Staff Sgt. Steven Hines, 29, was found dead behind a building on Fort Hood in Texas on February 5th 2017. Staff Sgt. Hines joined the Army in July 2007 and was a Criminal Investigation Division (CID) special agent assigned to the 11th Military Police Battalion. CID agents report foul play is not suspected but has not been ruled out as they continue to conduct a death investigation. According to reports, special agents from outside of Fort Hood have been brought in to head up the investigation. An Army report released in December 2017 indicated that Staff Sgt. Hines was found “50 yards behind his office building, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, with his issued M11 at his side.” Authorities indicated that Staff Sgt. Hines left behind messages for others on Post-It notes including his fellow CID Agents. His message to them was:
The wellness of our agents and helping to create a support system and culture for positive mental health for our special agents is of the utmost importance to this command’s senior leadership. -Staff Sgt. Steven Hines
Army Spc. Zackary Partin, 24, was found dead in his Fort Hood, Texas barracks room on January 12, 2017. Spc. Partin’s home of record was listed as Oakwood, Illinois and he joined the Army in November 2012. Spc. Partin was a radio operator assigned to the Headquarters Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood. Zackary’s death is under investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID). Per the Fort Hood Press Center, the point of contact for the investigation is Chris Grey, Chief of Public Affairs, USA Criminal Investigation Command (CID), Quantico, VA. Grey’s email is christopher.p.grey.civ@mail.mil. The circumstances surrounding Zackary’s death and official cause of death are unknown.
Vicki Partin said the last time she saw her son was when he came home for a couple weeks over the Christmas holiday. She was shocked when two Army officers showed up at her door at 10 p.m. Jan. 12 to tell her he had died. “Everybody is heartbroken…He was so looking forward to getting out in May. He wanted to join the Naval Reserves, and he wanted to become a full-time firefighter.” –The News-Gazette
Army Sgt. Alex Taylor, 23, was found dead at his place of duty at Fort Hood in Texas on January 11, 2017. Sgt. Taylor’s home of record is listed as Texas City, Texas; he joined the Army in March 2012 as an aviation operations specialist. Sgt. Taylor was assigned to the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood since July 2016. Per the Fort Hood Press Center, the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. The point of contact for the investigation is Chris Grey, Chief of Public Affairs, USA Criminal Investigation Command (CID) Quantico, Virginia. Grey’s e-mail is christopher.p.grey.civ@mail.mil. The CID spokesman reported no foul play suspected initially but it was not completely ruled out because the cause of death is still under investigation. The circumstances surrounding Alex Taylor’s death and official cause of death are unknown to the public at this time. Alex’s family makes the following request:
I am Alex father. Thank you for putting this information up. I am one of many that is having to fight with the military to get justice for my fallen soldier. They are giving me very little information and what they are giving me is false. The army is telling me there was no foul play but I know that is not true. If anyone has any information about it please feel free to contact this website. They are compiling information about the many deaths at Fort Hood. I am in contact with them and they will relay any information to me. Please help me get justice for my son. -Jeff Taylor
Army Spc. Barron Von Reichelt, 24, died from injuries suffered in an automobile accident on South Range Road at Fort Hood on January 7, 2017. Spc. Reichelt’s home of record is listed as Las Vegas, Nevada; he joined the Army in January 2015 as a cannon crew member. Spc. Reichelt was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood since April 2016.
Army Pfc. Randal Anderson, 22, was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound in Killeen, Texas on January 2, 2017. Pfc. Anderson’s home of record is listed as Sutter Creek, California and he joined the Army in February 2015. Pfc. Anderson was an M1 armor crewman assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood. At the time of reporting the circumstances surrounding the death were being investigated. Although the public has not been updated with the outcome of the investigation, one can only assume that the cause of death was ruled a suicide since there has been no mention of a homicide investigation in the months following.
Army Pfc. Kai Yancey, 26, died at Scott and White Hospital in Temple, Texas after complications from a short illness on January 1, 2017. Pfc. Yancey’s home of record was listed as El Paso, Texas; he entered active-duty military service in February 2015 as a motor transport operator. Pfc. Yancey was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood since 2016.
