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HONOR ROLL SITUATIONS! (page 3)
+ 1. PFC RANDALL RAY DRISKILL
, Army National Guard
Born: June 26, 1977 - 20 (short) years - Died:
August 12, 1997...Accident???
2. PO2 SANDRA TROY , USN... 1982 car Accident???
+ 3.
SSGT RICHARD M. ROBAK Jr. , U.S. Army
Born: April 20, 1974 - 26 (short) years - Died:
February 9, 2001...Training Accident???
+ 4. A1C RODNEY GLENN HESHISER
,
USAF
Born: May 5, 1970 - 24 (short) years - February
9, 1995...Suicide???
PFC RANDALL RAY
DRISKILL, Army National Guard (June 26, 1977 - August
12, 1997)
Randall Driskill joined the US Army National
Guard, wanting to do his duty and protect our country.
Pvt. Driskill's platoon was conducting
a field training exercise at Fort Lewis, Washington,
from August 11, 1997 to August 20, 1997. On August
11, 1997, following a 'Safety Meeting', they started 'developing
a defensive position at range 62. Once in the defense
area, they started sketching out 'and digging their fighting
positions.
According to the Line Of Duty (LOD) report,
the safety briefing consisted of the men being told
to watch out for wildlife, to drink lots of water,
not to get too close to others, not to fire blanks into people's
faces and to watch out for each other. No maps or map overlays
were used, concerning the field and the placement of mines
or location of troops. During the 'Safety Meeting', there
was no mention of or formal training in proper truck
ground guide procedures or where not to drive. One man
was told to read a manual for such procedures.
The LOD shows that at 0100, August 12,
1997, Randall was selected for a work detail and
he helped the engineers set up continuous wire.
Around 0200, Randall, a 50 caliper gunner, was in his fighting position
when they were instructed to go to sleep. Pvt. Randall
Ray Driskill and PFC Donald Kyle Nielson were just
a few feet away from their fighting position when they
both fell asleep, unaware that within the hour, Randall
would be dead.
During this same time frame, SPC John Allen
Brissy and SPC Aaron Robert Brown were driving a five
ton truck as they were engaged in a mine laying exercise.
They had been tasked to transport mines from the supply
area to the minefield area. They decided to take a roadway
that was not a designated road because it was shorter. During their
shortcut, SPC Brissy and SPC Brown passed several fighting
position where other men were deployed. At one point
they even said "Hello" to one of the men and then kept
going.
SSG Peter F. Timmen saw the truck, which
according to one witness was driving without lights,
coming and approached it. He informed SPC Brissy
and SPC Brown, who was riding in the truck even though
he was the ground guide, that they were in an area occupied by soldiers
bivouacking and/or in fighting positions. SSG Timmen
instructed the men in the truck to make a "U" turn and to
get back to the gravel road and then he left the scene.
After SSG Timmen left, instead of making
the "U" turn, SPC Brissy and SPC Brown, neither
of whom were wearing night vision goggles, continued
on and within a few feet from where they'd been stopped,
their 5 TON TRUCK ran over PFC Randall Ray Driskill, who was crushed
to death. Strangely, MAMC Emergency personnel were
not notified of the incident until 0431, August 12,
1997.
In a letter to (then) President Clinton,
Randall's mother wrote, "Although, I know that nothing
can bring my son back, I am concerned abut all the
other sons, fathers and husbands that do not need to die due to
negligence on the part of the power that be. Rules and
regulations must be instituted which will make these exercises
safer for everyone." Additionally she pleaded, "Please
don't let my son's death be in vain. I want an investigation
and I want changes made. The Line Of Duty (LOD) report
is all I have to base my questions on. I was appointed
a Survivor Assistant Officer to answer any questions and to keep me
posted on what was happening, but when I call him, he is
evasive and always tells me he will call me back on this
date or that date, but never does. His number is long
distance so our phone bills are high and I still have
no information. My family and I need these questions and
concerns answered. We need to feel that Randall is at peace. We
know that Randall would not want any other person to die as he
did. Dying in combat, an accident or of natural causes
is bad enough but to die through someone else's carelessness
is horrible."
PFC Randall Ray Driskill would be alive
today if some simple precautions had been taken...like:
1. Requiring that night vision goggles
be worn.
