Three soldiers at Fort Cavazos committed suicide last month – the latest in a string of mysterious deaths at military bases across the country.
Fort Cavazos, formerly Fort Hood, is investigating all three deaths and one more death, the cause of which has yet to be confirmed, an army spokesman said.
The base is where Vanessa Guillen went missing on April 22, 2020, before being found dismembered and buried nearby two months later.
More recently, this is where a soldier went into hiding for ten days and then resurfaced the day after his transgender wife was found dead in their home.
The deaths also come after it was revealed that 17 soldiers have died so far at a USAF base in Oklahoma, 11 of them from “natural causes” and six that are still unclear.
Before the fourth Fort Cavazos soldier died last week, a spokesman said “aAll early indicators point to these tragedies as suicides.” Their names were not released.
Three soldiers stationed at the Fort Cavazos base committed suicide last month in the latest of a string of mysterious deaths at US military bases
Lieutenant General Sean Bernabe, the commander of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, expressed his grief over the deaths in a statement.
“In the wake of these losses, our leaders are engaging with the families of the deceased to ensure they have the information and resources they need,” he said.
“Our leaders are also working hard to protect the privacy of these families as they mourn the loss of a loved one.”
The post announced that it will be expanding suicide prevention and mental health programs in response.
GIs and their commanding officers held a “call to action” day on Aug. 16, where they claimed to speak honestly about mental health issues.
“This training was supported by behavioral health professionals, chaplains and other non-clinical consultants from throughout the Fort Cavazos installation,” Fort Cavazos leaders said in a statement.
Fort Hood officially changed its name to Fort Cavazos in May as part of the U.S. Army’s ongoing effort to rename a handful of bases that currently bear the names of Confederate officers.
The base has suffered a number of killings and deaths in recent years – including the brutal beating of military officer Guillen – that have occurred on the premises.
Lieutenant General Sean Bernabe, the commander of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood, expressed his grief over the deaths in a statement
The post announced that it will be expanding suicide prevention and mental health programs in response
Earlier this year, the military opened an investigation into the death of 21-year-old Fort Hood engineer Ana Basalduaruiz, who told her mother she had been sexually harassed by her superior.
Perhaps no scandal has rocked the base and the nation quite like Guillen’s death.
After Guillen’s death, her family’s allegations of sexual harassment at the Texas base sparked a social media movement of former and active-duty military personnel sharing their experiences at military bases across the country using the hashtag #IAmVanessaGuillen.
Then-U.S. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, while visiting the Texas base, said it had one of the highest rates of homicide, assault and harassment in the military.
He added that the patterns of violence were a direct result of leadership failures. ‘
State and federal lawmakers passed legislation in Guillen’s honor in 2021 that took away some of the authority of commanders and gave survivors more options to report abuse and harassment.
Army officials disciplined 21 NCOs and NCOs in connection with Guillen’s death.
Two other soldiers died on the base this summer, one in a car accident, while the cause of death of the other has not yet been revealed.
Police said Guillen, 20, was beaten to death and her remains were buried by army specialist Aaron Robinson, who was assisted by Aguilar.
Guillen, 20, (pictured) was last seen at Fort Hood on April 22, 2020, in the parking lot of her barracks. She disappeared after telling her family that she had been sexually harassed
Craig Chamberlain was found on May 26, one day after his wife was found dead, and ten days after he disappeared from home and went into hiding from Fort Cavazos. Cam Chamberlain reported her husband missing on May 15. She was found dead in the couple’s home on May 25
It comes just weeks after the Air Force revealed that 11 of the 17 deaths at an Oklahoma Air Force base this year were from natural causes, but six were still under investigation.
Tinker Air Force Base has been in the spotlight ever since Military.com confirmed that there had been 17 deaths this year at the base, which employs more than 30,000 military, government personnel, contractors and civilians.
Most of the 17 dead were civilians, said Colonel Abigail Ruscetta, commander of the 72nd Air Force Base.
One source told Military.com that some of the deaths were potential suicides, and some were related to Covid-19.
The suicide rate in the military is at an all-time high, according to the American newspaper USO. In 2021 alone, 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans who served in the military after September 11 died by suicide.