“He was a member of East Side Church of Christ, where he was a past member of the Youth Group and enjoyed watching movies, skate boarding, wrestling, boxing, water skiing, para-sailing and target shooting. He was a past member of the Warren Boxing Association, where he was the Undefeated Lightweight Champion and a 2009 graduate of Howland High School, where he excelled in wrestling. He married Janelle March 16, 2016.” –Obituary
1. Army SSG Devin Schuette Found Dead in Vehicle at Recreation Area Near Fort Hood; CID Ruled Suicide, Spouse Requests Independent Investigation (January 3, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5pY
2. Fort Hood Army Major Troy Wayman Found Dead at Nolanville, Texas Residence; Death Ruled Suicide by Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound (January 16, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-6Nv
3. Fort Hood Army Sgt. Sean Van Der Wal Died in a Traffic Crash on I-35 in Texas; Driver Spc. Timothy Corder Found Guilty of Felony, Received Probation (March 6, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5qp
4. Fort Hood Army Soldier Staff Sgt. Brian Reed Found Dead of Gunshot Wound at Off-Post Residence in Copperas Cove, Texas (March 14, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5tp
5. Fort Hood Army Soldier SSG Steven Lewis Died of Self Inflicted Wound at Off-Post Residence in Killeen, Texas (March 22, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5qg
6. Fort Hood Army Soldier Sgt. John Stobbe Found Dead at Off-Post Residence in Killeen, Texas (May 1, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5qE
7. Fort Hood Army Staff Sergeant Ellsworth Allen Raup III Died After Motorcycle Crashed Into the Back of a Van on U.S. 190 in Killeen, Texas (May 9, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-8Pn
8. Fort Hood Army Sgt. Marcus Nelson Sr. Died While in Custody at Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas; Nelson Held on Charges Stemming from 1st Cavalry Division (May 23, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-8Py
9. Army Spc. Christine Armstrong Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7iH
10. Army Pfc. Brandon Banner Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7iY
11. Army Staff Sgt. Miguel Colonvazquez Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7j8
12. Army Pvt. Isaac Deleon Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7jp
13. Army Pfc. Zachery Fuller Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7jz
14. Army Pvt. Eddy Gates Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7jJ
15. Army Pvt. Tysheena James Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7jQ
16. Army Specialist Yingming Sun Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7B3
17. West Point Cadet Mitchell Winey Died in a Flash Flood Training Accident at Fort Hood in Texas (June 2, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-7Bf
18. Army SFC Antino Glass Died in a Fatal Motorcycle Accident After Hitting Livestock on Fort Hood in Texas (June 5, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-8PZ
19. Army Spc. Bernardino Guevara, Jr. Found Dead from Gunshot Wound in Parking Lot Near the Sportsmen’s Center at Fort Hood, Texas (June 6, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-8PO
20. Fort Hood Army Sgt. Duane Shaw III Found Unresponsive in Off-Post Killeen, Texas Home; 12th Reported Fatality in One Month (June 8, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-8Qb
21. Fort Hood Army Sgt. Dougal Mitchell Died From Injuries Suffered in an Automobile Accident in Georgetown, Texas; Accident Claimed Two Lives (June 11, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-8Qt
22. Fort Hood Army Spc. Alexander Johnson Found Dead Near Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area Paintball Court in Texas (July 12, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5qJ
23. Fort Hood Army Spc. Logan Rainwater Died From Injuries Sustained in a Fatal Motorcycle Crash in Killeen, Texas; Other Driver Failed to Yield Right of Way (August 1, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-apo
24. Fort Hood Army Sgt. Calvin Aguilar Found Dead in Copperas Cove, Texas (August 4, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5qU
25. Army Spc. Dion Servant Found Dead in Barracks at Fort Hood, Texas (August 19, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5qO
26. Fort Hood Army Pfc. Stacy Hardy Died From Injuries Sustained After Motorcycle Crash at the Conclusion of a Pursuit with Killeen PD (September 10, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-apR
27. Army 2nd Lt. Andrew Hunt Found Unresponsive at Fort Hood, Texas Residence (September 13, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5rD
28. Fort Hood Army Pvt. Nathan Berg Died of a Gunshot Wound in Killeen, Texas (September 17, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5qY
29. Fort Hood Army Spc. Bradley Acker Found Dead at Off-Post Residence in Copperas Cove; CCPD Reported Cause of Death Self-Inflicted (October 7, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5ru
30. Fort Hood Army Soldier Douglas Bailey Found Dead at On Post Home; Official Cause of Death Unknown (October 15, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-aqe
31. Fort Hood Army Sgt. Douglas Riney Shot and Killed by a Suspected Taliban Infiltrator in Kabul, Afghanistan (October 19, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-aqp
32. Fort Hood Army Pvt. Dakota Stump Found Dead on Post Three Weeks After Vehicle Accident; Family Wants Missing ‘Warrior Alert’ Law (Nov 3, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5eU
34. Army Pfc. Tyler Iubelt Died of Injuries Sustained from Suicide Bomber at Post-Veterans Day Fun Run on Secure Base in Bagram, Afghanistan (Nov 12, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5eZ
