Soldier standoffs: Police Responding to Crisis After Combat

Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war
Killeen Daily Herald
By Josh Sullivan and David Bryant | Herald staff writers
February 25, 2017

“It’s a case where the individual has bad PTSD, so confrontations bring back previous confrontations with the enemy, and there are proponents of a flashback that drives back their current behavior. Those are the sad ones.” Dr. Thomas Newton

Eric J. Shelton | Herald Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war
FILE — Police officers draw their weapons during a crisis response after residents reported a man threatened others with a gun. Police have to deal with a medley of factors, from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served, is taken into account in an effort to preserve life.

About 6:15 p.m. on a Friday, police responded to a call that a 30-year-old man had barricaded himself in his southwest Killeen home. The Killeen Police Department and the special weapons and tactics team engaged the man for nearly 10 hours before the standoff ended around 4:30 a.m.

While Army officials confirmed the man in the Feb. 10 standoff with Killeen police was a former Fort Hood soldier, information regarding the mental health status of individuals involved in similar incidents cannot be released, as it is protected health information, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug said.

The man was taken into custody for evaluation after the standoff ended, according to Killeen Police Department spokeswoman Ofelia Miramontez. That’s not an unusual outcome for people who threaten self-harm, as long as there is no one else involved in the incident, she said.

Standoffs with police that involve either active-duty soldiers or veterans are nothing new. On Aug. 3, police shot a man in Copperas Cove after he aimed a rifle at them. On May 2, 2016, KPD was involved in a standoff from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with an armed and suicidal active-duty soldier about 4 miles north of the Feb. 10 standoff. On March 23, 2015, KPD responded to a standoff in northwest Killeen with a man who neighbors said was a veteran. KPD handled these situations without incident.

That’s not as simple as it may seem, because police have to deal with a medley of factors. Everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served is taken into account in an effort to carry out the preservation of life.
read more here

Fort Hood Sued For Deadly Result of Domestic Violence

Army Sued for Deadly Rampage at Fort Hood
Courthouse News
RYAN KOCIAN
February 24, 2017

KILLEEN, Texas (CN) — Surviving family members of a 2015 shooting rampage outside Fort Hood say the Army failed to protect a battered spouse and her neighbors from her abusive husband, who should not have been able to obtain the gun he used in the murders.

Karin Kristensen, Michael Farina and Christina Guzman sued the United States in Federal Court on behalf of the estates of Dawn Larson Giffa, Lydia Farina and Steven Guzman, and their six surviving minor children.

In February 2015, Spc. (Specialist) Atase Giffa was living off-base with his wife, Dawn Giffa, and her son K.L. in Killeen. Dawn and K.L. were Canadian citizens and lawful U.S. residents. Giffa was about to be transferred to Georgia, but Dawn wanted to stay in Killeen to finish nursing school.

“Spc. Giffa took this news poorly,” the lawsuit says. On Feb. 9 Giffa took Dawn’s and K.L.’s passports and identification cards, plus Dawn’s credit cards and money. In a subsequent argument, neighbors saw him slam Dawn against their truck and hold her down by the wrists. The neighbors noticed red marks on Dawn where Giffa had grabbed her, thrown her, and restrained her, according to the complaint.
read more here

Lawsuit: Fort Hood Multiple Murder-Suicide Could Have Been Prevented

Lawsuit claims soldier’s gun access led to murder-suicide in Killeen
KXAN News
By Claire Ricke
Published: February 22, 2017

KILLEEN, Texas (KXAN) — One day away from the two year anniversary of a Killeen murder-suicide, a family is suing the U.S. government for failing to report a Fort Hood soldier’s restraining order violations, which allowed him to purchase a gun.

In the lawsuit filed at an Austin federal court, the family claims weapon access led to the murder of three people and suicide of the soldier. In February 2015, police say, Atase Giffa shot and killed his wife and two neighbors before killing himself.

According to the lawsuit, days before the murders Giffa and his wife were arguing, which escalated when he grabbed and threw her. Giffa’s wife Dawn was told by Killeen police to notify her husband’s commander about the incident. While she called the commander, Dawn and her son went to a neighboring home to find safety.

The commander told Dawn that Giffa would be on a 48-hour watch and constrained to the barracks for seven days as well as having a restraining order filed against him, states the lawsuit. Fort Hood is accused by the lawsuit of not recording Giffa’s restraining order violations in the crime datebase that would have made it harder for him to buy a gun. The lawsuit does not state where Giffa bought the gun.
read more here

Are Awareness Raisers Satisfied with More Suicides?

