Secrecy continues into Massachusetts military leaker Jack Teixeira’s sentencing

On October 26, 2024 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, Military Policy, National Guard, Scandals, USAFLeave a comment

2 Navy aviators are declared dead after a fighter jet crashed in Washington state

On October 20, 2024 By AdministratorIn Accidents, Armed Forces, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death, Stateside DeathLeave a comment

Childhood trauma linked to altered fear learning: A potential pathway to PTSD

On October 20, 2024 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Child Abuse, Military Policy, National Guard, Navy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, USAF, USCG, USMC, VeteransLeave a comment

Michigan invokes new dispute with Air Force over Wurtsmith cleanup

On October 20, 2024 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Military Policy, Toxic Exposure, USAFLeave a comment

www.mlive.com/environment/2024/10/michigan-invokes-new-dispute-with-air-force-over-wurtsmith-cleanup.html

More than 800 military veterans receive honorable discharges from Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” records review

On October 15, 2024October 18, 2024 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Military Policy, National Guard, Navy, Scandals, USAF, USMCLeave a comment

“The news comes a little more than a year after proactively reviewing the records of LGBTQ+ veterans who might be eligible for an honorable discharge but had not yet applied for one. The 800+ veterans receiving this relief will see their discharge papers – known as a DD-214 – automatically change to “honorable” without the burden of having to go through the military’s formal process of applying for a discharge upgrade. An honorable discharge status unlocks access to benefits that some of these veterans may have been missing out on for decades, including things like health care, college tuition assistance, VA loan programs and even some jobs.”

“In a separate effort announced in June, President Biden sought to redress some of the harms brought about by the military justice system against those suspected of homosexuality when he issued pardons for former service members convicted under a military law from years past that explicitly criminalized consensual ‘sodomy.'”

Cadet’s haunting suicide note prompts parents to file wrongful death claims against Air Force Academy (November 14, 2023)

On November 14, 2023 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Sexual Assault, Stateside Death, Suicide, Suspicious Deaths, USAFLeave a comment

Cadet’s haunting suicide note prompts parents to file wrongful death claims against Air Force Academy

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A haunting note written by a former United States Air Force Academy cadet, now leading her parents to file wrongful death claims against the Academy.

“Do all that you can to make sure I am the last one,” was the chilling directive 22-year-old Cailin Foster left in her suicide note to her parents on Nov. 7, 2021.

*Cailin Foster’s suicide note to her family, November 2021*

Gary, a retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who graduated in 1990, attempted to engage with Academy leadership about what happened to his daughter. He spoke with people who were his former colleagues and friends, only to be met with what he described as people unable to comment.

When they requested a report regarding the investigation into their daughter’s death, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base sent them 159 black pages of redacted content.

*1 of 159-page report regarding Cailin’s death sent to The Fosters by USAFA. Courtesy: Gary Foster*

“Not one letter, word, or punctuation mark was provided. They literally gave us 159 pages like this,” said Gary in disbelief. The Fosters say Air Force Academy has yet to provide any direct documentation to them.

Fort Hood Army Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty Died of a Non-Combat Related Incident in Erbil, Iraq (March 30, 2020)

On March 30, 2020March 30, 2021 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat DeathLeave a comment

Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty, U.S. Army

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty, 44, from Bowie, Maryland, died March 30, 2020 in Erbil, Iraq, of a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. Hilty was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty entered the Army in April 1999 as an Army combat engineer. His most recent military occupational specialty was petroleum supply specialist. Hilty’s deployments include three tours to Afghanistan from January 2009 to December 2009, January 2012 to December 2012, October 2016 to October 2017 and most recently to Iraq in October 2019.

DOD Identifies Army Casualty (April 1, 2020)

Death of a Fort Hood Soldier | John Hilty (April 1, 2020)

DOD Releases Annual Report on Sexual Harassment & Violence at the Military Service Academies, Academic Program Year 2017-2018 (January 31, 2019)

On January 31, 2019February 25, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Sexual Assault, USAF, USCG, USMCLeave a comment

“Today, the Department of Defense released the Annual Report on Sexual Harassment and Violence at the Military Service Academies, Academic Program Year 2017-2018…There were 117 reports of sexual assault received across all three academies. This is an increase of five from the prior academic program year, indicating confidence in response measures, however, surveyed measures of unwanted sexual contact and sexual harassment increased compared to rates last measured in 2016. There was also an overall increase in sexual harassment.” Read more here. -Department of Defense (January 31, 2019)

To view the full report, visit SAPR.mil.

“Leave No Soldier Behind”: The Unsolved Mystery of the Soldier Who Died in the Watchtower | Vanity Fair (January 8, 2019)

On January 8, 2019July 29, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Suicide, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment

Matthew Brown Army.png — Matthew Warren Brown, U.S. Army (via Vanity Fair Facebook)

Is the Army botching its investigations into noncombatant deaths?

I. The Gun Tower

“On the morning of May 11, 2008, a U.S. Army private second class named Matthew Warren Brown died of a single gunshot wound to the head while manning a watchtower at a forward operating base in Afghanistan. Brown was 20 years old. He was a skinny, all-American kid, a bit aimless but affable and unassuming. He was a good guy. You could see it in his face. At his funeral back home in Pennsylvania, some 200 people showed up. In the aftermath of Brown’s death, army investigators created files about the circumstances. The bullet that killed him was fired from his own weapon, an M4 carbine. He was working the six A.M. shift, alone in the watchtower by the fortified main gate to the base. The tower was known as the Gun Tower. It was made of concrete, and looked medieval when viewed from the outside. It was three stories tall. On the second and third floors it had openings covered with two-piece Plexiglas windows, some of which had broken off and been left lying in shards on the floors.” Read more from Vanity Fair here.