35. Army Sgt. John Perry Died of Injuries Sustained from Suicide Bomber at Post-Veterans Day Fun Run on Secure Base in Bagram, Afghanistan (Nov 12, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5fa
36. Fort Hood Army Infantryman Pvt. Kevin Paulino Died of Gunshot Wound in Peru, Indiana; Civilian Police Confirm Suicide Cause of Death (Nov 16, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5eN
38. Pvt. Wanya Bruns Died by Self-Inflicted Gunshot Wound Nine Months After Joining Army; One of Many in 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas (November 26, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-6Xl
39. Fort Hood Army SFC Allan Brown Died at Walter Reed of Injuries Sustained From an Improvised Explosive Device in Afghanistan on November 12th (December 6, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-aZe
40. Army Pvt. Paige Fontenot Briles Found Unresponsive in Vehicle at Fort Hood Housing in Texas; Despite Suicide Ruling, Family Requests Homicide Investigation (Dec 24, 2016): https://wp.me/p3XTUi-5kn
Army Private Paige Fontenot Briles, 21, was found unresponsive in her vehicle at Fort Hood housing in Texas on Christmas eve, December 24, 2016. Private Fontenot Briles is from Kaplin, Louisiana and joined the Army in February 2015. Pvt. Fontenot Briles was assigned to Fort Hood as a wheeled vehicle mechanic. She deployed to Kuwait shortly after completing Advanced Individual Training (AIT). She returned stateside early in December 2015 after she was injured in the line of duty. In November 2016, she was assigned to the Warrior Transition Unit at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center. Pvt. Fontenot Briles was going to be discharged from the Army in February 2017 and had plans to attend dental hygienist school. Family report that Pvt. Fontenot Briles cause of death was determined a homicide by the Army but the Bell County coroner’s office made a suicide determination. The Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) ruled the cause of death as suicide.
*************************************************
Background:
Paige joined the U.S. Army in February 2015 & was permanently assigned to Fort Hood as a wheeled vehicle mechanic after Advanced Individual Training (AIT). Paige shared with her family that she was raped by her recruiter before she went to Fort Jackson for basic training but she did not report the incident. Shortly after arriving to Fort Hood, Paige was deployed to Kuwait in October 2015. Although she returned home early in December 2015 after being found unresponsive under a vehicle. She was injured in the line of duty and the only thing she shared with her family was that she “saw things no one should ever have to see.”
Paige met and married another soldier she hadn’t known that long in January 2016 upon her return home from Kuwait. According to Army CID, they learned that the marriage was contractual and the two did in fact share a home up until recently. When Paige met her husband, she had already experienced multiple traumas from the rape and her experience in Kuwait; she was vulnerable. After a few months of marriage, Paige got pregnant but her “husband” did not want a child and convinced her to get an abortion in August 2016. It was at this point, Paige had a mental health breakdown and was hospitalized for 28 days. She was eventually transferred to the Warrior Transition Unit (WTU) in November 2016.
The WTU allowed Paige to escape the unhealthy arrangement she was trapped in with her contractual husband and she was starting to feel better after being free of him for a couple months. Family reports that Paige decided to get out of the military, move back in with her sister and parents, and pursue an education as a dental hygienist. Paige was expected to discharge in February 2017. Paige put in leave to go home for Christmas in December 2016 but it was denied. Paige took a picture of herself on SnapChat and sent it to her contacts on Christmas Eve. She wrote “here’s to another Christmas alone.” And the Army wants us to believe that 30 minutes later, Paige would be dead by her own hand.
On the night in question, Paige drove to a friend’s house on post. She was house sitting for them while they were out of town. About an hour later, Paige was found unresponsive in the driver’s seat in her vehicle in the parking lot outside her friend’s home. She had been stabbed. Initially the Army investigated the death as a homicide but in December 2017, the family was informed that the cause of death was ruled a suicide. Less than two years in the Army and Paige was gone. She told her parents she was raped, she saw things in Kuwait no one should ever see, and that she was in an unhealthy relationship with a man she was trying to escape. Paige had been through hell in her short time in the Army but she had hope. She knew she was returning to Louisiana to a loving family and a sister who was her best friend. She didn’t feel so trapped that suicide was the only way out.
Paige had a second chance at life in just a couple months when she was going to be discharged. Paige’s parents want their daughter’s case investigated as a homicide. They provided the Army CID with a person of interest. They had interaction and negative experiences with the person of interest. They shared their first hand interactions (witness testimony) and their concerns with CID but felt their experiences and observations were dismissed. They know their daughter was not suicidal because she was due to get out of the Army in February 2017 and she had plans. When questioned if the Army CID ever investigated the person of interest, Paige’s family responded with “the Army CID never investigated any persons of interest.” As a matter of fact, the Army discharged the soldier these parents suspected was the person of interest.
