Multiple people who knew Lavigne tell me that he regularly snorted cocaine, took MDMA, popped pills, and drank heavily. It far surpassed Fort Hood, where 28 soldier deaths in 2020 led to a congressional investigation, a sweeping indictment of the installations toxic culture, and the dismissal of most of the chain of command. Click a Banner Below to Get Started, ~Everything on this site should be considered as entertainment ONLY, nothing else!~. According to officials, 33 of the fatalities are of undetermined causes. He was arrested for a final time on September 17th, in Fayetteville, this time on a prostitution charge. JSOCs budget is classified, but it reportedly costs between $1 million and $2 million to train the average special operator, and much more has likely been invested in each soldier by the time they reach the level of whats known as a Special Mission Unit, such as Delta or SEAL Team 6. Acid is the most commonly abused substance on post, in Romeros estimation, because people think its impossible to detect through urinalysis (its not). The cause of death is currently under investigation . Ever since he killed Leshikar, he had been in a downward spiral. Such a pigheaded, egotistical man was the first impression he made on his wife, Laura, a 39-year-old paralegal from Hawaii whose dad was a Marine. He didnt spend a single night in jail. Mertle JR, William Schroeder "Bill" Fort Bragg, CA . This morning, a group of five senators led by Sen. Edward Markey demanded answers from the military on the subject of overdose deaths in the armed forces, in a letter sent to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. He was the oddity amongst the special-forces guys I was introduced to., In the one picture of Lavigne that exists in the public domain, his official Army portrait, his head looks like a white egg, and his face has the pale and drawn appearance of a man who has just shorn off a beard and shaved his scalp to the skin. That the FBI has taken the lead makes me feel a little bit better, says Billys father. Hearing her father call her name, she went and let him inside. No one I spoke to had any clue, or even a theory, who the surviving shooter or shooters were. The autopsy showed that he had been shot from multiple angles, including from behind. Its a horrible photo, Nicole says, like hes already dead. In real life, she says, he was more handsome: tall and bald, with a neatly trimmed beard. He was a very hostile individual. You can clearly see the moment a small black hole appears in the sheetrock, blowing out a cone of gypsum powder. Were still looking into it.. He . Did he have demons? The DMED is the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branchs web-based tool to remotely query de-identified active component personnel and medical event data contained within the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS).. He tried to rationalize it, telling his mom that he and his fellow Green Berets would snort coke to stay awake on sleepless missions. It makes me feel great, said Carole De Nola, when she learned of the letter. Nor would the base discuss the perplexing incidence of young men turning up unresponsive in their bunks, such as 19-year-old Caleb Smither, whose body was so decomposed when they found him that he couldnt have an open-casket funeral. They didnt do anything., So far, we have not been able to determine that that call on the 11th of December actually happened, says Maj. Lessard. The young soldier who called 911 also told the dispatcher, unprompted, that Roman-Martinez had suicidal tendencies, which his sister strenuously disputes. Maybe drugs could have been a reason why this happened, he speculates, without elaborating. He left the military in 2016, and for a time operated a nightclub in Fayetteville, which evidently brought him legal troubles. Sept. 26, 2022. Their deaths came despite an effort that spent. He was deadly serious., She pretended to laugh it off, and when Dumas left to get a part from the hardware store, she called her neighbors to come over and sit with her. Many of the issues are directly related to the covid-19 vaccines, including Bells palsy, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolisms and neurological disorders. Him and my brother had similar features., Leshikar, bearded and scowling in most photos, was six-foot-four, with a square jaw, a head of light-brown hair, and tattooed shoulders. Cloaked in secrecy and sloshing with money, JSOC has operational control over the most elite commando units of each of the major service branches, including the Navys SEAL Team 6 and the Armys Delta Force, which it uses to carry out the nations most politically risky, no-fail missions, like the killing of Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, the emir of the Islamic State, in 2019. At least 36 of the victims were children. And there have been several murders in the last few years around Fort Bragg with apparent links to drug-trafficking by elite soldiers, or distribution networks run by ordinary enlisted men in the 82nd. We would appreciate anyone, says Shelley Lynch, an FBI spokeswoman, who may have information about where the men were in the