Bragg officials react to spousal homicides
by Spc. Kyle J. Cosner
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Army News Service, July 30, 2002) -- Fort Bragg and the U.S. Army Special Operations Command officials have responded to reporters' questions about the killing of four military wives by their active-duty husbands in a span of less than six weeks during a press conference July 26.
Three of the four accused soldiers had returned from deployments to Afghanistan within the last six months.
Despite suggestions from the media that the killings may have been related to those deployments, Col. Tad Davis, Fort Bragg's garrison commander, told a roomful of reporters that the incidents probably related more to the soldiers' preexisting marital problems than to their deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
"That's one of the factors that we'll look at during our investigation into each one of these cases, but also what was the relationship, what was going on in that family, what was going on in that household -- and then look at all those issues together to see what we can put together as a total picture of what was going on in that family," Davis said.
Davis discounted Afghanistan as a direct factor in the killings, pointing out that duty there was no more stressful than deployments to other theaters.
"We've got several thousand soldiers deployed right now in 30 or more countries around the world," he said. "In many cases, those soldiers are in an as stressful, if not more stressful environment, than these soldiers might have been in Afghanistan."
Davis also cautioned against drawing too many connections between the four incidents.
"We've got to judge each and every one of these cases on its own merit and then see what we come up with in the end," he said.
Across post at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Maj. Gary Kolb, the command's public affairs officer, echoed Davis' comments. Three of the accused soldiers belonged to USASOC units.
"I think each case has to be taken differently," Kolb said. "To pinpoint one thing like the war in Afghanistan and say that's the cause is pretty hard to do. Each (case) needs to be looked at individually."
Davis said that although military families are subject to the same problems as civilian families, these incidents were a surprise, as there hadn't been a domestic-related homicide at Fort Bragg in two years.
"In many respects, what we've found is that some (military) families do have problems," Davis said. "But...we are shocked and extremely surprised with the recent occurrences, and our hearts go out to each and every one of the families, to include the children in particular.
"In whatever way we can, we try to have programs available for (families experiencing problems) -- everything from marriage counseling to marriage enrichment programs" Davis continued. "At the same time, we stress to each and every one of our leaders at every level to make sure that they're aware of the circumstances among the soldiers, especially those that are married."
However, such resources can't do much good if soldiers don't take advantage of them, according to Henry Berry, Fort Bragg's family advocacy program manager.
"Its one thing to know that an individual is experiencing a problem -- it affords you the opportunity to render assistance," Berry said. "If you don't know, you're hands are tied. Then, when a serious incident does take place, you go on a guilt trip. Should we have known? What could we have done? To be absolutely honest...(these incidents) are mind-boggling...I was completely caught off guard.
"We're going to look at these cases," Berry continued. "We have to identify what took place to prevent them. It could mean deleting programs, but it will probably mean adding on to our programs."
Whether the accused soldiers came forward for counseling is under investigation, Davis said.
He also said that despite his post's attempts to prevent domestic disputes within military families, sometimes problems could slip through the cracks -- with tragic results.
"(These cases have) had a great deal of impact upon our soldiers, their families and our entire community," Davis said. "We are surprised and saddened by the unusual number of deaths, and are concerned about the children that are left behind. Domestic violence is never a pleasant issue, and I can assure you that we take our responsibilities as leaders very seriously."
That's why programs are in place to assist families with the stresses of military life, Davis said.
"We want to make sure that the families back here at Fort Bragg are taken care of," he said.
"Stress is something we face on a daily basis...when you add on top of that military life, it increases the stress tremendously, and when you add on top of that the fact that loved ones might be moving into harm's way and danger, that also increases the amount of stress on our families," Davis said. "We have worked very hard since (Operation Desert Storm) in particular to stabilize the programs we have to reach out for family members and be able to look after their needs, especially when their loved ones are half a world away serving in defense of this nation."
Two of the accused soldiers, Sgt. Cedric Griffin and Master Sgt. William Wright, are in police custody and charged with the first-degree murders of their wives on June 29 and July 9, respectively. The two other suspects, Sgt. 1st Class Rigoberto Nieves and Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Floyd, both allegedly killed their wives shortly before committing suicide June 11 and July 19, respectively.
All four cases occurred off-post and are still under investigation.
(Editor's note: Spc. Kyle J. Cosner is assigned to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office.)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
