Lawmakers are investigating the string of soldier deaths at Fort Hood

By Keydra Manns

·September 8, 2020

AUSTIN, TX - JULY 12: People lay down flowers in honor of murdered Army Spec. Vanessa Guillen at a march and vigil on July 12, 2020 in Austin, Texas. Guillen, who was allegedly murdered at Fort Hood by fellow soldier, Spec. Aaron Robinson, has come into the national spotlight with many calling on the military to further investigate the culture of sexual harassment and assault against female service members. (Photo by Sergio Flores/Getty Images)

Congress is applying pressure on the Army to provide information in regard to the alarming number of soldier deaths. On Tuesday, two house sub-panels joined forces and are requesting additional information in regards to the 28 deaths at Fort Hood, Texas.

Pvt. Corlton Chee, 25, is the 28th recent death at Fort Hood. The young soldier collapsed after participating in physical fitness training and died on Sept. 2. As reported by theGrio, his passing comes on the heels of the death of Vanessa Guillen, the soldier whose bodily remains were found near Fort Hood after her disappearance.

Fort Hood has a reputation as one of the military’s most disturbed instillations. The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security are requesting information surrounding the deaths and are giving the Army until October 2^nd to provide answers.

According to The Hill, Heads of the subgroups, Reps. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass), sent a letter to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy to announce the groups, “are jointly investigating whether an alarming pattern of recent tragedies at Fort Hood, Texas, may be symptomatic of underlying leadership, discipline, and morale deficiencies throughout the chain-of-command.”

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 29: House Armed Services Committee subcommittee Chair Jackie Speier (D-CA) conducts a hearing about sexual harassment and retaliation in the armed forces in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill July 29, 2020 in Washington, DC. The hearing is a part of a ongoing effort by Congress and the military to stop sexual assault and harassment, especially in the wake of the April 22 murder of 20-year-old Private First Class Vanessa Guillen who was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The letter goes on to say, “Where appropriate, we intend to seek justice on behalf of those in uniform, and their families, who may have been failed by a military system and culture that was ultimately responsible for their care and protection.”

There have been about 129 felonies annually between 2014-2019 at Fort Hood that range between assault, homicide, kidnapping, sexual assault, and robbery. Back in July, McCarthy said the service will look into these tragedies independently, but per The Hill, the reps say that will not suffice.

“Where appropriate, we intend to seek justice on behalf of those in uniform, and their families, who may have been failed by a military system and culture that was ultimately responsible for their care and protection.”

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