Repeating Something Means Being Satisfied with Results

Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 19, 2017

What, no pushups? We've had more than enough evidence that this type of publicity stunt does no good at all. So why do it? Why continue to do something that doesn't work? Why continue to repeat a number that is not real? The really odd thing is, about 70 of them marched the 70 miles without knowing that number is a lot closer to the number of veterans taking their own lives everyday.

The only reason to repeat something is being satisfied with the results. Does that mean the awareness raisers are satisfied with the rise in suicides or are they satisfied with the publicity and funding they gain?

Grueling march from Fort Hood to State Capitol raises awareness of PTSD
KXAN Staff
Published: February 18, 2017

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Statistics show 20 veterans suffering from post traumatic stress disorder take their own lives each day.

It’s the reason about 70 people spent the last three days marching all the way from Fort Hood to the State Capitol in an event called Carry the Fallen, which is put on by the group Active Heroes.

That’s about 70 miles. And they did it with weights on their backs to symbolize and remember the vets who killed themselves.

Those who made the trek say walking that far with complete strangers brings you a lot closer together.
read more here

Here are the published results of a decade of raising awareness. 

Less serving but more suicides.

The Army’s reduction in force size, driven by budget cuts, was in fact accelerated by two years due to the severity of the sequester in FY 2013.2 From a height of 566,000 in FY 2011, the Army’s end strength in FY 2014 was on a downward slide to 490,000 Active Army soldiers by the end of the fiscal year. The ongoing debate between the White House and Congress (and within Congress) over funding levels as constrained by the Budget Control Act of 2011 will determine whether the Army is able to sustain a projected end strength of 450,000 or must reduce further to 420,000 soldiers.

The FY 2017 DoD budget request^[4] plan calls for an active duty end strength of 1,281,900, a decrease of 19,400 from the 2016 baseline as a result of decrements in the Army (15,000 fewer personnel) and Navy (4,400 fewer personnel) strength. The budget request also calls for a reserve component end strength of 801,200, a decrease of 9,800 personnel.

Chart from Department of Veterans Affairs Suicide Report 2012

Less veterans but suicide numbers remained the same.

Number of veterans in US Census Data from 2000

26.4 million.

Number of veterans in US Census Data from 2016

21,369,602

The last suicide report from the Department of Veterans Affairs stated there are 20 veterans committing suicide per day.

Compared to the data from the 2012 report, which estimated the number of Veteran deaths by suicide to be 22 per day, the current analysis indicates that in 2014, an average of 20 Veterans a day died from suicide...

THE REPORT CONCLUDES: Approximately 65 percent of all Veterans who died from suicide in 2014 were 50 years of age or older. Veterans accounted for 18 percent of all deaths from suicide among U.S. adults. This is a decrease from 22 percent in 2010. Since 2001, U.S. adult civilian suicides increased 23 percent, while Veteran suicides increased 32 percent in the same time period. After controlling for age and gender, this makes the risk of suicide 21 percent greater for Veterans. Since 2001, the rate of suicide among U.S. Veterans who use VA services increased by 8.8 percent, while the rate of suicide among Veterans who do not use VA services increased by 38.6 percent. In the same time period, the rate of suicide among male Veterans who use VA services increased 11 percent, while the rate of suicide increased 35 percent among male Veterans who do not use VA services. In the same time period, the rate of suicide among female Veterans who use VA services increased 4.6 percent while the rate of suicide increased 98 percent among female Veterans who do not use VA services.

This means that Congress must be content with the results as well. They keep writing the same type of Bills and funding them that have not worked.

This means that military leaders must be content since they keep pushing the same "resilience training" that caused the increase in suicides.

This means that all the awareness raisers out there must be content with the results since they keep repeating the same stunts all across the country.

Fort Hood Staff Sergeant's Death Under Investigation

Fort Hood: Iraq war veteran found dead in off-post residence 
KWTX News 
By Staff 
Feb 13, 2017

Staff Sgt. Christie Marie Anderson. (Fort Hood photo)

FORT HOOD, Texas (KWTX) Fort Hood Monday identified a soldier who was found dead on Feb. 6 in her off-post residence as Staff Sgt. Christie Marie Anderson, 44 of Hazen, Ark. 

