Spc. Ryan Longnecker: A two year mystery.
I came across this story a few minutes ago. The short version is that a National Guard Soldier goes missing and reported AWOL. A few months later post personal at Camp Shelby found the remains are what to be believed to be the missing Solider. Two years later, the authorities are still not sure what caused the death of Spc. Ryan Longnecker.
It started out that a a National Guard Solider missed movement for a deployment in 2007. That by itself would not be unheard of but then it gets interesting. It seems that when he went missing he had a M4 Assault Rifle and a M9 handgun. Both that remained missing until the remains were found along with the weapons.
His family was told that he had run away to avoid deployment and that he was on the run. His body was found in the motorpool still wearing his uniform with both weapons. Everything seemed to be hush hush about it outside of the base.
Also how this is being handled as far as not giving any information in regards to what happened to Spc. Ryan Longnecker, how he went missing, and why after two years no one really knows what happened. If this is kept fresh perhaps we might have a chance to find out what happened.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
Category: Real Soldiers, Support the troops
So i guess that the missing M-4 and M-9 wern’t a clue for his Chain of Command. How did this just dissappear for months. If one ROUND of ammo was misplaced in my unit we would be on line searching until it was found…this was a person with his weapons and it was assumed that he was UA. They could have at least put up a half-hearted search for him. Someone is going to get fried over this.
Somebody has to know something, but for whatever reason they are not stepping forward. His entire COC and NCO support channel failed him. What really makes me mad is that the assumption that he was a deserter was made without any hard evedence pointing in that direction. I know for a fact that I would be more concerned with my soldiers safety than if he was a deserter.
jason
The story did say he had tried to get out of the military before his contract was up and that he wasn’t getting along with some people in his unit. I don’t think their hypothesis of being AWOL is out of line.
Spork
The link I read said his body was found in the woods yet you have a blockquote saying it was in the motorpool. I can believe not being found for 10 months in the woods but the motorpool?? Which article was that?
Sporkmaster: It was reported by someone who lived nearby.
Old Tanker My bad, facebook linky no worky at work 🙂
This story stinks to high heaven. Rosie O’Donnell’s ass crack smells better (from what I’m told).
First, as was noted by Kerney, with an M4 and 9mm missing, along with a soldier, there would have been an immediate lockdown of the post and everyone on line searching until they were found, period (happened in my unit, where a poor unfortunate left his weapon on one of the helicopter surfaces and by the time the helicopter was called back, the weapon wasn’t there and they had us on-line, the entire task force, in the fricken desert until it was found, and that included locking down the entire post). There would have been no months of half hearted looking, unless they already knew what scoop was.
Second, why did this get deep sixed for so long? If I were a parent and my child was missing, there would have been congresscritters and US senators all over this, especially in an election year, when they want to look good by pretending to so their jobs.
I too find it odd that the missing Soldier was just written off, so to speak. I can understand why he was considered AWOL but when it comes to missing weapons the Army doesn’t play around. Maybe the National Guard does things differently, but my units always took missing weapons and sensitive items very seriously. We’ve stopped EIB pre-reqs to search for a bayonet, I’ve known Soldiers who’ve gotten demoted for temporarily losing their NODs and in Kuwait prior to the invasion we had a few days of fun collective punishment when someone lost their pro-mask and took another Soldier’s. There is nothing like walking a kilometer to the chow tent with all sensitive items tied-down to your person, including spare barrel and atropine autoinjectors.
When I ran an armsroom at Fort Campbell, my monthly inventories were a nightmare. We had M4s loaned to Division HQ and brigade, M16s borrowed from brigade and one M4 held by CID as evidence since being used by a Soldier to commit suicide. We even had a set of PVS-7Ds that had burned in a vehicle fire in Afghanistan but had not yet been coded-out. Those were always fun for the officer assigned to inventory. If I could not account for a piece of equipment that was not there with a hand receipt I probably wouldn’t be where I am now. It definitely does not make sense that a M-4 and M-9 both just disappeared without the gates of hell being opened at all levels of command.
This is FUBAR. There will be jail time and ruined careers.
Trooper and fm2176
Just an observation but if they assumed he was AWOL and it was his weapons missing it would stand to reason that they also assumed he stole them and there was no reason to look for them.
I don’t know about jail time or ruined careers, if the guy wandered off and committed suicide why would there be jail time? Just one good reason the Army needs to get to the bottom of this….everyone, but mainly his family, deserves answers.
Adendum
and there was no reason to look for them.
I mean for his unit to look, I would assume that it would get turned over to CID and/or the FBI….
