Navy sailor Ashley Barnes, 19, died unexpectedly on August 7, 2016 while stationed as an Information Systems Technician in Gaeta, Italy. Ashley’s family said they have not been informed of the exact cause of death and are awaiting autopsy results. Ashley graduated from Great Lakes Naval Training Center on October 3, 2014, Information Systems Technician “A” School on March 26, 2015, and reported to the U.S.S. Mount Whitney (LCC 20) on April 19, 2015. On July 1, 2016, Ashley was qualified as an enlisted surface warfare specialist. According to her obituary, Ashley Barnes was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania but she lived in Totowa for most of her life.
Ashley was a 2014 graduate of Passaic Valley High School, where she played varsity field hockey. And the Passaic Valley reports she also played softball and basketball. The family and the whole community were devastated by the loss. “We were all devastated when we found out she passed suddenly and you can’t believe this could happen to someone so young. My daughter had just seen and talked to her before she returned back to Italy after being on leave,” family friend Marianne Puluse said. She emphasized that Ashley was someone who deserves to be remembered. The outcome of the investigation and the official cause of death are unknown.
“Killeen Police identified 24-year-old Logan Ellis Rainwater as the victim of a fatal motorcycle accident that occurred at the intersection of Clear Creek Road and Janelle Drive in Killeen, Texas on August 1, 2016. Authorities reported that at around 9:15 a.m., the 72-year-old driver of an SUV was traveling southbound on Clear Creek Road when he or she attempted to turn onto Janelle Drive. However, the driver of the SUV failed to yield right-of-way and struck a northbound motorcycle, driven by Rainwater. According to Killeen PIO Ofelia Miramontez, Rainwater was ejected in the collision and the bike struck a white Nissan 370Z at the stop sign. Rainwater was transported to Metroplex Hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced deceased at 9:42 a.m. The driver of the SUV was taken to the same hospital with non-life threatening injuries. According to police, the driver of the SUV will likely be ticketed for failing to yield the right of way. It is unknown if the driver will face more-serious charges such as vehicular manslaughter, however the accident is still under investigation.” –Texas Car Accident News (August 3, 2016)
Army Sgt. Jacqueline Anderson, 26, was found dead in her apartment in Seoul, South Korea on July 31, 2016. Sgt. Anderson’s husband, Sgt. Carl Anderson, found her unresponsive and asked neighbors to contact the police but she was dead upon their arrival. Sgt. Anderson was from Leesville, Louisiana and she joined the Army in January 2011. She was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 38th Field Artillery Regiment, 210th Field Artillery Brigade at Camp Casey, South Korea. She was stationed in Dongducheon with her husband who is also with the 210th Field Artillery Brigade. At the time of reporting, Jacqueline’s cause of death was under investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Division. The outcome of the investigation and official cause of death is unknown.
Heath Phillips is a US Navy veteran who served his country honorably up until he became a victim of sexual assault while on board the ship he was assigned to. As a result of the crimes, Heath chose not to go back to the ship in an effort to escape the hazing, retaliation, and further sexual and physical assault that awaited him. Instead he went Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and was eventually given an Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge from the military. As a result of the discharge status, his life has been impacted greatly up to and including not having the ability to access veteran’s health care and compensation at the Department of Veterans Affairs for the injuries he sustained in the line of duty.
Since 2009, he has been an active voice for male victims of crimes in the military and has helped to educate the public about male military sexual assault issues. He has helped Representative Jackie Speier gain support for the Sexual Assault Training, Oversight, and Prevention Act (STOP Act). He has supported Senator Kirsten Gillibrand in efforts to pass the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). He advocated on behalf of the Human Rights Watch organization for passage of the Fairness for Veterans Act. He continues to work closely with organizations and members of Congress to elevate support for male victims of crimes in the military and improve care for them in active duty and veteran status.
Update (June 2018): Heath Phillips appeared on the Today Show and informed the public that his military discharge status had been upgraded to HONORABLE.
In the News:
Military Rape Speech 6 by Congresswoman Jackie Speier: I’ve discussed the military culture where victims are blamed and assailants are promoted. And I’ve shared the personal stories of several women in order to shine a light on this ongoing epidemic. But it is not only our female service members being raped. Men are being victimized too. (July 20, 2011)
Heath Phillips discusses surviving military sexual trauma & respect (July 1, 2018)
Anya Parampil breaks down a report written by the RAND Corporation that shows that there is still a sexual assault crisis in the US military. Anya reviews the findings of the study, which states that sexual assault is most rampant in the Navy. Anya speaks with US Navy Veteran, Heath Phillips, who shares his own experiences with sexual assault in the Navy and offers solutions to end the epidemic. -RT America (September 24, 2018)
Documentaries:
When his commanders would not stop sexual assaults by his shipmates, Heath went AWOL and then accepted a dishonorable discharge to end his torture. Now he is speaking out to change the way military rape is handled. This is his story.
