Fort Riley provides a Modern State-of-the-Art full spectrum,maneuver-friendly training environment in the Midwest, supporting the “TotalArmy.” Check out this five minute video to learn why Fort Riley finds itselfpositioned perfectly to provide for the Army’s current and future trainingneeds. -DVIDSHUB
2016 Antonio Bates, US Army: In 2016, veteran sentenced to 15 years in prison for sexual abuse of a minor in the 1990s while stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas Phillip Cruz-Medellin, US Army: Found dead in nearby Manhattan Oscar Delgado, US Army: Found dead on post after missing for a week Wayne Grigsby, US Army: Relieved of command of the 1st Infantry Division due to loss of confidence in ability to lead, suspended and fired Joseph Stifter, US Army: Died in fatal roll-over accident, Iraq
2014 James Henning, US Army: arrested for sexual exploitation of a child, rape, and aggravated sodomy; bond set at $5,000,000, sentenced to life Scott Wilhelm, US Army: Arrested for sexual exploitation of a child, sexting
2012 Michael Braden, US Army: Found unresponsive in his living quarters, Afghanistan John Hughes, US Army: Convicted in the stabbing death of another soldier, sentenced to life in prison without parole Todd Lambka, US Army: Died from wounds suffered in IED explosion, Afghanistan Thomas Lavrey, US Army: Found unresponsive in living quarters on post Jesus Lopez, US Army: Died from wounds suffered in IED explosion, Afghanistan
2005 Kyle Dennis, US Army: Sentenced to 5 years in prison for third-degree burglary, accessory to aggravated assault and attempted theft Luke Hoffman, US Army: Sentenced to 5 years for attempted grand theft and two counts of aggravated assault Seferino Reyna, US Army: Died when IED detonated near military vehicle, Iraq Christopher Wilaby, US Army: Homicide of Echo Wiles, convicted in 2011 Echo Wiles, Civilian: Homicide victim of boyfriend, Army soldier
2001 James Hawthorne, US Army: Shot in leg after someone shot 4 bullets in his vehicle Shaun Leach, US Army: Died after someone shot 4 bullets into civilian vehicle Jeremy Ware, US Army: Accused of attempted unpremeditated murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and wrongful acquisition of a firearm
1985 Francis Badame, US Army: Murdered after tricked and lured by two Army soldiers to go to a remote section of military post to hunt deer, buried in shallow grave Timothy Keenan, US Army: Faced court-martial on murder and conspiracy charges & charged by state with conspiracy to commit first degree murder; plotted crossbow and beating death of Pvt. Francis Badame Wayne Partridge Jr, US Army: Testified he shot Pvt. Francis Badame in the back with a crossbow and Timothy Keenan repeatedly beat Badame with a shovel
Army Staff Sgt. Aaron Butler, 27, died of injuries suffered from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan on August 16, 2017. Staff Sgt. Butler was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel on behalf of the 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Camp Williams, Utah Army National Guard.
Utah National Guard member Aaron Butler called Monticello home. Now, that community — along with the rest of the state — is mourning his loss. News Specialist Sam Penrod reports in San Juan County where family friends are remembering a man who never let anything get in the way of his goals. -KSL News
Spc. Allen Stigler, Jr., US Army and Sgt. Roshain Brooks, US Army
Army soldiers Spc. Allen Stigler, Jr. and Sgt. Roshain Brooks died of wounds sustained while engaged in combat operations on August 13, 2017 in northern Iraq. An Army artillery unit was firing on an Islamic State position when a “mishap” occurred but it was not listed as enemy fire. Five others suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. Spc. Stigler and Sgt. Brooks were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The incident is under investigation.
An artillery round meant to be fired at an Islamic State target in northern Iraq on Sunday exploded prematurely killing two American soldiers, defense officials said. –Stars and Stripes
Sgt. Jonathon Hunter, US Army, and Spc. Christopher Harris, US Army
Sgt. Jonathon Hunter, 23, and Spc. Christopher Harris, 25, died as a result of injuries sustained when a vehicle-borne improved explosive device (IED) detonated near their convoy on August 2, 2017 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Sgt. Hunter and Spc. Harris were supporting Operation Inherent Resolve on behalf of the 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. According the the Department of Defense press release the incident is under investigation.
Army Pfc. Hansen Kirkpatrick, 19, died from wounds received during an indirect fire attack on July 3, 2017 in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Pfc. Kirkpatrick was supporting Operation Freedom Sentinel on behalf of the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division in Fort Bliss, Texas. According to the Department of Defense press release, the incident is under investigation.
Army Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, 38, whose home of record is listed as Brooklyn, New York, entered active-duty military service in July 2003 as a motor transport operator and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas since May 2011. Colonvazquez deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from September 2005 to September 2006 and in support of Operation New Dawn from May 2011 to November 2011. He also deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from March 2008 to May 2009 and from July 2013 to March 2014.
Colonvazquez’s awards and decorations include five Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, three Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with campaign star, Iraq Campaign Medal with campaign star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, two Korea Defense Service Medals, Army Service Ribbon, three Overseas Service Ribbons, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal, Driver and Mechanic Badge with wheeled vehicle and Marksmanship Qualification Badge-Marksman with Carbine.
Learn more from III Corps and Fort Hood Facebook page here.
Mr. Speaker, Texas has been hammered by historic torrential rain and flooding. As the Texas floodwaters rose, 12 soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, were crossing Owl Creek in a 21⁄2-ton Light Medium Tactical Vehicle when it became stuck in the Owl Creek low water crossing.
Suddenly, the vehicle was swept over and sent downstream by fast-moving water. Nine American soldiers drowned in the massive flood waters. Today, we remember them, and here they are: Staff Sergeant Miguel Colon Vazquez, 38, from New York.
The soldiers were members of the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division. These American soldiers were volunteers who swore to protect the United States.
They were a cut above the rest and were ready to defend freedom at home and abroad. Their lives were ripped from this world and their families all too soon. We are grateful for them and their families for their service and their sacrifices.
These soldiers are the best of America. Our thoughts and prayers are with the soldiers and their families, who have been devastated by the floods of Texas this spring.
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
When in danger, it’s natural to feel afraid. This fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to prepare to defend against the danger or to avoid it. This “fight-or-flight” response is a healthy reaction meant to protect a person from harm. But in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), this reaction is changed or damaged. People who have PTSD may feel stressed or frightened even when they’re no longer in danger.
PTSD develops after a terrifying ordeal that involved physical harm or the threat of physical harm. The person who develops PTSD may have been the one who was harmed, the harm may have happened to a loved one, or the person may have witnessed a harmful event that happened to loved ones or strangers.
PTSD was first brought to public attention in relation to war veterans, but it can result from a variety of traumatic incidents, such as mugging, rape, torture, being kidnapped or held captive, child abuse, car accidents, train wrecks, plane crashes, bombings, or natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.
FMI from the National Institute of Mental Health, please click here.
