger airport like Chicago when the medical issues began to develop or the fuel began to get low? Why did the DoD not send out an official notification of non-combat death considering she was on active duty orders in support of war efforts in Kuwait? Criminal Investigation Division (CID) was assigned to investigate the cause of death of Virginia. The family was asked to submit a FOIA request for the results of the investigation.

Related Links:
Army Soldier Reflects on Life Overseas and Time Back Home
Lubbock movers reach out to help purple heart recipient
Soldier flying home to surprise family in Texas dies en route
Decorated soldier flying home to surprise family in Abernathy dies en route
Local Purple Heart Recipient Died While On Active Duty
Purple heart recipient’s body to arrive in Lubbock on Saturday
Family, friends remember Virginia Caballero as Veterans Day approaches
The Heart of a Soldier: Sergeant earns hero’s salute from hometown
USAR SSG Virginia Caballero, 41 (Noonie Fortin)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Other Areas)
Tribute to SSG Virginia Caballero from her Family
Abell Funeral Home Tribute to Virginia Caballero

August: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (August 31, 2014)

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Department of Defense

08/24/2014:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Christopher Mulalley, 26, NCD, Afghanistan, Fort Hood, Texas

08/21/2014:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Matthew Leggett, 39, Afghanistan, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

08/13/2014:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Samuel Hairston, 35, Afghanistan, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

08/06/2014:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Harold Greene, 55, Afghanistan, Combined Security Transition Command

08/04/2014:  DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Girard Gass Jr, 33, NCD, Afghanistan, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

Related Links:
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2002)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2003)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2004)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2005)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2006)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2007)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2008)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2009)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2010)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2011)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2012)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2013)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2015)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2016)
August: Department of Defense Casualties Report (2017)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Iraq)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Afghanistan)
Non Combat Deaths of Female Soldiers in the US Military (Other Areas)

Fort Bragg Army Pfc. Darrell Robinson Found Dead on Post (August 31, 2014)

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Pfc Darrell Robinson, U.S. Army

Related Links:
MP soldier found dead at Fort Bragg
Soldier from San Angelo Found Dead at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg soldier’s death Sunday under investigation
Bragg officials investigating military police officer’s death
Death Of Soldier With Military Dog Unit Under Investigation
Family mourns loss of soldier at Fort Bragg

A Very Realistic Military Game | Inside Amy Schumer (August 26, 2014)

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Amy discovers that her boyfriend’s war game unfolds very differently when the player chooses a female character. -Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central (August 26, 2014)

The sketch says it all… there’s a reason the majority of service members don’t report crime. Character assassination and retaliation is real for both male and female victims of crime in the military. Their lives, reputations, careers, and futures are dependent on the actions of the convening authority who has the power to do nothing. In the civilian world, after reporting a crime to the local police department and evidence is gathered, a prosecutor determines whether or not a case moves forward in the judicial system. The Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA) attempts to mirror this process and was reintroduced in June 2019, yet again was not allowed on the Senate floor for a vote. The last cloture vote on the way the military should handle felony crimes was on March 6, 2014. Invoking cloture means 60 Senators or two-thirds is required for passage of a bill as opposed to the majority of Senators. The biggest opponents of the MJIA were former Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and former Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), both since voted out of the Senate and replaced by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Senator Martha McSally (R-AZ). This pair of military officers are proponents of keeping the Chain of Command involved in the decision making process of adjudicating felony crime despite what the majority of military sexual assault survivors have asked for because the fear and retaliation continues. Meanwhile, the fight for military justice reform rages on. #PassMJIA

Related Links:
Inside Amy Schumer – A Very Realistic Military Game (YouTube)
Inside Amy Schumer – A Very Realistic Military Game (website)
Inside Amy Schumer: Military Video Game and Victim Blaming
Best of 2014: Inside Amy Schumer’s military rape sketch
The 11 Best Sketches from ‘Inside Amy Schumer’ Season 2
Amy Schumer Plays a Very Realistic Military Game (Trigger Warning)
Here’s Why You Don’t Want To Play A Female Character In A ‘Realistic’ Military Game
Amy Schumer Realizes Military Games Are Not Fun for Female Characters
15 feminist Amy Schumer sketches that will make you stand up and cheer
Amy Schumer’s Top 5 Feminist Comedy Sketches
The top 10 funniest sketches from ‘Inside Amy Schumer’
Amy Schumer: ‘I don’t try to be feminist. I just am. It’s innately inside me’
Amy Schumer Is A Feminist Icon & Here’s 5 Undeniable Reasons Why
5 jokes that explain how Amy Schumer became the new queen of comedy
Breathless: Why Amy Schumer Is an Amazing Feminist
Amy Schumer’s Call of Duty: The Comedic Art of Straddling the Line Between Humor and Hurt

Fort Hood Army Sgt. Christopher Mulalley Died of a Non-Combat Related Incident in Gardez, Afghanistan (August 22, 2014)

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Sgt. Christopher Mulalley, U.S. Army

Army Sgt. Christopher Mulalley, 26, died as the result of a non-combat related incident on August 22, 2014 in Gardez, Afghanistan. Sgt. Mulalley was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom on behalf of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.

Related Links:
DoD Identifies Army Casualty
Honor the Fallen: Army Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley
3rd Cav soldier dies in Afghanistan
Fort Hood soldier dies in Afghanistan from “non-combat” related incident
An Army Sergeant with two young sons
Soldier from Eureka dies in Afghanistan
Soldier from Northern California dies in Afghanistan
Army Sgt. Christopher Mulalley of Eureka dies in Afghanistan
Eureka Man Christopher W. Mulalley Killed in Afghanistan, Death Under Investigation
Death Of California Soldier In Afghanistan Under Investigation
Sergeant’s Death Under Investigation
Sergeant’s death in Afghanistan under investigation
Body of Eureka soldier returns home through Travis
California soldier’s remains brought home through Travis Air Force Base
3d Cavalry Regiment troops hold memorial for fallen
August: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2014)
Violent Crime, Suicide, and Non Combat Death at Fort Hood, Texas (US Army)
Tribute To Our Fallen Soldiers – US Army Sgt. Christopher W. Mulalley, 26, of Eureka, California