hours before their bodies were found to contact us. The FBI released a photo of Dumas truck, a dark-blue 2015 Dodge Ram, which was found abandoned in another location. They also released a better photo of him. Fort Bragg, CA Fort Bragg High School Chapel By The Sea Thursday, January 12, 2023 Add Photos 1 Memory David Laurence Gross David Laurence Gross 1941-2022 The Mendocino Coast community. Fort Bragg stopped reporting the fatalities after June 2021, but the bodies continue to pile up. The justification was unconvincing on its face. Full disclosure, Nicole says, me and Billy and Mark all did coke together., On multiple occasions, she saw other special operators snorting cocaine, too. An investigative reporter for Rolling Stone Magazine, Seth Harp, has been looking into this medical anomaly. The problems persisted. Its known from postmortem toxicology that Leshikar was taking Valium, tramadol, MDMA, and cocaine. Why in the hell would you just let some guy off on murder?, A waste of paper is how Nicole describes CIDs report, which she received in heavily redacted form. The cause of death was homicide. He went out and bought a dress in his size, says Laura. Updated: Mar 26, 2022 / 11:17 PM EDT. He was repeatedly arrested for possession of untaxed liquor, failure to return rented property, and permitting a minor to consume alcohol. Ari McGuire, died of a fentanyl overdose at Fort Bragg in August 2019, after he was allegedly introduced to drugs by his platoon sergeant in Afghanistan. Macho as Leshikar might have been, when his little girl told him that he had to wear a dress to attend her tea party, he didnt argue. Neutralizing the Spike Protein: Shikimic Acid*. He was the rock in my life. He doesnt believe the story told by the other six campers that Roman-Martinez simply wandered off at night, leaving his phone, wallet, and glasses behind in the tent. Fort Bragg quit announcing soldier deaths at the end of July 2021 It's no wonder. When he came home, notably, you could see a droopiness in his eye, she tells me. December 31, 2022 (85 years old) View obituary Wayne Richard Swanson December 25, 2022 (78 years old) View obituary William Schroeder Mertle December 23, 2022 (80 years old) View obituary Patricia Ann Menzies October 26, 2022 (82 years old) View obituary Peter Charles Paskos November 20, 2022 (87 years old) View obituary Norma Edith Wright Greene A spokesman for the Army Criminal. Walder, Nancy ~ 27 . Disney was found dead along with fellow radarman Joshua Diamond in the Fort Bragg barracks. Five days ago, an early morning shooting along Highway 20 resulted in the death of 52-year-old Fort Bragg man Daniel Martin Shealor. Fentanyl Involvement as a Proportion of Deaths Across Substance Groups, 2017-2021. Aaron Robert Wolfman June 7, 2022 (61 years old) View obituary. According to the data, the five-year average for medical issues in the military was 1.7 million codes. Lavigne was entitled to a variety of due process protections. Army investigators have disclosed nothing, not even the identities of the other soldiers who were on the camping trip, one of whom was a young woman. 3 soldiers charged in Fort Bragg cold case, death still 'unsolved' Your Army 3 soldiers charged in Fort Bragg cold case, death still 'unsolved' By Davis Winkie Jan 14, 2022 Spc.. He was seeing bad things.. In just18 months, Fort Bragg lost over 80 soldiers from sudden and unexplained causes. When Marky would spiral was when he drank too much. He would turn to his wife and say things like, You know Im a bad person, right? Accidental? The vaccine mandates damage combat readiness, while banishing the strongest, healthiest freedom fighters from the ranks. Yet there were no firearms to be found at the scene, and no trace of the third man, the surviving shooter. She wipes away tears. Want to share news with us? The man on the ground, who had been dropped by a single bullet to the right temple, was 44-year-old Timothy Dumas. But in each case, the charges were dismissed. Tom Sizemore, Heat and Saving Private Ryan Actor, Dead at 61 What is the protocol for informing family in the event of an overdose, including non-fatal overdoses. I dont get intimidated by people easily. What role do these bioweapon shots have on the number of unexpected and undetermined deaths? Thirteen killed themselves. Both girls witnessed what happened next. There is no record of an indictment for either offense. 11 House Democrats Snub Biden Speech To Go To Concert, Must See: Pfizer is Unable to Finish Press Conference Because their Spokespeople Keep Collapsing Hysterical Parody Video by The Babylon Bee, President Trump Responds to Corrupt and Criminal Biden DOJ that Wants to Take Presidential Immunity Away from Only Him Not Joe Biden, Media Gaslights Public with Fake High Alert Warning for Day of Hate! Protests Targeting Jews in America That Never Materialized, Kellyanne Conway Finally Divorces Extremely Unattractive Loser Lincoln Projects George Conway President Trump Responds. I called every day for a month. Im tenderhearted, she says. One evening in October 2013, Dumas came over to fix an electrical outlet, and Ballard had the distinct impression that he was hitting on her: He