Motorcyclist killed in Saturday crash was JBER soldier KTVA News By Chris Klint October 8th 2018
The man killed last weekend in a Gambell Street motorcycle crash was an Army soldier, military officials confirmed Monday.
JBER soldier Staff Sgt. James Alcorn, 35, died in an Oct. 6, 2018 motorcycle crash on Gambell Street in Anchorage, according to Anchorage police. (Credit: From U.S. Army Alaska)
Staff Sgt. James Alcorn, 35, was a field artilleryman assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson's 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division according to U.S. Army Alaska spokesman John Pennell.
Alcorn, who joined the Army in 2006, served at Fort Benning, Fort Knox and Fort Bragg in the southern U.S. before being assigned to JBER in July 2016. He had served two combat tours in Afghanistan, as well as one in Iraq. read more here
Fort Knox soldier earns Soldier’s Medal for saving man from burning fuel truck Army Times By: Charlsy Panzino September 8, 2018
“He was upside down and his feet were stuck under the dash,” King said. “He managed to grab and push out the windshield.” The sergeant first class pulled Bowling out of the vehicle and dragged him about 150 feet away as the truck’s fuel tank was engulfed in flames and its tires were exploding.
Sgt. 1st Class Mario King, Army Human Resources Command information technology specialist career adviser, is presented the Soldier's Medal during a ceremony hosted by Maj. Gen. Jason Evans, Army Human Resources Command commanding general. (Master Sgt. Brian Hamilton/Army)
Sgt. 1st Class Mario King and his wife, fellow soldier Sgt. Adriane King, were driving in Kentucky when a movie-like scene unfolded in front of them.
The information technology specialist at Army Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, received the Soldier’s Medal on Friday for his actions that day.
It was May 13, and the Kings were coming back from a surprise visit to Mario’s parents for Mother’s Day.
“Normally we take a different route back, but because of all the traffic that weekend, we took a detour,” King told Army Times.
They were behind a small car and a fuel truck on a two-lane highway when they noticed the small car had veered off to the left, as if to make a turn.
“But then all of a sudden, it went back to the right in front of the fuel truck, and that’s when the accident occurred,” said King, who has served in the Army for 17 years. read more here
There is something that Sgt. 1st. Class James Spraggins understands very well. He understands what his choice of profession caused, but he understands a lot more than that! It takes a lot of courage to choose a career that could kill you. It takes a lot of courage to put your life on the line for the sake of others. It takes a lot of courage to admit that sometimes, you need help too. What takes even more courage, is to speak out publicly so that others are inspired to ask for help too!
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A Platoon Sergeant receives the gift of hope, strength and life U.S. Army Warrior Care and Transition By MaryTherese Griffin Courtesy Story 07.27.2018
"...this would be the start of my new life; the gift of hope, strength, and most importantly the gift of life.” Sgt. 1st. Class James Spraggins
Courtesy Photo | Sgt. 1st. Class James Spraggins Iraq 2008, (Photo courtesy James Spraggins)
ARLINGTON, Va. - “I was a disaster who was proficient at hiding the fact that I needed help. I was very confused on what was going on with myself and feared for the future.”
Those courageous words are from Sgt. 1st Class James Spraggins. The former Infantryman turned Army Sniper has deployed multiple times over his 15 year Army career and wants to let other Soldiers know a few things about his journey.
The events of September 11th encouraged Spraggins to enlist; he felt like he was honoring his family name by taking it overseas to defend the nation’s freedoms. However, after his last two deployments, Spraggins says he was a different person. “I no longer had the same mentality towards human kind when I returned,” and that included himself Spraggins said.
Spraggins suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was assigned as a Platoon Sergeant to the Warrior Transition Unit at Fort Knox, Kentucky. This was the first time, he says, he was away from his comfort zone. “I can remember feeling on top of the world (before PTSD), but then I lost who I was, I lost all hope. This began the complete spiral and destruction of Sgt. 1st Class Spraggins,” Spraggins recalled. “Those moments were some of the darkest moments of my life. I began neglecting everyone close to me so that I didn’t have to visit them or talk to anyone.”
