Fort Hood Army Cpl. Christopher Ferguson Died of Undetermined Causes; CID Claimed Death Was Accident; CBS News Reported Suicide (March 25, 2007)

On March 25, 2007July 21, 2020 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Cold Cases, Felony Crime, In Their Name, Military Policy, Stateside Death, Suspicious Deaths1 Comment

Fort Hood Army Cpl. Christopher Martin Ferguson, 21, died of undetermined causes on March 25, 2007 in Killeen, Texas. Christopher was born and raised in Pataskala, Ohio and enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 2004 after graduating from high school. Cpl. Ferguson worked as a combat infantryman on behalf of the Bravo Company, 3-67 AR Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood in Texas. Cpl. Ferguson deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005; he conducted over 200 combat patrols and participated in over 30 joint operations with Iraqi counter-parts in Baghdad.

Christopher Ferguson was born on April 12, 1985, in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Theophil Ferguson of Florida, and Patty Gibson Ferguson of Pataskala. He attended the Watkins Memorial School system, and graduated from the Criminal Justice program at Licking Co JVS, Class of 2004. He was fascinated by security systems and the military since a small child. He was described as a “peacekeeper.” He entered the U.S. Army in 2004, spent one year in Iraq, and was stationed at Ft. Hood at the time of his death. Cpl. Ferguson was survived by his mother and two sisters of Pataskala, Ohio when he passed.

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July 13, 2020:

“My brother is Corporal Christopher Martin Ferguson…he passed away March 25, 2007 at Scott and White Hospital in Texas…he was stationed at Fort Hood…he had just got back from Iraq and was at a party right off of base with fellow soldiers…story was that he fell from a three-story building on his head (alcohol involved or not, you don’t fall from a balcony to your head and not fracture one other bone, not have anything broken, only have your brain bleeding)…my mom, myself and my sister were flown out to see him and he was never awake…he was on life-support for seven days…everybody that came to the hospital was not allowed to talk to us…they told us that they had been told that they were not allowed to talk about anything that happened that night…we were left with no answers…my brother’s Sergeant brought us his blazer so we had something to drive while there and my sister and myself found a grocery bag in the back of his blazer that had the clothes he was wearing that night…the paramedics had cut them off him…it was just stuffed in the back of his blazer…there was a detectives card in there that was just placed in his shoe so I called and the detective let me know that the army had taken the investigation from Killeen PD…At the same time we found his camera and his blazer, there were fellow soldiers in the pictures with him that night who claimed that they were not there…my brothers death certificate says cause unknown [undetermined]…No one would tell us what happened and it was ruled as an accident years later…One of his fellow soldiers that does surfing for veterans put my brother on national news with his picture, his name along with saying that he committed suicide, but my family was never told that…there’s a lot more to the story…it’s very fishy and there was a lot of no talking or lies and I really want to know what happened to my brother.” -Christina McDonald (sister)

Christopher Ferguson Balcony — Christopher Ferguson with two Army soldiers. Picture taken on the balcony in question in 2007.

CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell:

About 20 veterans die by suicide each day. A hotline launched in 2007 has answered more than 3.5 million calls, sending help to thousands of people. Dean Reynolds got an inside look. -CBS News with Norah O’Donnell (August 26, 2019)

Christopher Ferguson CBS News — Screenshot of the soldiers Army veteran Danny O’Neel claimed died by suicide. (CBS News)

“This is the national news episode that a fellow soldier of my brothers did! He added my brother to posters and news saying he committed suicide! If this was the case, why weren’t we told this?! The Army took the investigation from Killeen Police Department. If there was a real investigation going on, why did my sister and I find my brothers belongings, clothes, and shoes from that night…there’s blood on them, they stuffed everything in a grocery bag, and had it in the back of his blazer…they treated it like it was trash…wouldn’t you think they would need that as part of their investigation? Cpl. Christopher M. Ferguson deserves justice..please help our family find out what exactly happened to him at Fort Hood.” -Christina McDonald (sister)

Additional Photos:

Christopher Ferguson

Two Unarmed Teens are Killed in Iraq, Army Sgt. Michael Barbera Charged with Murder, Charges Later Dropped by Military (2007)

On March 6, 2007March 4, 2018 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, Military Policy, ScandalsLeave a comment

barberajpg-f18e964405586ec4 — Sgt. Michael Barbera, US Army

MA1 Jennifer Valdivia, US Navy, Died in a Non Combat Related Incident in Bahrain, NCIS Ruled Death Suicide by Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (2007)

On January 16, 2007December 31, 2016 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, In Their Name, Military Policy, Navy, Non Combat Death, SuicideLeave a comment

Honoring Jennifer Valdivia @USNavy (2007) — Jennifer Valdivia, US Navy

MA1 Jennifer Valdivia, 27, US Navy, died in a non combat related incident in Bahrain on January 16, 2007. MA1 Valdivia was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the naval security force for Naval Support Activity in Bahrain. At the time of the press release the Department of Defense announced that her death was under investigation and Bahrain was located within the designated hostile fire zone. Naval Criminal Investigation Services (NCIS) eventually ruled her death suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.

