Fort Hood Army Spc. Keisha Morgan Died of Non-Combat Related Cause in Baghdad, Iraq; CID Ruled Suicide But Family Suspects Rape & Murder (February 22, 2008)

On February 22, 2008September 13, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Sexual Assault, Suicide, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment

Army Spc. Keisha M. Morgan, 25, died of a non-combat related cause in Baghdad, Iraq on February 22, 2008. Spc. Morgan was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood in Texas. Army investigators ruled her death a suicide by overdose of her military-dispensed prescription anti-depressants. The family suspects Keisha may have been raped and murdered.

“But Keisha had confided in her mother about a night when she was certain a fellow soldier had slipped something in her drink at a local bar. When she awoke the following morning–failing to remember how she left the bar and returned to barracks–the soldier was in her room. This same man was on base at the time of Keisha’s death, says her mother, recalling her daughter’s concern about this. A week later, a roommate found Keisha lying on the floor and couldn’t tell if she was sleeping. Keisha erupted in seizures and the roommate ran for help. Medics could not stabilize her and she passed away.” ~WomensENews (December 17, 2010)

Fort Campbell Army Sgt. Tracy Birkman Died of Non-Combat Related Injuries in Owesat, Iraq (January 25, 2008)

On January 25, 2008September 13, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment

Army Sgt. Tracy Birkman, 41, died from non combat related injuries in Owesat, Iraq on January 25, 2008. Sgt. Birkman was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation which is typical of non combat death. But the official cause of death is unknown.

Birkman’s father, Jerald Griffith, a Vietnam War veteran, said he was angry with military officials for releasing information about his daughter’s death and with the news media for its portrayal of soldiers such as himself. “I didn’t want it released. I am so [furious] about all this I can just scream,” said Griffith, also of New Castle. “I hate the media with just an unmitigated passion. You . . . lied about me when I was in Vietnam.” He said his daughter was on her third deployment.” She’s over there in a war we shouldn’t even be involved in, on her third tour,” Griffith said. –The Washington Post (January 29, 2008)

Army Sgt 1st Class David Cooper Jr. Died of a Non Combat-Related Injury in Baghdad, Iraq (2007)

On September 5, 2007September 8, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat DeathLeave a comment

cooper_photo_sm — Sgt 1st Class David Cooper Jr, US Army

Army Sgt. 1st Class David Cooper Jr, 36, died of a non combat related injury in Baghdad, Iraq on September 5, 2007. Sgt. 1st Class Cooper was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division in Fort Lewis, Washington. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation. The official cause of death is unknown.

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Cpl. Reynold Armand Died of Unspecified Causes in Balad, Iraq; Official Cause of Death Unknown (August 7, 2007)

On August 7, 2007August 7, 2020 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, USMCLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-08-19 at 5.13.59 PM — Cpl. Reynold Armand, U.S. Marine Corps

Marine Cpl. Reynold Armand, 21, died of unspecified causes on August 7, 2007 in Balad, Iraq. Cpl. Armand was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the death was under investigation. The outcome of the investigation and official cause of death is unknown.

“Reynold Armand loved football, playing video games and spending time with family and friends. He was proud of his Haitian and Puerto Rican heritage and loved the New York Yankees…He was a 2004 high school graduate and was assigned to Camp Lejeune… Armand so wanted to join the Marines that he persuaded his aunt and adoptive mother Miriam Velez to allow him to enlist before he turned 18. He wanted to follow in the footsteps of the late Victor Velez, Miriam Velez’s husband and Armand’s uncle and adoptive father, a former Marine. ‘He looked up to him, he left to make him proud,’ said Velez.” –In Remembrance of Cpl. Reynold Armand

Did the Army do enough to prevent soldier’s death? (2007)

On February 6, 2007March 3, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, Felony Crime, Homicide, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Sexual Assault, SuicideLeave a comment

Pfc. Tina Priest of Smithville died in Iraq on March 1, 2006 and her family is worried that the Army botched its care for her after a rape claim that was followed by her apparent suicide.

