Army Major Gloria Davis Died in a Non-Combat Related Incident in Baghdad, Iraq; Death Ruled Suicide (December 12, 2006)

On December 12, 2006December 11, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Scandals, SuicideLeave a comment

Army Major Gloria Davis, 47, died in a non combat related incident in Baghdad, Iraq on December 12, 2006. Major Davis was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the Defense Security Assistance Agency in Washington, D.C. At the time of the press release, the Department of Defense announced the incident was under investigation. Reports later indicate Major Davis committed suicide hours after she provided names and testimony to the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) investigators in Iraq. Logistics soldiers were being accused of involvement in a bribery scheme in Kuwait and she was a witness to the crimes and would have been a witness for the prosecution in the Cockerham Case. She was one of three people in the same logistics group in Kuwait tied to the bribery scheme investigation that committed suicide. Both Denise Lannaman, Army (2006) and Lt. Col. Marshall Gutierrez, Army (2006) deaths were also ruled suicides by the Army. Did they commit suicide? Was homicide ever considered? How could this have been prevented? Were any of these cases investigated as homicides? Did anyone question why three soldiers tied to one bribery investigation killed themselves?

Col. Kevin Davis, 52 years old, is the highest-ranking officer to be implicated in a scheme known among federal investigators as the Cockerham Case, for Major John Cockerham, who pleaded guilty last year to receiving more than $9 million in illegal payments for defense contracts, primarily to service the Camp Arifjan military base in Kuwait. Early in the probe, Major Gloria Dean Davis, came under suspicion by investigators in the case. She committed suicide in Baghdad in December 2006, hours after confirming she received more than $225,000 from the same contractor Col. Davis later joined as a civilian, LDI. The two officers weren’t related, however investigators familiar with the case say they were involved romantically. ~Wall Street Journal

Fort Hood Army SSG Jeannette Dunn Died of a Non Combat Related Injury in Taji, Iraq (November 26, 2006)

On November 26, 2006September 11, 2020 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Non Combat DeathLeave a comment

Jeanette Dunn — SSG Jeannette Dunn, U.S. Army

Army SSG Jeannette T. Dunn, 44, died of a non combat related injury in Taji, Iraq on November 26, 2006. SSG Dunn was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 15th Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. According to the Department of Defense, the incident is under investigation. The official cause of death and outcome of the investigation are unknown.

“For years I wondered what great things that she had accomplished in the Military. She was a great Soldier when I knew her. You could find no one more dedicated to accomplishing the Mission.” –Charles Baker

September: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2006)

On September 30, 2006September 1, 2017 By AdministratorIn Accidents, Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, National Guard, Navy, Non Combat Death, Suicide, USAF, USMCLeave a comment

09/30/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Christopher Blaney, 19, NCD, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/29/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Edward Reynolds Jr, 27, and Henry Paul, 24, NCD, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/29/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: James Chamroeun, 20, Iraq, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

09/28/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jose Lanzarin, 28, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

09/28/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: James Lyons, 28, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/28/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Casey Mellen, 21, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

09/27/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jared Raymond, 20, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/27/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Christopher Riviere, 21, Iraq, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

09/26/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Velton Locklear III, 29, and Kenneth Kincaid IV, 25, Iraq, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

09/26/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Carlos Dominguez, 57, Iraq, Army Special Operations Command, New York

09/26/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Windell Simmons, 20, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/25/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualties: Howard March Jr, 20, and Rene Martinez, 20, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Eric Kavanagh, 20, Iraq, Schweinfurt, Germany

09/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Charles Jones, 29, NCD, Iraq, Kentucky Army National Guard

09/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Bobby Callahan, 22, NCD, Iraq, Fort Drum, New York

09/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Ashley (Henderson) Huff, 23, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Allan Bevington, 22, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

09/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Cesar Granados, 21, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/22/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Robb Needham, 51, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

09/22/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Yull Estrada Rodriguez, 21, Iraq, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

09/22/2006: First Identification of U.S. Soldier Missing in Action from World War I

09/22/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Aaron Smith, 31, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

09/22/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Jennifer Hartman, 21, and Marcus Cain, 20, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/21/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Christopher Zimmerman, 28, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/21/2006: Navy Aviator Missing In Action From Vietnam War is Identified