2. Having roving guards posted around sleeping
areas.
3. Having roadways properly marked and
mapped into specific routes for the vehicles.
4. Distribution of maps of the layout of
the camp.
5. Expanded safety briefings that include
formal training in ground guide procedures.
Randall's family is angered, disturbed
and quite perplexed by the inability to find responsive
and responsible people who are willing to initiate
measures to prevent a repeat of this incident or to implement
enforceable consequences for such incidents. Amazingly,
the hesitation to rectify this situation stems from elected
officials being continually assured that this 'freakish'
accident is an 'isolated' incident and that their energy
and efforts would fair better in other areas.
While this incident may appear 'freakish'
in nature, this accident is NOT an 'isolated' incident.
The scope and ramifications of these situations,
as a whole, is staggering. They deserve the effort and
energy required to prevent them from happening again!
If you have any questions or comments on
this case, please contact MAMMA and we will make
every effort to put you in contact with Randall's
family.
PO2 SANDRA TROY,
USN (1982 car accident?)
On a cold, as cold as it ever gets in Sigonella,
Sicily, in 1982, PO2 Sandra Troy was enjoying dinner
at the enlisted club with her friend and comrade,
AN Sandi Merkel. Both women were attached to VR-24,
a squadron that was decommissioned in 1993. Sandi was a Hospital Corpsman
and Sandra was assigned to shore patrol.
That evening, they, most likely, covered
a couple of interesting topics of conversation. One
topic involved Captain Edward L. Koch, their Commanding
Officer. The Naval Investigative Service (NIS) was questioning
all personnel about falsified leave papers and false travel
claims that he had submitted. The other topic centered
around the fact that Sandra was being sexually harassed
by one of the Italian Nationals, assigned to her division.
The harrassment was so bad that one night, this man had
actually tried to run, both women, off the road!
While the women were eating, Sandra Troy
received a phone call from her estranged husband,
asking her to meet him at 2 AM on NAS 2. She never made
it. The Navy determined cause of death as a car accident.
Strangely, while she had supposedly gone through the windshield
of her car and snapped her neck, there wasnít a
scratch or bruise anywhere on her body.
AN Merkel attempted to report these extenuating
circumstances, surrounding PO2 Troy's death, to the
squadron legal officer, who did nothing. Instead, her
efforts resulted in being assigned to the heartwrenching
duty of inventorying her dead friend's personal effects.
Eventually, with the new rank of HM2...Sandi
Merkel moved on to her second duty station at Fleet
Combat Training Center Atlantic, Dam Neck, Virginia.
On one occasion, her duty station for the day required
her to escort a prisoner to the Norfolk brig. There, she was a bit
surprised to find Sandra Troy's estranged (then widowed)
husband. A few inquires to brig officials revealed the
facts that he was incarcerated for international drug trafficking
and that he had been arrested while still on active duty
with VR-24, Sigonella, Sicily. Is it possible that Sandra,
who worked for base police at the time of her death,
had discovered what her ex-husband, who, by the way, collected her
life insurance, had been doing?
If you have any questions or comments on
this case, please, feel free to contact Sandi Silarski
at: arknavy@dav.net
Richard M. Robak Jr. was born on April 20,
1974 in upstate New York. Rick, as he preferred to be called, enjoyed
hunting, fishing and playing most of the sports that teenagers play. He
worked on several dairy farms, while growing up in a rural area, but as
his senior year of high school at Perry Central approached, jobs in the
area were declining. So Rick made a decision to join the military and
registered with the U.S. Army for a deferred entry, until the January following
his graduation.
Upon graduating in 1993, Richard M. Robak Jr. joined the Army and served his country for more than seven years. He got his ‘Basic Training’ at Fort Benning, GA and then was assigned to Fort Carson in Colorado where he trained in the Mojave Desert as a Gunner in a Bradley tank. Rick completed tours in Schweinfurt, Germany, Kosovo and Macedonia before returning to the states and back to Fort Benning, GA. Back at Fort Benning, he was assigned to A-Co 1-30th Infantry Division as a 1st Squad Leader for the 3rd Platoon, AKA the “Ruff Riders”, until his death on Feb. 9, 2001.