Killeen police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death, Fort Hood said, but no details were released. 
read more here

Fort Hood CID Soldier's Body Found

Fort Hood special agent's body found behind building on base
KCEN
Katie Grovatt
February 7, 2017

“The Criminal Investigation Command is a very small and close knit organization. Losing one of our own deeply affects us all. We will do everything in our power to support the Hines family during this very difficult time,” said Maj. Gen. Mark S. Inch, the provost marshal general of the Army and commanding general of CID.

FORT HOOD - A Fort Hood soldier's death is being investigated by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) after his body was discovered behind a building on the military base.

Staff Sgt. Steven K. Hines' body was discovered Sunday at around 10 p.m. about 50 yards behind building 2201.

CID agents investigating the death have not completely ruled out foul play but they do not suspect it at this time. Special agents from outside the Fort Hood area were brought in to conduct a complete and thorough death investigation.
read more here

Iraq Veteran Released from Hospital Sent to Jail

Man shot by local officer jailed after release from hospital
KWTX News
January 20, 2017

Meyers spent a little more than six years in the U.S. Army, rising to the rank of sergeant, according to records obtained by KWTX.

He joined the Army in April 2001 and served at Fort Hood from October 2003 to June 2007, when he left the service.

He deployed to Iraq from September 2003 to September 2004, and received a Purple Heart medal, the records show.

Thomas Eugene Meyers. (Jail photo)

KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) A man whom a Killeen police officer shot after responding to a disturbance call was in the Bell County Jail Friday facing a list of charges after his release from the hospital.

Thomas Eugene Meyers, 35, of Killeen, is charged with possession of a controlled substance, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon and assault with bodily injury on a family member.v read more here

Army Father and Son Part of Fort Hood's Historical Record

Fathers, sons commanding same major Army unit rare, but it happens
Killeen Daily Herald
David A Bryant
Herald Staff Writer
January 14, 2017

Lt. Gen. Paul “Butch” Funk proudly said last week he was “pretty sure” that when his son, Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, takes over as III Corps and Fort Hood commander, it would be the first time in corps history that a father and son had commanded the unit. He is correct, the Army verified Friday.

J. Parker Roberts, 1ST INF. DIV.
Funk
Retired Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk, left, and retired Lt. Gen. Walter F. Ulmer Jr., right, pose with framed artwork gifted to the pair by the 1st Inf. Div. and Maj. Gen. Paul E. Funk II, 1st Inf. Div. and Fort Riley, Ks., commanding general, center, Sept. 12, 2013, at Riley’s Conference Center.

But the Funks won’t be the first father and son team to command the same corps-level unit in the Army’s history — although it is rare enough to require a lot of research, according to Pentagon spokeswoman Army Lt. Col. Jennifer Johnson.

“There may be others out there, but we don’t normally track this type of data,” she said.

One of the most well known sets of names to command the same corps are Gen. Creighton W. Abrams and his son, Gen. John N. Abrams, both of whom commanded V Corps in Germany.

Another father-son team was Lt. Gens. William Caldwell III and William Caldwell IV, both of which commanded Army North/Fifth Army and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.
read more here

Since November, 12 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood have died

US Army soldier based at Fort Hood is found dead - making him the TWELFTH GI from the Texas base to die in the last two months as investigators probe bizarre cluster of suicides, accidents and fatal fights at the base
Daily Mail
By Ariel Zilber For Dailymail.com
14 January 2017

Army investigates death of Sgt. Alex Mathew Dean Taylor, 23
Taylor, an aviation operations specialist, was found dead at his post in Fort Hood
Since November, 12 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood have died
Three were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Bagram air base in Afghanistan
Others died in accidents and from gunshot wounds

The United States Army launched an investigation on Friday into the mysterious death of a soldier who was found unresponsive at his post on the Fort Hood base – the latest in a string of nearly a dozen deaths of soldiers serving in the massive Texas encampment.

Sgt. Alex Mathew Dean Taylor, 23, a soldier assigned to the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion, was found dead while on duty, according to Stars and Stripes.

Taylor had enlisted as an aviation operations specialist.

The army released no information about the circumstances of Taylor's death.
read more here

UPSATE
FROM FOX NEWS

Army, local police probe recent mystery deaths of 11 Fort Hood soldiers
January 15, 2017
The Army and local police are investigating the deaths of 11 Fort Hood soldiers who have died on and off the large Texas base in the past three months under mysterious circumstances, according to reports.