was trying to pry about where my husband was. She told him they were separated at the moment. He had served 19 years in the Army, including time in the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, but as a property book officer, a glorified supply sergeant. On February 9, 2022, Seth reported the death of 83 soldiers at Fort Bragg in the 18 months ending in June 2021. We love helping others and believe thats one of the reasons we are chosen as Ambassadors of the Kingdom, to serve Gods children. The DAs office did not respond to multiple requests for more information. Their brains bounced against their skulls a dozen times on that tour, in addition to calling in airstrikes, or being in an armored vehicle that gets rocked by an IED. During that same eighteen-month period, three Fort Bragg soldiers died in overseas combat. He is unsmiling, his eyebrows raised, his eyes intently focused on the photographer. The Military Health System began administering the spike protein mRNA vaccine to military service members on December 14, 2020. Billy seemed to have ideals that matched mine. Words his sister uses to describe him include gentle, spiritual, and feminist. He was a hippie, a believer in crystals, she says. In 2018, Lavigne shot and killed his best friend, a Green Beret named Mark Leshikar, in an inexplicable, drug-fueled altercation that no one witnessed but two little girls. You got 42 confirmed kills? she says, imitating a mans deep voice. Her brother enlisted for a steady paycheck and for the GI Bill. Over the course of several months of correspondence, the public-affairs office eventually disclosed the number of homicides and suicides, but not deaths from accidents and illnesses, which would include drug overdoses. All Rights reserved. Just a while ago the FBI went and dived in the area, and didnt find anything. A small boy about waist high is dancing next to a laundry hamper to music from the television. Did he struggle with drugs, alcohol, cocaine, tramadol? Shipping Policy Five were murdered. This time he was charged with three felonies: breaking and entering, communicating threats, and impersonating a law-enforcement officer, but all of the charges were dismissed. An orange sun is setting behind row upon row of monotonous pines. The recent reports of fatal drug overdoses out of military installations like Fort Bragg are alarming, Sen. Markey said in a statement to Rolling Stone. 2022 in North Carolina. I was like a fly on the wall, she says, watching their interactions. Unlike his buddies, Lavigne never bragged about the number of people he had killed. After the COVID-19 vaccine protocol was mandated on the military, the number of medical issues spiked to 22 million in the first 10 months of 2021 a 1,000 percent increase! 'These Kids Are Dying' Inside the Overdose Crisis Sweeping Fort Bragg But he would be dead before his scheduled court appearance. Taking part in and witnessing violence, being away from home for long periods of time, and disillusionment with the mission can put special operators at heightened risk, Donati says, of divorce, alcoholism, substance abuse, and anger issues. We need answers, and we need solutions., Im calling on the Department of Defense to account for these deaths, he continued, and to give us a plan of action for safeguarding the active-duty service members who keep Americans safe.. (Video), COVER UP: DOJ Decided Against Having FBI Agents Monitor Search by Bidens Personal Lawyers For Classified Documents, Atty. Though the offense was a felony, he was not charged. He expressed political disagreements with Leshikar, who was of the opinion that the United States ought to nuke the Middle East and be done with it. Its real strange, says Bill Lavigne Sr., father of the slain Delta Force soldier, that something like this can go on at Fort Bragg, and nobody seems to know nothing. You can read our entire affiliate disclaimer here. Lewis followed her outside, holding their three-year-old daughter on one hip and a gun in the other hand. He was trying to get into Buddhism. The camera flash has rendered his retinas red. Why is Fort Bragg less safe than it was before the mask, testing and vaccine mandates? There had to have been at least one. During the eight-hour drive back to North Carolina, Laura split off to take her sister to the airport in Raleigh. But neither JSOC nor USASOC responded to repeated requests for comment. Privacy Policy The deaths began in January 2020, when a 19-year-old Texans body was discovered in his bunk in an advanced state of decomposition; the Army has not disclosed the cause, and one year later, the investigation remains ongoing. She hung up on him, but later had second thoughts. Exclusive: Army Files Charges in Mysterious Fort Bragg Beheading Case, Bereaved family members welcomed the senators efforts towards reform. The entire building and surrounding area was demolished and built up new. At her house, a tidy single-story place with Christmas wreaths in the windows and a yard full of pine needles, she refuses to come to the door. Why is Fort Bragg less safe than it was before the mask, testing and vaccine mandates? Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Ruth was born July 22, 1931, to Ray and Esther . Two months later, someone nearly died of a heroin overdose at Lavignes house. Editors picks At the relatively young age of 37, after a full 20 years in the military, he would be entitled to a substantial pension and lifelong benefits. He sounded somewhat normal, but anxious and preoccupied. Only two months remained before he would become eligible for retirement. And Rolling Stone covers a "staggering" number of soldier overdose deaths in Fort Bragg. We look to the Greatest Commandment as our Powering force. He was strung out and weeping over Leshikar. The Army is failing to keep soldiers combat-ready, and this is evidenced by the militarys own medical surveillance system. We want to hear it. Weve been looking for him all day. People not inclined to be team players, he explained, somewhat paradoxically. The charges against the soldiers are unrelated to the. Aside from suicide, overdose and complications from drug abuse including steroids was the leading cause of death. Jessica Donati, the author of Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War, tells me that since 2014, the burden of maintaining the United States never-ending war in Afghanistan has shifted almost entirely onto the Green Berets, who have been used by successive administrations as a political tool to plug holes in policies that dont work, and to maintain the fiction that the United States has withdrawn from combat operations. On February 2nd, the Charlotte field office put out a bulletin seeking assistance from the public to establish a timeline of the two mens movements up until their deaths. Isaiah Danfort Nakita Burns Terrance Washington Dwight Hogans Sr . Fort Bragg cannot explain why dozens of soldiers are dying in their own bunks. In 2015, former SEAL James Matthews got pulled over in New Jersey towing a trailer loaded with $1.4 million worth of marijuana. For the latest update on stopping the mandates in the military, read Liberty Councils updates on the Navy SEAL 1 v. Austin case. The Military Health System began administering the spike protein mRNA vaccine to military service members on December 14, 2020. As the madness of 2020 settled over the country, bringing with it a nationwide wave of drug abuse and violent crime, Lavigne was also spinning out of control. On April 11th, shortly before the number of Covid-19 cases in the U.S. surpassed 1 million, Dumas had been arrested in Winston-Salem. Elizabeth Warren, Lisa Murkowski, John Cornyn, and Martin Heinrich were also signatories to the letter, which posed six questions to the Pentagon, starting with, How many active military service members overdosed from January 1, 2017 to present?, The letter referenced Rolling Stones most recent report, published in the September issue, on rising overdose deaths at Fort Bragg, and in the U.S. Army more generally. Fort Bragg cannot explain why dozens of soldiers are dying in their own bunks. According to officials, 33 of the fatalities are of undetermined causes. Enrique Roman-Martinez of Fort Braggs 82nd Airborne Division was beheaded during a camping trip with six other soldiers. In January of 2021, Army captain Robert Latham died suddenly of an apparent heart attack. The 32-year-old was previously in top physical condition. El tipo que peg el tiro aqu, she says, pointing to a small black hole in the wall: The guy who fired a shot through here., The other woman, whom Ill call Estella, tells me the story in English. Just not very well. In July 2018, around the time he and his dad had to flee from that Independence Day fireworks show, he called Mabey to beg her forgiveness for killing her son. The vacation lasted nearly a week. The next day, he was indicted on two felony charges: harboring an escapee and maintaining a vehicle or dwelling place to manufacture a controlled substance. On June 20th, in Carthage, he was arrested at a McDonalds for striking a woman with a bag of food. In his LinkedIn photo, Dumas looks fairly nondescript. The militarys overdose crisis, though most severe at Fort Bragg, affects the entire Army and every other service branch, too. We want to hear it. A few minutes later, she began to record a video of her little godson dancing on the living-room carpet. In just18 months, Fort Bragg lost over 80 soldiers from sudden and unexplained causes. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. No arrests have been made nearly five months after a Special Forces soldier and veteran were found dead Dec. 2, at Fort Bragg, an official said this week. In addition to Rolling Stones investigation of Fort Bragg, the senators letter to Secretary Austin cited a number of other alarming reports, including: evidence of rising overdose deaths among veterans and in military hospitals; an incident in March of this year in which five West Point cadets nearly died from taking fentanyl-laced cocaine; and the June 2021 death of Pfc. Indeed, you would have to pore over the news archives long and hard to find a single negative story on the unit, whose official name is the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, also known as the Combat Applications Group. Its the last thing we spoke about..