09/19/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Russell Makowski, 23, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/19/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: James Worster, 24, NCD, Iraq, Fort Carson, Colorado

09/19/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeffrey Shaffer, 21, Iraq, Bamberg, Germany

09/19/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Adam Knox, 21, Iraq, Ohio Army Reserve

09/18/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Davis, 32, Iraq, Fort Wainwright, Alaska

09/18/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Clint Williams, 24, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/18/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Bernard Deghand, 42, Afghanistan, Kansas Army National Guard

09/18/2006: DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: David Roddy, 32, Iraq, Norfolk, Virginia (Multi-National Corps – Iraq)

09/16/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Emily Perez, 23, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/16/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Ryan Miller, 19, Iraq, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

09/15/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Ramsey, 27, NCD, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

09/15/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Harley Andrews, 22, Iraq, Bamberg, Germany

09/15/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Weir, 23, Iraq, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

09/14/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Matthew Mattingly, 30, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/14/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeremy DePottey, 26, NCD, Afghanistan, Fort Drum, New York

09/13/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Michael Fuga, 47, Afghanistan, Missouri Army National Guard

09/12/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Alexander Jordan, 31, Iraq, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska

09/11/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Anthony Seig, 19, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/11/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: John Carroll, 26, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

09/11/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Merideth Howard, 52, and Robert Paul, 43, Afghanistan, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/11/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Nathaniel Lindsey, 38, Afghanistan, Oregon Army National Guard

09/11/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Johnathan Benson, 21, Iraq, Camp Pendleton, California

09/11/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Luis Montes, 22, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/09/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Gordon, 23, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/08/2006: Airman Missing in Action From the Vietnam War is Identified

09/08/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Jason Merrill, 22, and Edwin Andino II, 23, Iraq, Wurzburg, Germany

09/08/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Vincent Frassetto, 21, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/07/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeremy Shank, 18, Iraq, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

09/07/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Marshall Gutierrez, 41, NCD, Camp Virginia, Area Support Group, Arijan, Kuwait

09/07/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Germaine Debro, 33, Iraq, Nebraska Army National Guard

09/06/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Richard Henkes II, 32, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

09/06/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Angel Mercado-Velazquez, 24, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/06/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Ralph Porras, 36, and Justin Dreese, 21, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/06/2006: DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Christopher Walsh, 30, Iraq, Missouri Navy Reserve (Multi National Corps – Iraq)

09/06/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Hannah Gunterman, 20, NCD, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Shannon Squires, 25, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Matthew Vosbein, 30, Iraq, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Ryan Miller, 21, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualties: Jared Shoemaker, 29, Iraq, Marine Forces Reserve, Oklahoma

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Eric Valdepenas, 21, Iraq, Marine Forces Reserve, Massachusetts

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Shane Harris, 23, Iraq, Twentynine Palms, California

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualties: Cliff Golla, 21, and Philip Johnson, 19, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Eugene Alex, 32, Iraq, Fort Wainwright, Alaska

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Michael Deason, 28, Iraq, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

09/05/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Nicholas Madaras, 19, Iraq, Fort Carson, Colorado

09/01/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Joshua Hanson, 27, Iraq, Minnesota Army National Guard

09/01/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Colin Wolfe, 19, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/01/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Moises Jazmin, 25, Qixing Lee, 20, Shaun Novak, 21, and Tristan Smith, 23, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

Army Pfc. Hannah McKinney Died of Injuries Sustained After She was Hit & Run Over by a Humvee in Iraq; Sgt. Damon Shell Left Her to Die on the Side of the Road (September 4, 2006)

On September 4, 2006June 30, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Sexual Assault1 Comment

Pfc. Hannah Gunterman McKinney, US Army, died from non-hostile incident in Taji, Iraq on September 4, 2006. Pfc. Gunterman was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the 542nd Maintenance Company, 44th Corps Support Battalion, Fort Lewis, Washington. According to the Department of Defense, the incident was under investigation at the time of the press release.

