'Our Soldiers Are Not Safe at Fort Hood'

3rd soldier in a month found dead near Texas base
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 22, 2020 7:27 AM CDT
3rd Soldier in a Month Found Dead Near Fort Hood
This Nov. 5, 2009 file photo shows the entrance to Fort Hood Army Base in Fort Hood, Texas.   (AP Photo/Jack Plunkett, File)

The body of a Fort Hood soldier has been found near the Texas army base for the third time in a month. Fort Hood officials say Pvt. Mejhor Morta, 26, of Pensacola, Fla., was found unresponsive near Stillhouse Hollow Lake, a reservoir some 15 miles from the base, on Friday, per KTVT. An autopsy is pending, according to the Bell County Sheriff's Department. It's unclear if the death is considered suspicious. Officials do suspect foul play in the death of 24-year-old soldier Gregory Morales, whose remains were found in a field some 10 miles from Stillhouse Hollow Lake on June 21. The remains of soldier Vanessa Guillen were subsequently found July 1, some 20 miles east of Fort Hood. Fellow soldier Aaron David Robinson, 20, is suspected of killing her before taking his own life.

An attorney for Guillen's family says Morta's death shows "our soldiers are not safe at Fort Hood," per the Austin American-Statesman. "Unfortunately, this US soldier's death is consistent with our concerns, that these soldiers are living on a dangerous base and are being threatened if they speak up," adds Natalie Khawam. "How many more soldiers need to die before Congress agrees to convene a congressional investigation?" Morta enlisted in September 2019 as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle mechanic. Since May, he'd been assigned to 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. He was "a great trooper and this loss is felt by every member within our formation," battalion commander Lt. Col. Neil Armstrong says, per Stripes.com. (More Fort Hood stories.)

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