Spraggins says he even began neglecting his basic human needs, like hygiene, for weeks and would skip meals for days to the point of complete exhaustion and he didn’t sleep. After suffering multiple panic attacks daily for several months he started thinking to himself that living was no longer an option. He sat with a loaded pistol in a church parking lot, thought about it, prayed about it, then he called his sister. “After failing in every direction, I turned for help. I made the choice to walk into Building 1480, the Behavioral Health Clinic on Fort Knox, this would be the start of my new life; the gift of hope, strength, and most importantly the gift of life.” read more here
Coroner: Soldier found in Clarksville died of self-inflicted gunshot wound News and Tribune BY ELIZABETH DEPOMPEI Jun 12, 2018
Njoroge was assigned to the 14th Human Resources Sustainment Center, 1st TSC at Fort Knox, Ky., according to a news release from the U.S. Army. He was on leave in Clarksville at the time of his death.
CLARKSVILLE — An investigation into the death of a U.S. Army soldier on leave in Clarksville is ongoing.
Pfc. Bryan N. Njoroge, 21, of McKinney, Texas, was found unconscious on Clarksville High School property near the announcer station at the school's baseball field around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, according to a police report. The responding officer observed a gun and a "large amount of blood" surrounding Njoroge.
Clark County Coroner Billy Scott said Tuesday the death is preliminarily attributed to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Toxicology results are pending.
A second police report from the Clarksville Police Department shows that a gun was reported stolen from American Shooters around 8 p.m. Friday. Using witness statements and security footage, police identified the theft suspect as Njoroge, who had left his military I.D. at the business.
An employee told police Njoroge had been in the indoor range three times during the day, each time renting the same gun. Njoroge reportedly came out to the front counter around 8:10 p.m. As other customers entered the store, Njoroge "slowly made his way away from the front counter towards the door" and left the store, according to the police report.
Njoroge was found deceased outside Clarksville High School the next day. The school is located less than a half-mile from American Shooters. read more here
Army veteran shot by police at VA clinic faces charges Associated Press By ANDREW SELSKY Published: January 30, 2018
Negrete's service record, obtained by The AP from the U.S. Army Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, shows that Negrete served in Iraq for one year starting in October 2008 and then in Afghanistan from October 2010 to August 2011.
SALEM, Ore. — An Army veteran who was shot during a confrontation inside a Veterans Affairs clinic in Oregon where he went to seek help for mental problems was in jail Tuesday, charged with attempted assault, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing and other crimes.
Gilbert "Matt" Negrete allegedly displayed a knife Thursday after arriving at the clinic in White City, where he had an appointment. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office said VA police tried "less-lethal force options" to disarm Negrete before one of the officers fired, hitting him in the chest. Negrete, 34, was flown to a hospital in nearby Medford. No one else was injured.
Negrete was released from the hospital Saturday and is in the county jail with bail set at $250,000, Deputy District Attorney Laura Cromwell told The Associated Press. Negrete was arraigned Monday via a video hookup from jail, Cromwell said. He is being provided with a public defender.
Authorities will convene a grand jury later this week which will determine whether to indict Negrete, Cromwell said in a telephone interview. She anticipates that his attorney will urge the grand jury to take Negrete's military history into account. At least five of seven jurors must concur for the case to move forward. read more here
Navy SEAL charged with kidnapping and raping fellow sailor in hotel room The Virginian-Pilot By Brock Vergakis 8 hrs ago
Charge sheets accuse Varanko of threatening the woman and placing her in fear that "she would be subjected to grievous bodily injury."
The aggravated assault and battery charges say Varanko placed his hands around the woman's neck, squeezed until she was unable to breathe, pushed the woman against a wall, pinned her against the floor, placed his knee against her back and put her in a submission hold.
Varanko also is accused of sexually harassing the woman in Kentucky, Indiana and Virginia between March and May 2015.
NORFOLK
A Virginia Beach-based Navy SEAL has been charged with kidnapping and raping a fellow sailor in a hotel room near Fort Knox, Ky., according to the Navy.
A general court-martial is set to begin Tuesday for Chief Petty Officer Stephen Varanko III at Naval Station Norfolk.
Varanko's court-martial comes at a time when the military finds itself in the spotlight once again for how it attempts to address and prevent sexual assaults within its ranks, following increases in such reports at the Naval and Military academies this past year. Attention also is focused on a growing scandal involving the online requesting and sharing of nude photos of female personnel among Marines and others.
Varanko's case was one of about 1,500 adult sexual assaults reported to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in 2015, an increase of about 6 percent from the previous year, according to the agency's most recent annual report.