According to initial media reports, Hannah left a guard tower at a logistics base in Taji, north of Baghdad, to go to the latrine and was hit and run over by a Humvee as she was crossing the road. The DoD reported that she died from injuries sustained after she was struck by a vehicle. The driver had apparently left the scene of the accident and it would be two hours before a tank crew discovered Hannah laying severely injured on a darkened perimeter road. Hannah was rushed to a hospital where she would later die. Hannah was married to a fellow soldier at Fort Lewis and was the mother of a toddler son. Her husband, Chris McKinney, told the Los Angeles Times that the Humvee driver was intoxicated and was in custody, facing disciplinary action. Chris said that every time he talked to Hannah he could tell she was as depressed as one could get. She just wanted to come home and be with her son and her family. Later we would learn that McKinney’s last hours involved alcohol, sex and a decorated Army reservist who was responsible for looking out for junior enlisted soldiers like Hannah. Although alcohol was banned in the combat zone, one of the sergeants had managed to buy vodka. Later drunk, the sergeants piled into a Humvee to bid goodbye to friends including Hannah. The soldiers were celebrating the end of their tour. They went to Hannah’s guard tower, she left her post, and they all went back to the barracks to drink.

Hannah’s parent’s Matthew and Barbara Heavrin want the American public to know the truth. According to statements in the Army Criminal Investigation Division report, Hannah got really drunk and had a sexual encounter with one of the soldiers. Her autopsy report showed a .20 blood-alcohol level. Sgt. Damon Shell testified that he attempted to take Hannah back to the Guard tower but realized she was in no shape to go back to work. On his way back to the barracks, Shell reports that he hit a bump, Hannah’s Humvee door popped open, and she fell out. Shell eventually noticed that Hannah was no longer in the Humvee and instead of stopping to help or look for his fellow soldier, he left the scene and went back to bed in the barracks. Hannah’s death resulted from injuries suffered after she fell out of a Humvee and was struck by that same vehicle. Sgt. Damon Shell was charged with involuntary manslaughter but a military jury at Fort Hood found him not guilty of that charge. Prosecutors argued that driving drunk in a war zone with an underage, incapacitated junior soldier to whom he had supplied alcohol and whose vehicle door he was the last to operate made him culpable for her death. The defense argued that Shell was not responsible for what happened to Hannah after she fell out of a Humvee known to have problems with doors popping open. They argued it was a horrible accident. Damon Shell pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of drinking, drunken driving, and consensual sodomy. He was jailed for 13 months and demoted to a private yet not discharged from the Army.

Hannah’s death benefit ($500,000) went to her husband Chris. The family learned that under military rules, nothing was required to be put aside for Todd, who was not Chris McKinney’s child. Hannah’s parents eventually testified to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs about the death benefits that went to Chris McKinney. They believe that it is an anomaly that needs to be remedied to benefit the surviving sons and daughters of deceased soldiers, sailors and airmen to assist the grandparents who raise them. Matthew Heavrin shared that the assumption was made that Chris is caring for Hannah’s son Todd, which he is not and the burden of raising Hannah’s son has been left solely to them. According to Hannah’s father, Chris McKinney never offered any of the $500,000 death benefit to the family or to Hannah’s toddler son Todd.

Her case would become one in a litany of noncombat deaths in Iraq, which number more than 700, from crashes, suicides, illnesses and accidents that sometimes reveal messy truths about life in the war zone. ~The Seattle Times

August: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2006)

On August 31, 2006August 17, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, USAF, USMCLeave a comment

08/30/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Christopher Warndorf, 21, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/30/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Matthew Schneider, 23, NCD, Iraq, Wiesbaden, Germany

08/29/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Kenneth Cross, 21, and Daniel Dolan, 19, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

08/29/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Joshua Jones, 24, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/29/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Darry Benson, 46, NCD, Kuwait, North Carolina Army National Guard

08/29/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: David Almazan, 27, Iraq, Friedberg, Germany

08/29/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Donald Champlin, 28, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/29/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Seth Hildreth, 26, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/29/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeffrey Hansen, 31, NCD, Iraq, Nebraska Army National Guard

08/28/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Edgardo Zayas, 29, Iraq, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

08/28/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: David Weimortz, 28, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/26/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Jordan Pierson, 21, Iraq, Marine Forces Reserve, Connecticut

08/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: William Thorne, 26, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Marquees Quick, 28, Iraq, Friedberg, Germany

08/25/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Gordon Solomon, 35, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/25/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeremy King, 23, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/25/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Dwayne Williams, 28, Iraq, Okinawa, Japan

08/24/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Thomas Barbieri, 24, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