Investigations did not find sufficient evidence to continue the rape inquiry, but the family, skeptical of what it sees as holes in the Army’s information, is waiting for a final review by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.

Family members also say Army officials told them that the investigation was concluded in September, but their requests for the final report are being denied. A recent article in the Hartford Courant newspaper citing that final report has heightened the Priests’ anger.

“I need some closure,” said Joy Priest, Tina Priest’s mother. “I want to know. Why can a newspaper get a copy of that report and we can’t?”

An investigation conducted in Iraq by Fort Hood’s 4th Infantry Division, in which Priest served, was conducted after her death, and its findings — which the family was given — are an accurate portrayal of events, said Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a spokesman for the division. He said the Criminal Investigation Command report will be the last one issued, “and we do still owe that to the family.”

Continue reading “Did the Army do enough to prevent soldier’s death? (2007)” →

Navy Seaman Sandra Grant Died of Natural Causes While Aboard the USS Eisenhower in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (December 31, 2006)

On December 31, 2006December 31, 2019 By AdministratorIn Accidents, Armed Forces, In Their Name, Medical, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death1 Comment

17695945_116985239713 — Seaman Sandra Grant, US Navy

Navy Seaman Sandra Grant, 23, died of a natural causes (cardiac arrest) while aboard a ship in the Arabian Sea on December 31, 2006. Seaman Grant was a Damage Control Fireman supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Naval officials reported the death was under investigation but preliminary findings pointed to natural causes. Sandra was a sailor, a family member, a friend, a wife, and the mother of a baby boy. She was also one of three sailors announced in the Department of Defense press release that died of ‘natural causes’ or an ‘accident’ in a hostile fire zone in support of OIF. Lt. Cmdr. Jane Lanham, 43, died from natural causes on September 19, 2006 in Bahrain. Petty Officer 3rd Class Roger Napper, 20, died of trauma from a single motor vehicle accident on October 7, 2006 in Bahrain.

[Sandra’s] father said the news came as a total shock because she was always healthy and didn’t have any prior medical condition. –The-Dispatch.com

Fort Hood Army Pfc. Tina Priest Died From a Non-Combat Related Incident in Iraq; Death Ruled Suicide But Family Suspects Rape & Murder (March 1, 2006)

On March 1, 2006July 22, 2020 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Scandals, Sexual Assault, Suicide, Suspicious Deaths2 Comments

Army Pfc. Tina Priest, 20, died from a non-combat related injury in Taji, Iraq on March 1st, 2006. She was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 4th Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Divison at Fort Hood, Texas. The Army ruled the death an apparent suicide but Tina’s parents dispute that finding based on the evidence and believe that she was raped and murdered; Tina reported a rape two weeks prior to her death. This case is no longer under investigation by the Army but considered an unsolved cold case because of the concerns the family has with the death investigation and cause of death ruling by the Army. Forty-one (41) female service members died of non combat related injuries while serving in Iraq; and twenty-three (23) were labeled homicide, suicide, or the cause of death is unknown. Tina’s suspicious death was discussed in the Silent Truth Documentary and on the Crime Junkie Podcast.

“What happened to LaVena Lynn Johnson and so many others speaks to a Pentagon culture which more closely resembles a rogue government–than a legitimate branch serving under civilian control. It is highly telling that this family, along with the Tillman family each had to have a documentary film made JUST TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO THE TRUTH OF PENTAGON COVER-UPS. I urge everyone to view this important documentary – before the local military recruiter mandated under No Child Left Behind –‘friends’ their child at school. God forbid, they could wind up coming home in a body bag – like LaVena.” Read more from Truthout here.

