The latest Fort Hood tragedy
The Associated Press reports that Fort Hood officials were in the process of closing roads throughout the largest military post in the continental United States when the truck loaded with 12 soldiers training on how to operate the 2½-ton Light Medium Tactical Vehicle overturned in Owl Creek on the northern edge of the training area.
“It was a situation where the rain had come, the water was rising quickly and we were in the process, at the moment of the event, of closing the roads,” Haug said.
Soldiers on training exercises regularly contend with high-water situations following heavy rains, he said.
“This was a tactical vehicle and at the time they were in a proper place for what they were training,” Haug said. “It’s just an unfortunate accident that occurred quickly.”
Three soldiers were found dead shortly after the vehicle overturned. The bodies of two others were found late Thursday night. Four others were discovered dead Friday.
The Army released biographies of the soldiers who were lost on Facebook. the man in charge, Staff Sergeant Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, was the veteran of two deployments to Iraq and two more to Afghanistan. One, Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey, was a Military Academy cadet on a summer internship to an active duty unit. The others, Spc. Christine Faith Armstrong, 27, of Twentynine Palms, California; Pfc. Brandon Austin Banner, 22, of Milton, Florida; Pfc. Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, 23, of Palmetto, Florida; Pvt. Isaac Lee Deleon, 19, of San Angelo, Texas; Pvt. Eddy Raelaurin Gates, 20, of Dunn, North Carolina; Pvt. Tysheena Lynette James, 21, of Jersey City, New Jersey, were all members of the 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. A ninth member’s name is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin.
Category: Army News
I don’t know much about tactical vehicles but do know they are not amphibious tactical vehicles. So WTF did it try to cross a swollen creek? With all due respect to the deceased soldiers, something in this version does not pass the smell test but I am not fully informed. What say those with a better knowledge?
This is an unfortunate and sad occurance. Not being there I will not second guess decisions made at the time, but from personal experience can see how easy the incident could have occurred.
These are the same vehicles that more than once have been used to transport people out of flooded areas in disaster response situations. In the heads of most Soldiers (myself included) “tactical” vehicles can go damn near anywhere – until you have a personal experience proving otherwise.
Flash floods are just that – “flash”. Having spent many years at Ft. Hood I’ve seen one or two and they do happen quickly and without sufficient warning to take evasive actions usually.
RIP to the Troops and prayers to the families.
They do very well in areas of deep standing water. Nothing on wheels does well in fast moving water. These Soldiers never should have been out in that training area. The entire country was aware of a very serious flood possibility in the area, yet the local Commander wasn’t? Accidents are usually the result of a series of bad decisions and poor choices.
The local commander was already closing roads when it happened. Should have halted all training operations first. One of the deceased was a rising-junior West Point cadet on summer training.
If this during the “infamous” Thursday morning SGT’s Time training, I almost guarantee that the upper Chain of Command within that BN was not going to let a little rain ruin an important metric like this.
I’m sure some of you not quite so old NCOs know exactly what I’m talking about…
Dammit. Very sorry for the families and friends of those lost. This hasn’t been a very kind week for our military.
AW1Ed – you’re right… a hard week for out brothers and sisters that are in uniform.
I have seen flooded rivers move large houses right off their foundations. A high volume of moving water, like the floodwaters in Texas, has more moving mass than anything in its path.
My deepest sympathies to the families of these people.
RIP troops. I am familiar with the terrain on FT Hood, and I live in the hill country north of San Antonio. I have driven into a low water crossing while following a station wagon with my truck. It was dark, storming and there was a Hays County Sheriff deputy on the side of the road with his lights on. The road was also under construction. I did not realise the Deputy was on the other side of the crossing until I saw the water washing over hood hood of my F150. I did not let up on the foot feed until I was on the other side. The muddy road & the water all looked the same, one cannot tell the condition of the roadway under the water. Sometimes, by the time one realises the water is too high, it is too late. I feel bad for the families & friends of the soldiers. I never want to meet La llorona out there.