08/24/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: James Hirlston, 21, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/24/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeremiah Cole, 26, Afghanistan, Fort Drum, New York

08/24/2006: DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Paul Darga, 34, Iraq, Naval Expeditionary Combat Command

08/24/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Ruben Villa Jr, 36, NCD, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait

08/23/2006: Missing World War II Airmen Identified: David Nelson, Henry Kortebein, and Blake Treece Jr, US Air Force

08/23/2006: DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty: Brad Clemmons, 37, Iraq, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska

08/22/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Wakkuna Jackson, 21, Robert Drawl Jr, 21, and Christopher Sitton, 21, Afghanistan, Fort Drum, New York

08/22/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Gabriel DeRoo, 25, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

08/22/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualties: Adam Galvez, 21, and Randy Newman, 21, Iraq, Twentynine Palms, California

08/22/2006: DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Chadwick Kenyon, 20, Iraq, Twentynine Palms, California

08/22/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeffrey Loa, 32, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

08/21/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Joseph Blake, 34, Afghanistan, Fort Drum, New York

08/21/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: James Arellano, 19, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/20/2006: DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty: Adam Servais, 23, Afghanistan, Hurlburt Field, Florida

08/18/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Michael Glover, 28, Iraq, Marine Forces Reserve, Albany, New York

08/18/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: John McKenna IV, Iraq, Marine Forces Reserve, Albany, New York

08/18/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: John Phillips, 29, Iraq, Okinawa, Japan

08/15/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Michael Lloyd, 24, and Kevin Zeigler, 31, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/15/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Kenneth Jenkins, 25, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

08/14/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Aaron Jagger, 43, Ignacio Ramirez, 22, and Shane Woods, 23, Iraq, Friedberg, Germany

08/14/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Rogelio Garza, Jr, 26, Andrew Small, 19, and James White, 19, Afghanistan, Fort Drum, New York

08/11/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Jeremy Long, 18, Iraq, Twentynine Palms, California

08/11/2006: DoD Announces Army Casualties: Steven Mennemeyer, 26, and Jeffery Brown, 25, NCD, Iraq, Fort Riley, Kansas

08/11/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Tracy Melvin, 31, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

08/10/2006: Soldier Missing in Action From the Korean War is Identified: Edward F. Blazejewski, US Army

08/08/2006: Missing WWII Marine is Identified: John H. Branic, US Marine Corps

08/08/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Stephen Seale, 25, Carlton Clark, 22, and Jose Zamora, 24, Iraq, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

08/07/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Brian Kubik, 20, Iraq, Fort Campbell, Kentucky

08/07/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Leroy Segura Jr, 23, NCD, Iraq, Fort Benning, Georgia

08/06/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Clint Storey, 30, and Bradley Beste, 22, Iraq, Friedberg, Germany

08/05/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Daniel Suplee, 39, NCD, Iraq, Florida Army National Guard

08/04/2006: DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Marc Lee, 28, Iraq, Naval Special Warfare Command

08/04/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Kurt Dechen, 24, Iraq, Camp Pendleton, California

08/04/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: George Ulloa Jr, 23, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/04/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Joshua Ford, 20, Iraq, Nebraska Army National Guard

08/03/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Hai Ming Hsia, 37, Iraq, Baumholder, Germany

08/03/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Joseph Tomci, 21, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

08/03/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Dustin Laird, 23, Iraq, Tennessee Army National Guard

08/03/2006: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Ryan Jopek, 20, Iraq, Wisconsin Army National Guard

08/02/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Jason Hanson, 21, Iraq, Twentynine Palms, California

08/01/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Phillip Baucus, 28, Iraq, Twentynine Palms, California

08/01/2006: DoD Identifies Marine Casualties: Anthony Butterfield, 19, and Christian Williams, 27, Iraq, Twentynine Palms, California

Army Criminal Investigation Report for the Death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson in Balad, Iraq (April 28, 2006)

On April 28, 2006May 5, 2021 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, Felony Crime, Homicide, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Scandals, Sexual Assault, Suicide, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment

Fort Campbell Army Pfc. LaVena Johnson Died of Non Combat Related Injuries in Iraq; Death Ruled Suicide But Independent Investigation Revealed Rape and Murder (July 19, 2005)

We are not exactly sure when Army Pfc. LaVena Johnson’s CID Report was dumped on-line by the government but it appears to have shown up after the death of Vanessa Guillen. (Source: US Army CID)