Toussaint, who led the Bahrain unit until March 2006, was at the center of a 2007 command investigation that documented more than 90 instances of abuse, including sailors being ordered to simulate homosexual sex in training videos, hogtied to chairs and force-fed dog treats. “If my daughter didn’t do what he told her to do, he would embarrass her in front of everybody in the kennel, belittle her,” Young said. “Everybody who was friends with Jennifer tells me the same story: She was the fall person. She was the scapegoat.” ~Pilot Online

Jennifer was at the center of command directed investigation of abuse of prisoners in Bahrain. It was reported that she did not want to participate in war crimes yet was belittled, harassed, and abused by a supervisor if she didn’t do what he told her to do. If she had a way out, could this suicide have been prevented? Was it a suicide? Was it ever investigated as a homicide? Who found her? Was it reported to the Commander first? Did the Commander do an initial investigation? Does the Navy have NCIS located in Bahrain? How quickly did NCIS respond to the scene located in what is described as a designated hostile fire zone?

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

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

New York Army National Guard Sgt. Denise Lannaman Died in a Non Combat Related Incident at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait (October 1, 2006)

On October 1, 2006September 30, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, National Guard, Non Combat Death, Suicide, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment

Army National Guard Sgt. Denise Lannaman, 46, died in a non combat related incident at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait on October 1, 2006. Sgt. Lannaman was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the New York Army National Guard’s 1569th Transportation Company in Newburgh, New York. Reports indicate that Lannaman was found dead in a jeep with a gunshot wound. At the time of the press release, the Department of Defense announced that the incident was under investigation. Sgt. Lannaman’s death was ruled a suicide by the Army. She was one of three people in the same logistics group in Kuwait tied to a bribery scheme investigation that allegedly died by suicide. Major Gloria Davis, Army (2006) and Lt. Col. Marshall Gutierrez, Army (2006) deaths were also ruled suicides by the Army.

In the space of three months last year (2006), three members of the U.S. Army who had been part of a logistics group in Kuwait committed suicide. Two of them — a colonel and a major — had power over contract awards and had been accused of taking bribes just before they killed themselves. The third was Sgt. Denise A. Lannaman of Queens. ~New York Times

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

Army Lt. Col. Marshall Gutierrez Died of Non Combat Related Injuries in Kuwait; CID Ruled Suicide in the Midst of Wide Spread Bribery Scheme Investigation (September 4, 2006)

On September 4, 2006September 2, 2019 By AdministratorIn Armed Forces, Army, In Their Name, Military Policy, Non Combat Death, Suicide, Suspicious DeathsLeave a comment

Army Lt. Col. Marshall Gutierrez died of non combat related injuries in Camp Virginia, Kuwait on September 4, 2006. Lt. Col. Gutierrez was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom on behalf of the Area Support Group in Arijan, Kuwait. At the time of the Department of Defense press release, the incident was under investigation. The Army ruled Lt. Col. Gutierrez’ death a suicide by prescription pills and anti-freeze. Lt. Col. Gutierrez was initially a whistleblower in a wide spread bribery scheme in Kuwait but after he reported the illegal activity, he soon found himself accused of bribery by a Kuwaiti contractor. Reports indicate the allegations left his military career and his marriage in ruins. Three soldiers connected to the bribery scheme investigations allegedly committed suicide. Major Gloria Davis was a witness for the prosecution and was found dead of a gunshot wound in Iraq. Sgt. Denise Lannaman was also involved in the investigation and she was found dead of a gunshot wound in her jeep on post at Camp Arijan, Kuwait.

MILITARY JUSTICE FOR ALL

Tag: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Fort Hood Army Cpl. Christopher Ferguson Died of Undetermined Causes; CID Claimed Death Was Accident; CBS News Reported Suicide (March 25, 2007)

Two Unarmed Teens are Killed in Iraq, Army Sgt. Michael Barbera Charged with Murder, Charges Later Dropped by Military (2007)

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

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)

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