The most recent death involved Sgt. Alex Taylor, 23, of Texas City, Texas, who was found Wednesday unresponsive at his job at Fort Hood.

The Army’s Criminal Investigations Command is probing Taylor’s death, Stars and Stripes reported Friday.

“At this point in the investigative process we do not suspect foul play, but have not completely ruled it out while we conduct a complete and thorough death investigation,” Criminal Investigations spokesman Christopher Grey told the paper.

Fort Hood said Taylor’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Aviation Badge and Air Assault Badge, among others. He was part of the 15th Military Intelligence Battalition and enlisted as an aviation operations.

Taylor is at least the 11th Fort Hood soldier to have died in the U.S. since Oct. 12.

Yet at the bottom of the article it has,

Three soldiers from Fort Hood died November 12 in a suicide bomb attack at Bagram air base in Afghanistan: Staff Sgt. John Perry, 30; Private First Class Tyler Iubelt, 20; and Sgt. 1st Class Allan Brown, 46. Brown died of injuries suffered in the attack at Walter Reade National Medical Center in Bethesda Dec. 6, the Houston Chronicle reported Friday.

The Army said Sgt. Douglas Riney, who was assigned to Fort Hood, died in Afghanistan Oct. 20 in a firefight with the enemy.

In other words, there is nothing to investigate on those deaths. So is this attention getting headline totally misleading? Weren't the facts as they really are worthy of the attention?

Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead

Fort Hood Officials ID Soldier Found Dead At His Place Of Duty
Patch.com
By Tony Cantu (Patch Staff)
January 12, 2017

FORT HOOD, TX — Officials at Fort Hood on Thursday released the name of a soldier found unresponsive on Wednesday.

Sgt. Alex Matthew Dean Taylor, 23, of Texas City, Texas, was found dead at his place of duty on Jan. 11. He entered active duty military service in March 2012 as an aviation operations specialist, according to Fort Hood officials in a press release. He was later assigned to the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood in July 2016.

The soldier's decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Aviation Badge, Air Assault Badge and Army Service Ribbon.
read more here

Fort Hood soldier found dead on post on Christmas Eve

Fort Hood soldier found dead on post on Christmas Eve
Army Times
By: Meghann Myers
December 28, 2016

A 21-year-old private was found unresponsive in a Fort Hood, Texas, home on Dec. 24, according to an Army release.

Pvt. Paige Elizabeth Briles, from Kaplan, Louisiana, was a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to a warrior transition unit, the release said.
read more here

Col. Andrew Poznick, One of Too Many Fort Hood Suicides

Soldier suicides: Stressors, substances and shootings
Killeen Daily Herald
By David A. Bryant | Herald staff writer
December 17, 2106

By all outward appearances, Col. Andrew Poznick was a man with success written all over his future.

Spc. Jared Forsyth | U.S. Army
Lt. Col. Andrew Poznick speaks to his troops with 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, in Basrah, Iraq, on July 29, 2011. Poznick was commander of the battalion. On Sunday, March 20, 2016, Poznick was found dead at his residence near Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

He was a successful combat commander who led 1st Cavalry Division soldiers in Iraq. He had just been promoted to the rank of colonel. And he was preparing to join the faculty of the Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pa.

On March 20, 2016, he took his own life.

He wasn’t young. He wasn’t new to the Army. He wasn’t under financial duress, and he had left Fort Hood only a few weeks earlier.

But like at least 13 other soldiers on Fort Hood in 2016 — 13 confirmed and four pending confirmation — he chose suicide as a way to end his personal pain.

The soldiers lost to suicide this year on Fort Hood had little in common. About half had deployed to combat before, the other half had not. The youngest was 20 years old; the eldest 45. They were Americans of African, European and Hispanic heritage.

Some were junior enlisted, some were noncommissioned officers and some were officers.

Their names:

Staff Sgt. Devin Lee Schuette

Maj. Troy Donn Wayman

Staff Sgt. Brian Michael Reed

Staff Sgt. Steven Daniel Lewis

Sgt. John Andrew Stobbe

Sgt. Marcus Lamarr Nelson Sr.

Spc. Bernardino Guevara Jr.

Sgt. Duane Cass Shaw III

Spc. Alexander Michael Johnson

Spc. Dion Shannon Servant

Spc. Bradley Michael Acker

Spc. Korey Deonte James

Pvt. Wanya Bruns.