Varanko is assigned to Special Reconnaissance Team Two at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Virginia Beach. He is charged with four counts of rape, four counts of sexual assault and one count each of aggravated assault and battery. Varanko also is charged with making a false official statement, provoking speech and for violating a general regulation. read more here
Fort Knox soldier dies in Friday night crash; another soldier charged with DUI, manslaughter
WDRB News
Posted: Dec 19, 2015
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One person was killed and two others were seriously hurt after a crash in Radcliff, according to Radcliff Chief of Police Jeff Cross.
Chief Cross tells WDRB the crash happened Friday at 11:15 p.m.
He says a vehicle hit a home in the 900 block of North Logsdon Parkway in Radcliff.
Officials with the Hardin County Coroner's Office say the man killed is Derrick Cleveland 23, of California. He is a soldier currently stationed at Fort Knox.
Chief Cross says no one inside the home was injured, but two people were inside at the time of the crash.
The third passenger, 48-year-old Stanley Crawford, is still at University Hospital. He is a former military member. read more here
Soldier struck, killed by car near Fort Campbell
Army Times
By Kevin Lilley, Staff writer
June 26, 2015
A 25-year-old soldier stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was struck and killed by a car in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Tuesday while undergoing training at nearby Fort Campbell.
Sgt. Kenneth Ronald Berry attempted to cross U.S. Route 79 on foot "for an unknown reason," according to a Clarksville Police Department news release, causing the driver of an oncoming SUV to swerve in an attempt to avoid him. read more here
Fort Knox soldier hit, killed by SUV in Clarksville
WSMV News
Posted by Kara Apel
Posted: Jun 24, 2015
CLARKSVILLE, TN (WSMV) -
A soldier from Fort Knox who was at Fort Campbell for training was hit and killed by an SUV in Clarksville early Tuesday morning.
According to the Clarksville Police Department, 25-year-old Kenneth Ronald Berry was in the southbound lanes of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard near Terminal Road when he was struck around 12:30 a.m.
read more here
Police escort body of girl killed by father to airport
WLKY News
Mark Vanderhoff
May 15, 2015
LOUISVILLE, Ky. —The body of an 11-year-old girl killed by her father in Vine Grove headed back to Virginia.
Vine Grove police and other law enforcement agencies escorted the body of Tasha Jonas Friday morning from Vine Grove to Louisville International Airport.
Vine Grove Mayor Blake Proffitt said the officer who first responded to the scene was among those escorting the girl's body. Proffitt said Vine Grove police came up with the idea for the procession.
“They said they would like to do this to get her home with respect and get them on to the airport to where they could get her back to family,” Proffitt said.
Proffitt said it was personal for the first officer at the scene, and it was emotional for everyone involved.
Tasha Jonas was shot Monday by her father, 49-year-old John Jonas, before he turned the gun on himself at their Vine Grove home. read more here
Mother of girl, 11, shot dead by soldier dad in murder-suicide heard daughter’s final words: friend
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
BY NINA GOLGOWSKI
Friday, May 15, 2015
An 11-year-old girl's last words of "Daddy, daddy, what are you doing?" were heard by her mother on the phone just before the child was shot to death by her own father.
Those crushing details, revealed by a family friend to a Virginia news station, come days after police say Ft. Knox, Ky. soldier John Jonas, 49, fatally shot his little girl and then himself.
"This definitely could have been prevented," that friend, Tanja Manojilovic, told WTKR.
Tasha Jonas, 11, was the victim of an ugly custody battle between her father, who lived with her in Kentucky, and her mother, who lived in Virginia, friends say.
Tasha Jonas, 11, was the victim of an ugly custody battle between her father, who lived with her in Kentucky, and her mother, left, who lived in Virginia, friends say.
Little Tasha Jonas' parents were embroiled in an ugly custody battle when the Monday night shooting occurred outside Jonas' Vine Grove home. read more here
Servicemembers win $3.1M relief over hidden fees
USA TODAY
Kevin McCoy
April 20, 2015
One of the largest U.S. processors of bill payments by military servicemembers will pay nearly $3.1 million in consumer relief after a review found the firm charged millions of dollars in hidden fees.
Kentucky-based Military Assistance Company and its parent firm, Fort Knox National Co., will repay soldiers, sailors, Marines and other servicemembers who were harmed, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Monday.
"Servicemembers paid millions of dollars in fees, probably without knowing it," said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. "Today we are taking action, and others should take note."
Under the terms of a consent order, the companies will pay the settlement to the CFPB, which will contact servicemembers who may be eligible for refunds.
read more here
Rangers train for 20th deployment to Afghanistan at Fort Knox
WDRB
By Lindsay Allen
Posted: Apr 16, 2014
FORT KNOX, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Rangers are the Army's most elite soldiers who are put into some of the most dangerous situations in Afghanistan.
It's just training, but in real life this is what the Army Rangers do best.
"The most intense is the constant tempo that we do it," said First Sgt. Nathan Dunn.
In Afghanistan they do special operations, ambush attacks -- taking out high-level members of Al-Qaeda.
"We have a lot of focus on working on those enemy networks," explained Lt. Col. Patrick Ellis, 3rd Ranger Battalion Commander.
It's a job for the most elite and mentalLY tough. In fact, some of the equipment the Rangers use can't be shown because it's classified.
So why is this happening At Fort Knox? At Fort Benning, the Rangers share training facilities with other more conventional units.
"It can get crowded at times with a lot of the elements there as you know the armor school used to be here but moved to Fort Benning," explained Ellis. read more here
US Soldier First Coalition Combat Death of 2014
Stars and Stripes
by Toshio Suzuki
Jan 06, 2014
The Department of Defense identified a 38-year-old U.S. soldier based at Fort Knox as the servicemember killed by an insurgent attack Saturday in eastern Afghanistan.
Sgt. 1st Class William K. Lacey died from injuries received during a rocket-propelled grenade attack in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, according to the DOD release. His death marks the first combat loss of 2014 for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. read more here
They must have forgotten about "Sgt. Jacob M. Hess, 22, of Spokane, Wash., died Jan. 1, 2014, while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan."
Hunters organize event for wounded Army warriors
AGRI News
Jeannine Otto, Field Editor
Friday, October 25, 2013
MCLEAN, Ill. — Hunting to feed their family and friends from “God’s grocery store” is part of it. So is enjoying the great outdoors and the breathtaking scenery that the timber tracts and open grasslands of central Illinois have to offer.
So is matching wits and skill against wild creatures whose very instincts are designed for eluding them.
But the main reason that hunters such as Tom Huffington and Matt Graden hunt deer, quail and pheasants can be found sitting on the front porch of the hunting lodge on the land owned by the Sugar Grove Foundation, which operates and owns the Sugar Grove Nature Center and the land surrounding it.
“I’ve killed enough critters in my life that by now more than half of why I hunt is who I spend time doing that with. The actual time spent with family and friends, who you deal with, is more than half of why I hunt,” said Graden, who works for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
“It’s the camaraderie,” said Tom Huffington, who has hunted since he was in his early teens.
It was through their sons hunting that Graden and Huffington got to know each other and became friends. They and a covey of their hunting buddies and volunteers have turned their sights from hunting themselves to creating a very special hunting and outdoor experience for six wounded U.S. Army veterans from Fort Campbell and Fort Knox in Kentucky.
Huffington thought up the idea of offering to bring wounded military veterans to the wildlife-rich timbers and grasslands of central Illinois in early 2013. He saw a show on the Outdoor Channel in which veterans were taken on a hunting trip.
“We’ve talked about doing that before, so this year we sat down and we came up with a plan,” he said. read more here
Audit: Army paid $16M to deserters, AWOL soldiers
The Associated Press
By BRETT BARROUQUERE
Published: September 27, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Even as the Army faces shrinking budgets, an audit shows it paid out $16 million in paychecks over a 2 1/2-year period to soldiers designated as AWOL or as deserters, the second time since 2006 the military has been dinged for the error.
A memo issued by Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Ky., found that the Army lacked sufficient controls to enforce policies and procedures for reporting deserters and absentee soldiers to cut off their pay and benefits immediately. The oversight was blamed primarily on a failure by commanders to fill out paperwork in a timely manner. read more here
Wounded warrior bike trek ends with no one left behind
Soldiers ride 167 miles in two-day cycling trip
Leaf-Chronicle
Written by Philip Grey
Sep. 26, 2013
FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — The first Bluegrass Rendezvous – a two-day 167-mile bike ride from Fort Knox to Fort Campbell – came to a successful conclusion on Wednesday afternoon as a group of 40 cyclists hit the finish line at Fort Campbell with everyone who started the ride at Fort Knox.