What happens when the Army discharges a soldier who may be a person of interest? They in effect give up jurisdiction of the soldier once they become a civilian unless they are retired. The soldier who was considered a ‘person of interest’ by the family was discharged for disciplinary reasons. Enter across state line jurisdictional issues and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who appears to want to steer clear of cases on military bases. The parents report that initially Paige’s stabbing death was investigated as a homicide yet in the end, despite the autopsy, forensics, suspicious circumstances in her life, and the parents testimony, Paige’s death was ruled a suicide by the Army CID. Once a death is ruled a suicide, the investigation is over and the US Army never has to investigate again.
Fort Hood Army soldier Thomas Chestnut, 28, was freed from a Kansas military prison on December 23, 2016 after an appellate court overturned a guilty verdict on December 14, 2016. The Army Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the conviction finding evidence in the case as “factually insufficient.” The case stems from an accusation by a third party of a sexual assault of a man in August 2012 at Fort Sam Houston near San Antonio, Texas. Chestnut was charged and found guilty by a military jury on one count of sexual assault and found not guilty of one specification of assault consummated by a battery. Chestnut testified that the encounter with the other soldier was consensual and the third party was trying to deflect attention from himself. Chestnut was sentenced on July 2, 2014 to three years in prison at Fort Leavenworth, a reduction in rank to private, and forfeiture of all pay. After Thomas Chestnut was exonerated, he was entitled to back pay and an honorable discharge from the military when he completed his time in service. Thomas was honorably discharged from the Army in January 2017 but had not yet been able to get his back pay. Thomas shared his thoughts on his wrongful conviction and his two and a half year imprisonment in mostly solitary confinement for a crime he didn’t commit.
“How could I respect the authority of such a corrupt system and such a corrupt institution? Not after what they did to me, to us, as I am not alone in this you see. Hundreds of my fellow veterans have also been falsely accused and forced into prison. Obviously, the military leadership lacks the maturity and ethics to handle sexual assault cases in a balanced adult way. They should not have authority in these matters.” via Save Our Heroes
Thomas Chestnut spent 2 1/2 years in prison where he was placed in solitary confinement and allegedly abused by prison guards. Thomas admits the prejudiced military justice system, corruption, and prison experience traumatized him. He most likely suffers from a form of institutional abuse. In December 2016, the appeals court overturned his conviction, he was cleared of all charges, released from prison, and promised back pay. Thomas stated: “I have nothing. No place of my own, no car, and little money. The Army has no plan for someone with a case overturned, so I’ve been more or less thrown out on the street.” Thomas Chestnut most likely has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the betrayal by the military justice system and the abuse he endured in prison marked as a man who rapes other men. In February 2017, Chestnut attempted to get his back pay from the Army as he had nothing, no job, no place to live, no means to take care of himself. The Army didn’t help him or give him the answers he deserved when it came to his backpay.
At this point, Thomas most likely had a post traumatic stress meltdown simply from having to deal with the same institution that wrongfully convicted him of a crime. After he didn’t get the answers he deserved regarding his back pay, he got angry and threatened to harm individuals at Fort Hood. As a result, Chestnut was arrested by FBI agents and charged with making threats to kill individuals at Fort Hood. Thomas has been in federal custody ever since he made the threats and now the life that he may have had a second chance at was taken away from him again. Obviously, Thomas shouldn’t have threatened to kill individuals at Ft Hood but the backpay issue and the fact he has PTSD should have been a mitigating factor in this case. For example, the state of destitution he was in and his legitimate need for money to sustain and take care of himself most likely triggered his post traumatic stress symptoms. He was desperate and the Army’s indifference and stonewalling most likely caused an already emotionally fragile man to disassociate and lash out. If he was within the state’s jurisdiction, chances are he would have access to a veteran’s court that would fight to give him another chance. Instead, Thomas Chestnut is in federal prison for 18 months for one threatening phone call.
Fort Hood is a U.S. military post located in Killeen, Texas. The post is named after Confederate General John Bell Hood. It is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about 60 miles (100 km) from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. -Wikipedia
*Research not complete and includes combat deaths.
The WTU allowed Paige to escape the unhealthy arrangement she was trapped in with her contractual husband and she was starting to feel better after being free of him for a couple months. Family reports that Paige decided to get out of the military, move back in with her sister and parents, and pursue an education as a dental hygienist. Paige was expected to discharge in February 2017. Paige put in leave to go home for Christmas in December 2016 but it was denied. Paige took a picture of herself on SnapChat and sent it to her contacts on Christmas Eve. She wrote “here’s to another Christmas alone.” And the Army wants us to believe that 30 minutes later, Paige would be dead by her own hand.