This could be a lot of things: a suicide, a murder, an accident, or natural causes. Fact is, none of us know enough to speculate, and the Army isn’t commenting on an in progress investigation and rightfully so.
OTanker
You *know* what happens if you ASS-ume…bad things happen and someone must have or find the answers!! And whom ever did not exhaust his resources should be fired. Just like Michigan’s defensive coach, damn it.
Just like Michigan’s defensive coach, damn it.
Don’t get me started on *that* game (or lack thereof)
I’ve seen this before. When I was stationed at USMA in 2001-2002 an MP dissapeared and they said he was AWOL, threatened the family, whole deal. He left his car keys, civvies and wallet/ATM card on his bed. In Sept/Oct 2002timeframe his skeleton was found near Stoney Lonesome housing area at the bottom of a cliff near the running path by Sioux Trackers from his tribe. From the condition of the bones he must have fallen off the cliff.
I was at Shelby when this kid was found at the O/C-T academy and I can tell you the Control of pers on Lanes there was ridiculous. No headcounts going out to the TA’s, not when returning.
” Fact is, none of us know enough to speculate”
If we did, it wouldn’t be speculation.
“Just like Michigan’s
defensive coachhead coach, damn it”. Fixed it for you guys.Go Green
UpNorth-
Heh. I had to give it to the Go Green fans. The stats for both teams were pretty equal if I remember correctly…save for DRob’s interceptions and his lack of ‘leading’ his receiver. Still, I am no fair weather footballer. Goooooo Blue!! Fire Washington…
PS How about that Arkansas QB? Got out while the gettin was good!!
Forget the weapons. In my squadron, if a single TOOL went missing it was an event of biblical proportions. Aircraft were ordered back to base, and those headed out on the taxiway were brought back. Every panel opened up and checked. Flightline walked down. Every bit of hanger space was physically checked and checked again.
I am quite concerned about this story. Seems that someone knows more than they are saying.
Bulls-eye, Kerney!
“So i guess that the missing M-4 and M-9 wern’t a clue for his Chain of Command. How did this just dissappear for months. If one ROUND of ammo was misplaced in my unit we would be on line searching until it was found…this was a person with his weapons and it was assumed that he was UA. They could have at least put up a half-hearted search for him. Someone is going to get fried over this.”
Unless things have drastically changed over the years, anytime a troop lost a grenade or ammo it was a major thing. For said troop to go missing with side-arm and rifle (carbine for newbies) that was a crisis and every swinging dick, harry and jane were called on line to find them.
For someone (swagging it here) to say he went AWOL, I know the direction I’d be taking if it were me handling this case. However, since none of us will be in on the hunt for the cause, I’m very inclined to say, give CID (or civilian alpha bet agency handling this) time to sift through the evidence and interview people.
OTH…I’d be happy to tell the story of the Zen Master and little boy.
i was training for deployment to the anbar province at shelby when this kid went missing. initial reports on base were that he had stolen both the M9 and M4 plus a CUTV and was headed back home to KY to kill his girlfriend and the Jody that was keeping her company. the base was placed on lockdown for about 36 hrs. but due to the fact that most troops were there training for the 2007 surge, the military couldnt afford to hold up the entire base thereby delaying the troop surge that bush had asked for. before deploying to iraq in late august we were informed that lengnecker had been apprehended outside his girlfriends home.
now here i am 4 years later reading a whole different version of events. really makes you wonder what the hell really happened.
i was deployed with ryan and we did look for him up until the moment we left for iraq. the reason he went awol was that we were getting a pass to come home before we went overseas. he got extremely drunk and was not allowed to get on the plane. he was incoherent and had to be hospitalized. when he finally became conscious he became very violent attacking nurses and pulling his own urinary catheter out. any consumption of alcohol was a punishable offense. stacked on top of him being borderline dangerous it was decided along our chain of command to not allow him to go home for leave. after we returned from leave ryan was still there but shortly thereafter he took off on his own, with his weapons. supposedly per a rumor it was said that someone used his debit card to buy ammunition. i cannot confirm that. i can confirm that our chain of command did what they were supposed to do and had us searching everywhere we were allowed to go.
Longnecker was a dear friend of mine and my husbands. We had spoken to him days before he was suppose to deploy. He was looking forward to his deployment.
Ryan was my great-nephew. He did miss his leave as Josh said, but his dad talked to him on the telephone, after that incident and he seemed to be handling it well and he was still looking forward to deployment. It was so hot that August. When we heard intial reports; I remember being concerned about him, being out in the heat. I’m not sure I understand how his body could’ve been on the base for the entire time and yet, he wasn’t located for nearly a year………….. Investigative reports have raised more questions than answers; this still remains a mystery to our family.