6″ of moving water is enough to sweep away a vehicle. SIX INCHES. If you can’t see the roadway under the water, it’s too high.
One of the Cities Firemen is an old shipmate of mine. He worked for me in 1MMR. I refuse to have one of my apprentices rescue me from a tree, or the roof of my car or anywhere else. I am respectful of the force of water coming through the arroyos here.
I remember being told in training that 20″ of moving water is more than enough to sweep a HMMWV away and like SFC D said, “Nothing on wheels does well in fast moving water.”
There will probably be a few commanders relieved over this, if not criminal charges. For one thing, the LMTV is infamous for rolling over. For another, flash floods in Texas are just that- flash, but they are a well known threat at Ft Hood.
That said, it has to be seen to be believed, and people are warned over and over and simply don’t believe it until it happens to them.
I grew up there, and I only personally experienced it a few times. The water simply has no place to go, and it appears out of nowhere fast in a wall of water. Google ‘desert flash flood’ and you’ll see what I mean.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDtBby7lJX0
It is telling that the language of just about any (normally) dry region has a word like arroyo, gully, gulch wadi, etc. When it’s hot and dusty and hasn’t rained in months, you go into these things and wonder how they got there. Then you get a year’s worth of rain in a few days, and it turns into a river.
BTW, ask a Texan what a ‘Blue Norther’ is sometime…
Better you ask Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Norther
20 years ago the Cowhouse Creek crossing on the west side of ft hood at normal (non flood) level would come up near the drivers hatch on a 577
My unit, 1-10 cav, back in 2000-2001 time frame, lost a Bradley driver at that crossing when a flash flood picked it up and slammed the Bradley against the bridge. The BC/G were able to get out the top hatches. When the driver popped his hatch, water poured in so he turned around and tried to get through the hell hole, he didn’t make it out of the hell hole, got caught on equipment.
Living in Houston has been a learning experience for me especially with this flooding rain we have been experiencing over the past couple of months.
I don’t know how many people have died in the flooding in this area but I think it is close to a hundred if you add San Antonio, Austin and now Ft Hood into the areas along with Houston and the rest of SE Texas.
I have seen how quickly the water can come up here and although it usually drains off fairly quickly due to our close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico a lot of the Bayous in the are have also experienced severe flash flooding.
One would think that Ft Hood would have already had numerous safety briefings about the danger of flooding and if they haven’t had them until now that is a clear dereliction of duty of numerous safety officers and NCO’s right down to the squad level.
Truly more than an oversight a lot of people need to lose their jobs over this monumental and highly tragic fuckup.
It is a dangerous business we practice my friends…
Godspeed and RIP to the lost souls and prayers for the families to have their loved ones taken from them in such a preventable accident…
This is a horseshit accident and should result in the presence of someone in the DRC locked up club with the military equivalent of Thor, Bubba and of course the ever lovable Tiny…
Best man at my wedding started and runs a company that provides civilian actors, pyro-technics, and props for military training exercises. His company was present during this exercise. I was out there on Hood that day to teach him how to read a map and shoot an azimuth (I was nearby trying to bowfish below stillhouse). During this exercise the Army provided the OPFOR for all the lanes, and the civilian company operated prop IEDs that were an air cannon filled with sand and dirt plus regular artillery simulators. They also had a tent set up which acted as an OPFOR armsroom. The soldiers in the accident went into the tent, drew AKs and then loaded up and drove off. No rain at the SP time, but about 20 minutes later in came down suddenly and in buckets.
They had a humvee with them also but I don’t know if it diverted before the accident.
I didn’t know these guys, I was never assigned to Hood, but I just wanted to fill you guys in with what little I know. I doubt they made any stupid maneuvers or tried to ford a flooding creek. In Texas hill country the water can jump up and cut you off in a minute.
I’ll back this up, the rain that morning came down in sheets, visability was darn near zero. I work in Temple but live in Belton.
I spent many a summer up at North Fort. On numerous occasions, we suspended training due to safety issues.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out.