Four other deaths are still under investigation by the Army as possible suicides.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Laid to Rest By Veterans Community

'We're a veterans community'
About 40 Central Texas residents attend unaccompanied funeral
Killeen Daily Herald By Ebriah Swenson
December 14, 2016

“We’re a veterans community. Fort Hood is one of biggest military bases in the world. It was very unique that we interred a Marine today, and I just happen to be a Marine, because most of the time it’s Army personnel. This time, it happened to be a Marine, so I wanted to make sure that I, personally, was here for that.” Lewis Stubbs

Eric J. Shelton | Herald
Funeral
Supporters salute during an unaccompanied veteran funeral for James Wesley Jones Wednesday the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.

Area residents gathered at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen on Wednesday to lay James Wesley Jones, a former Marine and a Vietnam War veteran, to rest.

Jones, who had no family members attend the funeral, served in the Marine Corps from July 1965 to September 1969.
read more here

Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead at Home

Army identifies Fort Hood soldier found dead at home
Army Times
By: Charlsy Panzino
November 21, 2016

A Fort Hood soldier who was found unresponsive in his off-post home on Friday has been identified.

Officials at the Texas post said Spc. Korey Deonte James died in Killeen, Texas, according to an Army press release.

The 21-year-old had been assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment at Fort Hood since January. He had served on active duty since August 2014 as a food service specialist, according to the release.
read more here

Pioneering Fort Hood study on PTSD, Old is "new again!"

They called it "pioneering" but in the same article it is pointed out that CPT goes back to the 80's. CPT does work, when done the right way, like making sure there is closure and soldiers find a way to make peace with themselves instead of battling within themselves. When done the wrong way, they get frustrated and give up. The best research on PTSD started 40 years ago, but what failed has been repeated and what worked has been forgotten about.

Pioneering Fort Hood study on PTSD treatment finds some healed
San Antonio Express
By J.p. Lawrence
November 23, 2016

CPT examines how someone thinks about a traumatic event and how that affects their emotions, said Patricia Resick, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University who developed CPT in 1988. CPT, along with prolonged exposure therapy, are the two primary “talk” therapy methods used to treat PTSD.

Staff Sgt. Martin L. Morris waits to be awarded the Purple Heart at Fort Hood, Tuesday, December 19, 2006. Nicole Fruge/ San Antonio Express-News

There was a time when Sean Brack would encounter a sticky floor and be transported back to war. He would peel his foot up from the floor of a movie theater, and it would remind him of standing in a pool of blood, and walking through that blood to get to a wounded friend.

The flashbacks happened in 2010, when Brack thought of killing himself. After three tours to Iraq, Brack, a sergeant first class, had problems sleeping, isolated himself, and was on his way to becoming an alcoholic, he recalled. He was due to deploy to Afghanistan with the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade from Fort Hood.

Then, Brack, 47, entered part of what would become a series of studies at Fort Hood on a type of therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, called cognitive processing therapy.

Studies have been done on CPT’s effectiveness on civilians and veterans, but a paper published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry included results of the largest study on the treatment’s effectiveness on active duty soldiers to date.

Over the course of 12 sessions at Fort Hood, nearly half of active duty soldiers in one-on-one therapy and 40 percent in group therapy recovered from PTSD, the study found.
read more here

Death of Fort Hood Soldier Under Investigation

Pvt. Kevin Paulino, 24, was shot in Peru, Ind., and died Wednesday, officials said. (U.S. ARMY)

If you saw the following copy of the report, it is wrong. The picture below is of a Sailor.

Bronx soldier, 24, fatally shot while serving in Indiana
New York Daily News
Ginger Adams Otis
November 19, 2016

A Bronx soldier serving in Indiana died of a gunshot wound, Army officials said Friday.

Provided by New York Daily News Pvt. Kevin Paulino, 24, was shot in Peru, Ind., and died Wednesday, officials said. - Byron Smith for New York Daily News

Pvt. Kevin Paulino, 24, died Wednesday, according to officials at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas.

Paulino entered active-duty service in May as an infantryman.

He was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood in September, officials said.
read more here

History Made At Fort Hood, Female Soldier Cavalry Scout

Fort Hood soldier becomes first woman cavalry scout in U.S. Army 
FOX 7 News
By: Jennifer Kendall
NOV 18 2016

“I've wanted to be a combat MOS since I was about seven,” Landes said.

For the first time in history a woman graduated as a cavalry scout in the U.S. Army.

Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood

Five and a half years ago Sgt. Kayci Landes became a soldier, but there were still some restrictions for females in the military and her dream of serving in a military occupational specialty seemed like it would never come true.

Back in March, the army announced it would begin integrating women into all military occupations specialties. Meaning they could begin serving in the infantry, armor and special forces.
read more here

PTSD Soldiers Still Being Abused At Warrior Transition Units

Two years ago, the Dallas Morning News and NBC Dallas, "Injured Heroes Broken Promises" reported on how wounded soldiers were being abused at Warrior Transition Units. Yep, the very place where they were supposed to be sent to heal from what combat did to them. Most of the time we're talking about PTSD soldiers being told to "man up" but the reporters covering national news worthy of national attention did not think any of this was important. 

Most people in the country had no clue what was going on. So much for social media folks putting more attention on raising awareness about suicides instead of actually paying attention to the biggest reason behind our young veterans committing suicide. You'd think this would matter, but then again, they want you to think if they get attention for talking, they never really have to achieve what they claim is important to them.

The fine reporting out of Dallas Morning News and NBC Dallas is one of the reasons this site exists. The news is out there and it is up to you to do something with it, or just keep supporting what is popular. Hey, here's a thought, how about we make the truth matter for a change?

Badly wounded veterans need better care from special Army units, report says
Dallas Morning News
David Tarrant and Scott Friedman
November 11, 2016

“Those are the things we had lived through,” added Cynthia Adams, sitting next to her husband at their kitchen table. She’s relieved “it’s finally out there,” but wonders: “What difference is this going to make?”

FRANKSTON — Ken Adams leans on two canes as he limps into his dining room. Spread across the table are prescription pill bottles, knee and back braces, a therapeutic boot and other medical supplies he’s come to rely on in recent years after injuries he sustained in the Army.

Adams spent nearly two years in a Warrior Transition Unit, or WTU, a special Army unit for injured soldiers who need extensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. But his medical problems got worse — not better, he said.

At Fort Hood's WTU, Adams says commanders fought against his doctor's recommendations and denied him treatments for debilitating back pain.

When he complained to his supervisors, they made him feel like he was trying to milk the system. “I was just another dirtbag looking for a meal ticket,” said Adams, 50, a retired master sergeant and Bronze Star veteran of the Iraq war. “None of what I had achieved or had done on a personal level or in the military was of any relevance.”

Stories like Adams’ are backed up by a government report that recently found that the Army needs to improve how it cares for severely wounded warriors in its WTUs. Congress ordered the report after a series of investigative stories by The Dallas Morning News and its broadcast partner, KXAS-TV (NBC5).
read more here

Original report

Missing Soldier Alert: Fort Hood

Family confirms missing Fort Hood soldier found dead
KVUE ABC News
Jim Hice and Katie Grovatt
November 4, 2016

FORT HOOD - A family member of missing Fort Hood PVT Dakota Stump confirmed to Channel 6 News Friday that he had been found dead on post.

Fort Hood officials said Stump's remains were found next to his flipped-over vehicle 100 yards from the roadway near Building 43028 on Fort Hood.

Soldiers conducting land-navigation training found his body approximately at 11:50 a.m. Thursday.
read more here

The Army needs your help finding a missing Fort Hood soldier
Army Times
By: Meghann Myers
October 14, 2016

Pvt. Dakota Stump has been missing since Monday, and his family and chain of command need your help.

Stump, 19, an infantryman assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, is missing from Fort Hood, Texas, a spokesman confirmed to Army Times Friday.

The 1st Cavalry Division is exhausting all resources to look for him, Master Sgt. Jacob Caldwell told Army Times. Leadership has contacted local police, hospitals and is in contact with his mother, brother and girlfriend in addition to monitoring his barracks room.

Stump's cellphone is ringing, but there is no answer, Caldwell said.

"They spoke with soldiers who work directly with Pvt. Stump to see if there was any change in his demeanor or mood that they could make sense of why he would go missing," he added.
read more here

Death of Fort Hood Solider Under Investigation

Fort Hood officials ID soldier found dead in Cove
Killeen Daily Herald
David Bryant
October 12, 2016

FORT HOOD — Fort Hood officials have released the name of a soldier found dead in his Copperas Cove residence on Friday.

Spc. Bradley Michael Acker, 25, whose home of record is listed as Canandaigua, N.Y., joined the Army in October 2010 as a Multiple Launch Rocket System crewmember and later reclassified as an aircraft power plant repairer.
read more here