The Silent Truth Documentary:

Ninety-four US military women in the military have died in Iraq or during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). ‘The Silent Truth’ tells the story of one of these women, PFC LaVena Lynn Johnson, who was found dead on Balad Air Force Base in Iraq. The army claimed she shot herself with her own M16 rifle, but forensic evidence, obtained by the Johnson family through the Freedom of Information Act, brings the army’s findings into question. The Army refuses to re-open LaVena Johnson’s case, leaving the family in limbo. ‘The Silent Truth’ follows the Johnson’s pursuit of justice and truth for their daughter. -The Silent Truth Documentary (July 1, 2014)

Crime Junkie Podcast:

Army Soldier Katherine ‘Kat’ Singleton Died in Iraq; Department of Defense Did Not Publish Press Release Notifying Public of Death (2006)

On January 18, 2006January 7, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, In Their Name, Military Policy, ScandalsLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2018-01-06 at 9.56.47 PM — Katherine Singleton, US Army

The parents of Army soldier Katherine ‘Kat’ Singleton, 25, confirmed that she died in Iraq on January 18, 2006 but did not wish to comment further. Kat Singleton’s home of record is listed as Pensacola, Florida and she enlisted in the Army’s Delayed Entry Program in 2001. Singleton worked as a 15F10 (MOS) and was assigned to the HHC Training Support Battalion at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Singleton’s first deployment to Iraq was with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky from March 2003 to May 2003 (not confirmed). The Department of Defense did not publish a press release notifying the public of Katherine Singleton’s cause of death in Iraq. As a matter of fact, no credible information is available on the web except in an obituary.

HER FRIEND’S LAST WORDS AND REQUEST:

“I just want to let you know that there is no need to yell “cover up” in this case. The death of Kat P. Singleton was kept private for reasons that are no one’s business, but I assure you she is dead and that the government didn’t hide things from the public. She didn’t die overseas and what happened was very tragic but not for the public eye. She was a brave soldier who said on many occasions that she never regretted enrolling in the army and would go back to Iraq to fight for her country to secure our freedoms over and over again. She was a wonderful person and I am glad that our lives touched. I am sending this article that most of you seem to have over looked so that you may see that she is dead and she is buried. I feel that her father said little to the press because he didn’t want the world to know his family business and I believe also that it is time for you to close this thread and let Kat rest in peace. She will be forever loved and missed deeply and never forgotten.” -Anonymous

Holloman Air Force Base Airman Rudy Victor Disappeared; Remains Found in Montana in 1982 Match Rudy Victor’s DNA (June 15, 1974)

On June 15, 1974June 1, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Cold Cases, In Their Name, Military Policy, Suicide, USAFLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2017-06-24 at 8.00.24 PM — A1C Rudy Victor, US Air Force

Officials with Holloman Air Force Base say that a 43-year-old cold case involving an AWOL Airman has come to a close after investigators were able to match DNA and dental records to remains found in the Montana wilderness in 1982 to the missing airman. Airman First Class Rudy Redd Victor, 20, from Shiprock, NM was assigned to Holloman Air Force Base in 1974 when he was awarded leave to visit family in Arizona and Colorado.

Witness reports indicate the last location of Victor was near the Wolf Creek Rest area in Lewis and Clark County, Montana. Shortly thereafter, Victor went missing and he was categorized as AWOL by the U.S. Air Force after he failed to return to duty in June 1974…According to the Lewis and Clark Sheriff’s Office and Lewis and Clark County Coroner, Airman Victor’s death was most likely due to suicide [on or about June 15, 1974].

Read more: El Paso Proud

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Cause of Death Unknown

Fort Hood Army Spc. Keisha Morgan Died of Non-Combat Related Cause in Baghdad, Iraq; CID Ruled Suicide But Family Suspects Rape & Murder (February 22, 2008)

Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Cpl. Reynold Armand Died of Unspecified Causes in Balad, Iraq; Official Cause of Death Unknown (August 7, 2007)

Did the Army do enough to prevent soldier’s death? (2007)

Navy Seaman Sandra Grant Died of Natural Causes While Aboard the USS Eisenhower in Support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (December 31, 2006)

Army Soldier Katherine ‘Kat’ Singleton Died in Iraq; Department of Defense Did Not Publish Press Release Notifying Public of Death (2006)

Holloman Air Force Base Airman Rudy Victor Disappeared; Remains Found in Montana in 1982 Match Rudy Victor’s DNA (June 15, 1974)

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