Army Criminal Investigation Report for the Death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson in Balad, Iraq (April 28, 2006)

Military Murder Podcast Featured the Suspicious Death of Fort Campbell Army Pfc. Lavena Johnson in Balad, Iraq (July 27, 2020)

‘The Silent Truth’ Documentary: The Rape, Murder & Military Cover-Up of Army Pfc. LaVena Johnson in Iraq (July 1, 2014)

Dr. John Johnson clarified in an interview on the Donny Walker Morning Show that wound statin was found on LaVena’s genitals. Listen to the full interview here.

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

Army Pfc. Suzanne Swift Went AWOL from Fort Lewis; She Refused to Deploy for Third Time with Superiors She Accused of Sexual Harassment (2006)

On January 15, 2006January 6, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, PTSD, TBI, Mental Illness, Scandals, Sexual AssaultLeave a comment

“I can’t do this, Mom, I can’t go back there.” -Suzanne Swift

Pfc. Suzanne Swift, US Army, was a Military Police Officer stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington. She had already deployed twice to Iraq before getting tasked to go again for the third time in less then four years. In January 2006, Suzanne Swift decided last minute to go Absent without Leave (AWOL) instead of going back to Iraq. According to her mother, Sara Rich, she couldn’t handle another deployment dealing with the daily hour-to-hour sexual harassment that she endured from the majority of her male officers and fellow soldiers. She felt especially isolated in Iraq and feared being attacked, harassed, molested, and raped. She told her mom that most of the other soldiers were sexually harassing her, pressuring her to consent, and making her life miserable for rejecting them. Her mom asked her if she wanted to report the sexual harassment and Suzanne did not. She told her mom that reporting would only make her life even more of a living hell. She says when she did blow the whistle on one of her superiors for sexually harassing her, she was treated like a pariah. Suzanne shared that he was moved to a different unit and promoted. She felt that those who reported were not supported but instead shamed when they brought these matters to the attention of their superiors.

According to Suzanne, Army leadership pressured her into signing a release form waiving her right to the mandatory decompression time of eighteen months between deployments. Suzanne refused to sign the form waiving her rights to decompression time but was told that her life would be ‘hell in a shit hole’ if she refused to sign. She says they screamed in her face and intimidated her. As a result she signed the form and was scheduled to leave for Iraq again in January 2006. The Eugene Police raided her home in March 2006, she was arrested, and she was taken back to Fort Lewis where she would be confined. She was charged with missing movement and AWOL. In December 2006, Suzanne pleaded guilty to both charges and was demoted and sentenced to thirty days in prison. If she met the conditions of the plea agreement, she could remain in the Army and be eligible for a honorable discharge. After she finished her sentence she would be reassigned to a new unit. If she did not agree to the plea, she was facing a year in prison and a dishonorable discharge. Her plea, which came during a summary court martial, helped her avoid a federal conviction. Suzanne chose to leave the Army as soon as she could. She would later be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Suzanne and her mother believe that the intimidation and sexual harassment that female soldiers endure is leading to massive stress and in some cases even death for military women in Iraq. So much stress that Suzanne would choose AWOL and prison time over deploying a third time to fight what she felt was a pointless war in Iraq. Sara Rich is confident that Suzanne saved her own life with her courage. And based on what has happened in the Army in Iraq and at Joint Base Lewis-McChord since 2006, we think she’s right.

“Notice to those who report false claims of rape, harassment, assault, and command rape: you make it difficult for those who experience the real thing. You are just as culpable as those who commit the acts.” –Suzanne Swift Petition

September: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2005)

On September 30, 2005August 26, 2017 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, In Their Name, Military Policy, National Guard, Navy, Non Combat Death, Suicide, USAF, USMCLeave a comment

09/30/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Daniel Arnold, 27, George Pugliese, 39, Eric Siebodnik, 21, Lee Wiegand, 20, and Oliver Brown, 19, Iraq, Pennsylvania Army National Guard

09/29/2005: DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty: Elizabeth Jacobson, 21, Iraq, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas

09/29/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Steve Morin Jr, 34, Iraq, Texas Army National Guard

09/29/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jason Benford, 30, Iraq, Fort Benning, Georgia