Oral history interview with Heath Phillips by Jason A. Higgins on June 12, 2018. This interview is part of the Incarcerated Veterans Oral History Project, with the support of the UMass Oral History Lab. In the interview, U.S. Navy veteran Heath Phillips discusses his early life growing up with a Vietnam veteran father; his motivations for joining the military at seventeen; recounts 10 months of sexual violence aboard the U.S.S. Butte; the impact of Military Sexual Trauma, PTSD, and an other-than-honorable discharge on his post-military life; incarceration and twenty years of alcoholism; his path toward recovery; and his advocacy for other survivors of sexual trauma. -Incarcerated Veterans Project
Fort Hood Army Sgt. Dougal Mitchell, 32, died from injuries suffered in an automobile accident in Georgetown, Texas on June 11, 2016. According to the Killeen Daily Herald, the automobile accident resulted in the death of two people. Sgt. Mitchell’s home of record is listed as Palmdale, California and he enlisted in the Army in September 2002. Sgt. Mitchell was a petroleum supply specialist with the 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood. Sgt. Mitchell deployed five times: once to United Arab Emirates, three times to Kuwait, and once to Iraq. Sgt. Mitchell’s awards and decorations include two Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct Medals, two Kuwait Defense Service Medals, the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, and five Overseas Service Ribbons.
“Sexual assault is a huge problem in the US military. And for many victims, the process of reporting their crime and seeking justice can be as traumatic as their assault.
Most members of Congress and military officials agree that these basic facts are true, and that more reforms to the military justice system could help. But there’s a profound disagreement on how, and how much, the system needs to change.
The US Senate is expected to vote this week on the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA). Advocates, who have been pushing for the MJIA since 2013, say the reform would make the process of prosecuting sex crimes a lot easier and smoother for victims and help victims feel more empowered to come forward and report the crimes against them.
An unusual bipartisan cadre of senators support the MJIA, from Elizabeth Warren to Ted Cruz. But the Pentagon adamantly opposes it, and many senators listen to the Pentagon when it says the MJIA would undermine “good order and discipline.” So there’s still no filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority for the measure, and it’s been defeated every year it’s come up.”
Army Sgt. Duane Shaw III, 34, was taken to a hospital in nearby Temple, Texas where he was pronounced dead on June 8, 2016. Sgt. Shaw was found unresponsive at his off-post home in Killeen, Texas. Sgt. Shaw enlisted in the Army in December 2005 as a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) specialist. He was assigned to the 8th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood. Sgt. Shaw deployed in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom; he earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, a Combat Action Badge and a Driver and Mechanic Badge with Wheeled Vehicle Bar, and other awards and decorations. Sgt. Shaw’s death was the third death reported in one week by Fort Hood officials. Decorated combat veteran SFC Antino Glass died in a fatal motorcycle crash on June 5th and Spc. Bernardino Guevara, Jr. was found dead with a gunshot wound on June 6th in a parking lot on post. Additionally, this was the 12th death reported in the month of June at Fort Hood. On June 2, 2016, nine service members died in a flood water training accident on post.
Spc. Bernardino Guevara, Jr., U.S. Army (photo: Gun Memorial)
Army Spc. Bernardino Guevara Jr., 21, died from a gunshot wound in a parking lot near the Sportsmen’s Center at Fort Hood, Texas on June 6, 2016. Spc. Guevara’s home of record is listed as Roxbury, Massachusetts. He entered active-duty service in September 2014 as a Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator. Spc. Guevara was assigned to 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade at Fort Hood since March 2016. His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
Army SFC Antino Glass, 34, died on his way home from training duties on June 5, 2016 when his motorcycle struck livestock on Fort Hood in Texas. SFC Glass’ home of record is listed as New Orleans, Louisiana. He enlisted in the Army in 2002 and served with the 2nd Battalion, 291st Infantry Regiment at Fort Hood since 2015. He deployed twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. SFC Glass earned the Purple Heart Medal, five Army Commendation Medals, the Combat Action Badge and the Driver and Mechanic Badge with Wheeled Vehicle Bar, and other honors and decorations.
Fort Hood Army Sgt. Marcus Nelson Sr., 45, died May 23, 2016 while in custody at the Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas. Nelson was being held in pretrial confinement on behalf of the 1st Cavalry Division. According to Army Times, Nelso was charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice with departing his appointed place of duty, disobeying a lawful order from a noncommissioned officer, dereliction of duty and disobeying lawful regulation, and communicating a threat. Sgt. Nelson was from Detroit, Michigan and joined the Army in April 2005 as a petroleum supply specialist. In June 2015, Nelson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. Sgt. Nelson deployed to Iraq twice and his awards and decorations include three Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, three Army Good Conduct Medals, and the Iraq Campaign Medal with four campaign stars.
MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL 