FORT CAVAZOS, Texas — Officials with the III Armored Corps at Fort Cavazos have extended their condolences after the deaths of four soldiers in the past month.
According to a statement from the Fort Cavazos Media Center, all four soldiers were assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division and all four were male.
Officials said there seems to be no demographic trends between the soldiers, with each soldier being a different race, ethnicity and age, and each soldier being assigned to a different battalion within the Division.
According to the Media Center, each incident occurred under different circumstances, and each death is being investigated "independently and thoroughly".
The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is reportedly leading the investigation into each of the four deaths. The Media Center says two of the four incidents happened off-post, and are being investigated in coordination with local law enforcement agencies.
Fort Cavazos officials said they will not discuss the details of the investigations at this time, in accordance with Army policy, or release the names of the soldiers out of respect for the privacy of their families. Officials also said they will take care not to "jump to conclusions about cause of death, contributing factors or other circumstances related to the deaths".
“Our commands are committed to caring for our Soldiers and their families,” said Lt. Gen. Sean C. Bernabe, commanding general of III Armored Corps. “In the wake of these losses, our leaders are engaged with the families of the deceased to ensure they have the information and resources they need. Our leaders also work hard to protect the privacy of these families as they mourn the loss of a loved one.”
Officials said they urge anyone struggling with mental health issues or suicidal thoughts to seek immediately. They say the Army has a variety of resources available to soldiers and families, such as the Military Crisis Line, the Army Suicide Prevention Program, the Army Resilience Directorate and the Army Behavioral Health System.
The 1st Cavalry Division said they conducted a Call To Action on Aug. 16 in response to the first three of the four deaths. Throughout the day, soldiers and leaders reportedly took part in small-group discussions and one-on-one counseling sessions meant to discuss stress and coping skills, cohesion of teams, knowledge of resources and more.
The training was reportedly supported by behavioral health professionals, chaplains and other non-clinical counselors from across the Fort Cavazos installation.
The Division said they will continue to work as a team to prevent further tragedies.
Fort Cavazos officials said those who are struggling may call Military OneSource at 1-800-342-9647, or chat online for non-crisis concerns, such as relationship, family or financial challenges. Service members, veterans and their loved ones can also call the Military Crisis Line/Veterans Crisis Line at 988, chat at veteranscrisisline.net or text to 838255.
More information on the investigations will be reported as it becomes available.
For the full statement from Fort Cavazos, visit this link.
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