Following a half-hour rest stop in Guthrie, Ky., the cyclists completed the last 17-mile leg strong and fast, actually getting back to Fort Campbell and the finish line at the Warrior Transition Battalion well ahead of schedule.
It would have been an amazing performance and a proud moment for anyone, but for the wounded, ill and injured soldiers of the Fort Knox and Fort Campbell Warrior Transition Units, who comprised over half of the group, it was a statement that they were far from out of the game of life, and actually more fit than many who have never endured the kind of adversity some of these warriors have faced. read more here
Ty M. Carter to receive Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan
Stars and Stripes
By Patrick Dickson
Published: July 26, 2013
Staff Sgt. Ty Carter, part of the White Platoon fire team, 8-1 Cavalry, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, provides overwatch on a road near Dahla Dam, Afghanistan, in July 2012.
U.S. ARMY
WASHINGTON — The White House announced late Friday that Army Staff Sgt. Ty M. Carter will be awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry for his service at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan.
On Aug. 26, President Barack Obama will award Carter the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions while serving as a cavalry scout with the 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, during combat operations in Kamdesh district, Nuristan province, Afghanistan on Oct. 3, 2009, according to a White House news release. He fought with Army Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in January.
Carter will be the fifth living recipient of the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan. He and his family will join the President at the White House to commemorate his example of selfless service.
COP Keating was a company-sized outpost in Nuristan, situated at the bottom of a constricted, bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Kushtowz and Landay Sin rivers. read more here
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A soldier apprehended Thursday in Tennessee was charged with murder in the shooting death of a civilian employee at Fort Knox a day earlier.
The FBI said in a court filing that Marquinta E. Jacobs fired a .45-caliber handgun at the victim, "striking him several times." Jacobs is charged with murder, according to the criminal complaint.
Jacobs is the soldier whom Army investigators said was apprehended Thursday in Portland, Tenn., FBI spokeswoman Mary Trotman said.
Search on for person who shot, killed 1 outside Fort Knox building
From Amanda Watts
CNN
April 4, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The shooting prompts officials to temporarily lock down the army post
The incident is not a "random act of violence," an official says
(CNN) -- Authorities continue to look for the person who killed an Army civilian employee in a parking lot outside a Fort Knox building -- in a shooting that they said stemmed from a personal dispute.
The incident took place Wednesday afternoon outside the Fort Knox's Human Resources Command headquarters in Kentucky.
It prompted officials to lock down the army post for an hour.
Chris Grey, a spokesman for the army's Criminal Investigation Command, said agents were investigating the incident as "a personal incident and not a random act of violence." read more here
Shortages could be hurting Army health care
By Laura Ungar
Gannett News Service
Posted : Saturday Jan 12, 2008
Injured in a roadside blast in Iraq, Sgt. Gerald Cassidy was assigned to a new medical unit at Fort Knox, Ky., devoted to healing the wounds of war.
But instead of getting better, the brain-injured soldier from Westfield, Ind., was found dead in his barracks on Sept. 21. Preliminary reports show he may have been unconscious for days and dead for hours before someone checked on him.
Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., linked his death in part to inadequate staffing.
The Army is investigating the death and its cause, and three people have lost their jobs.
“By all indications, the enemy could not kill him, but our own government did,” Bayh told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Not intentionally, to be sure, but the end result apparently was the same.”
As more wounded soldiers return from war, critics say staff shortages and turnover have affected the quality of health care at Army posts across the nation.
Overall, the Army’s Medical Corps has downsized significantly since the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s, dropping from 5,400 to 4,300 physicians and from 4,600 to 3,400 nurses.
According to the Department of Defense, more than 29,000 service members have been wounded in action in Iraq or Afghanistan in the last six years, compared with fewer than 500 in Operation Desert Storm.
I am seriously considering adding a post of the day for DID YOU KNOW? I keep finding more and more reports on my blog that reporters have forgotten about. All the reports they have done lately have been complaining about now but ignored yesterday.
Knox soldier, wife found fatally shot
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Feb 22, 2013
FORT KNOX, Ky. — Fort Knox officials say a soldier and his wife have been found fatally shot in their on-post housing unit in what appears to be an episode of domestic violence.
A statement from the central Kentucky Army post said military police found the couple Friday morning after getting a 911 call from the residence. Officers said they heard gunfire inside the residence when they arrived. Both people died at the scene. read more here
