On Monday, March 13, 2023, another 20-year-old Latina soldier died suspiciously at Fort Hood in Killeen after complaining to her family about being sexually harassed and admitting that she no longer felt “comfortable” there. Her name is Ana Basaldua Ruiz, and she was from Long Beach, California. Pvt. Ruiz wasn’t the
Family of Fort Hood soldier demands answers after military refuses to release report on his death
Seventeen months have passed since Private First Class (PFC) Logan Castello, a soldier stationed at Fort Hood, a US military installation in Killeen, Texas, took his own life. Castello had only been on the base for five months. He was the 11th soldier to commit suicide at Fort Hood in 2019, one of the largest US military installations in the world, which is known for its high rates of suicide, homicide, and sexual assault. His body was found in his apartment by Killeen police.
Pfc. Logan Castello [Credit: Family Memorial Page]
US Army punishes 14 senior officers at Fort Hood citing “leadership failures”
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy directed 14 senior officers at the Army’s violence- and murder-plagued Fort Hood base in central Texas be punished by suspension or removal from their positions. McCarthy, announcing his decision this week, claimed the issues at the base are “directly related to leadership failures.”
Fort Hood (Credit: Fort Hood/U.S. Army)
The action comes in the wake of the independent review ordered after the bungling of the investigation into the death of 20-year-old Specialist Vanessa Guillen.
The disciplinary actions were one of the single largest taken by the Army in history, indicating that the Pentagon is well aware of deep disillusionment and anger within the ranks and is seeking to put the blame for a wave of deaths, sexual assaults and suicides solely on the local leadership in an effort to divert blame from the military itself. The Army investigation is reportedly still