09/28/2005: DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Robert Macrum, 22, NCD, Arabian Gulf, USS Princeton

09/28/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Robert White, 34, Afghanistan, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/28/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Tulsa Tuliau, 33, and Casey Howe, 32, Iraq, Fort Drum, New York

09/27/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Andrew Wallace, 25, and Michael Wendling, 20, Iraq, Wisconsin Army National Guard

09/27/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Andrew Derrick, 25, Iraq, Fort Hood, Texas

09/27/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Mike Sonoda Jr, 34, Iraq, California Army National Guard

09/27/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Howard Allen, 31, Iraq, Arizona Army National Guard

09/27/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Shawn Graham, 34, Iraq, Texas Army National Guard

09/27/2005: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Elijah Ortega, 19, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/27/2005: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Steven Valdez, 20, Afghanistan, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

09/26/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: John Flynn, 36, and Patrick Stewart, 35, NCD, Afghanistan, Nevada Army National Guard

09/26/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Adrian Stump, 22, and Tane Baum, 30, NCD, Afghanistan, Oregon Army National Guard

09/26/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Kenneth Ross, 24, NCD, Afghanistan, Giebelstadt, Germany

09/26/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Daniel Scheile, 37, and Paul Neubauer, 40, Iraq, California Army National Guard

09/26/2005: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Brian Dunlap, 34, Iraq, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)

09/26/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Kevin Jones, 21, Iraq, Mannheim, Germany

09/23/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Pierre Raymond, 28, Iraq, Pennsylvania Army Reserve

09/23/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Travis Arndt, 23, NCD, Iraq, Montana Army National Guard

09/23/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Scott McLaughlin, 29, Iraq, Vermont Army National Guard

09/22/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Lawrence Morrison, 45, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/22/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: William Allers III, 28, Iraq, Kentucky Army National Guard

09/21/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: William Evans, 22, Iraq, Pennsylvania Army National Guard

09/21/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Michael Egan, 36, and William Fernandez, 37, Iraq, Pennsylvania Army National Guard

09/21/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Mark Dooley, 27, Iraq, Vermont Army National Guard

09/20/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Alan Gifford, 39, and David Ford IV, 20, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/20/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Regilio Nelom, 45, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/20/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Matthew Deckard, 29, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/16/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Alfredo Silva, 35, Iraq, California Army National Guard

09/16/2005: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Shane Swanberg, 24, Iraq, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)

09/14/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Kurtis Arcala, 22, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/13/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeremy Campbell, 21, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

09/13/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Christopher Everett, 23, NCD, Iraq, Texas Army National Guard

09/08/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jeffrey Williams, 20, Iraq, Fort Carson, Colorado

09/08/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: Jude Jonaus, 27, and Franklin Vilorio, 26, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/07/2005: DoD Identifies Navy Casualty: Robert Martens, 20, NCD, Iraq, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina

09/07/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Matthew Bohling, 22, Iraq, Fort Benning, Georgia

09/06/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Luke Williams, 35, NCD, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/06/2005: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty: Ryan Nass, 21, NCD, Afghanistan, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii

09/05/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Lonnie Parson, 39, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/05/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualties: George Draughn Jr, 29, and Robert Hollar Jr, 35, Iraq, Fort Stewart, Georgia

09/03/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Derek Hines, 25, Afghanistan, Vicenza, Italy

09/02/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Lowell Miller II, 35, Iraq, Mississippi Army National Guard

09/02/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Jason Ames, 21, NCD, Iraq, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington

09/02/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Monta Ruth, 26, Iraq, Fort Benning, Georgia

09/01/2005: DoD Identifies Army Casualty: Gregory Fester, 41, Iraq, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Iraq

Army Major Gloria Davis Died in a Non-Combat Related Incident in Baghdad, Iraq; Death Ruled Suicide (December 12, 2006)

September: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2006)

Army Pfc. Hannah McKinney Died of Injuries Sustained After She was Hit & Run Over by a Humvee in Iraq; Sgt. Damon Shell Left Her to Die on the Side of the Road (September 4, 2006)

August: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2006)

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

Army Pfc. Suzanne Swift Went AWOL from Fort Lewis; She Refused to Deploy for Third Time with Superiors She Accused of Sexual Harassment (2006)

September: U.S. Department of Defense Casualties Report (2005)

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