At approximately 2100 hours (9 PM), on the night of Feb. 8, 2001, SSgt. Richard M. Robak Jr. was involved in the final exercise of an almost week long training session that was serving as practice for an up coming national competition. SSgt. Robak and his squad mates were wearing the OPPFOR (for this operation) uniform that included a Chemical suit jacket worn inside out over the standard camouflage battle dress uniform with full field gear, including flak jackets. Though live ammo had been used, that previous Monday, there had been a 'shake down' and all 'live rounds' were to be accounted for as this exercise of the 'war games' was basically a 'high end' version of 'laser tag'.
With the goal of disabling the other team and preventing a take over, SSgt. Robak led his squad in establishing an 'anti armor' ambush against which the BLUFOR (opposing team) would react. Shortly after midnight, SSgt. Robak and his squad sprang their ambush on the third contact of the night. The anti-tank fire took the BLUFOR by surprise, but they returned fire, dismounted their Infantry, advanced against SSgt. Robak's squad and virtually wiped it out.
SSgt. Robak, the sole survivor, with an anti-tank weapon as his sole armament, moved out, seeking to get a flanking position on the advancing BLUFOR tanks and trucks and hit them with his best shot. Upon firing his weapon, sparks flew from the rear and started some underbrush smoldering, but as the BLUFOR men poured out of the trucks and neared him, SSgt. Robak held his position. When they were all about 10 meters away, Rick jumped up from his hiding place, crossed his arms, made the 'Safety Kill' signal and informed the BLUFOR that they were all dead. (The 'Safety Kill' signal is used during close proximity exercises...defined as anything within a perimeter of 30 meters or less, where firing a weapon can be hazardous.)
The BLUFOR squad leader, who was directly in front of SSgt. Robak, called to a teammate on SSgt. Robak's left side (a 2 o'clock position) and ordered him to "SHOOT HIM, SHOOT HIM NOW!".
The PFC, who, by one account, was less than 5 feet from SSgt. Robak, adopted a 'quick fire' stance and fired two rounds at Rick. The BLUFOR members saw the suppresser fly off the muzzle of the M16 and watched as SSgt. Robak was propelled 2 Ft. into the air and landed on his back. The four BLUFOR members listened to SSgt. Robak cries for help, but just walked away laughing about how they shot that "F..KER!".
As the BLUFOR group moved down the hill, they
came upon several command officers instructing members of both BLUFOR
and OPPFOR to help extinguish the small fires that were spreading. Approximately
30 minutes later, the Squads were assembled for roll call of personnel.
When it was discovered that SSgt. Robak was missing, a search of the area
was undertaken. Several of Rick’s squad had started out on the search,
when his Lieutenant went over to the BLUFOR squad and asked if any of them
had seen SSgt. Robak. The PFC and one other squad member stated that they
had seen an OPPFOR squad member on the hill above where the fires had been
burning.
Meanwhile, some of the squad, including the medic had come across
Rick, who was found lying on his back in a small brush area. The call
for help went out for a field ambulance. The medic found that Rick was
unresponsive and without a pulse. Upon removing Rick’s clothing to start
CPR, the medic noticed a large amount of blood coming from the chest area.
All efforts were made to gain a response, MEDIVAC was called and SSgt. Robak
was airlifted to Columbus Medical Center, where, at 0142 (1:42 AM) on Feb.
9, 2001, SSgt. was pronounced dead. The cause of death...hemorrhage, secondary
to gunshot wound.
On Feb. 13, 2001, a casket, bearing the remains of SSgt. Richard
M. Robak Jr., arrived in New York, escorted by two of Rick’s friends:
Sgt. James Brown III and Sgt Ricardo Figeuora, along with Sgt. Juan Laropie.
The following day, Feb. 14, 2001, a Valentine’s Day that was filled with
many a broken heart, 14 members of the ‘Ruff Riders Squad, made the trip
from Georgia to New York to pay their last respects to a fallen comrade.
On Feb. 15, 2001, Kathleen M. Parker buried her son, Rick (SST. Richard Robak Jr.), at the cemetery in the small Upstate New York town where he’d grown into manhood. An occasion made 'bittersweet' by the fact that, the Sunday before his death, Rick had sent her a copy of the 'Warrior Prayer' (author unknown).
WARRIOR PRAYER
THIS
MORNING MY THOUGHTS TRAVELED ALONG
TO A PLACE IN MY LIFE WHERE DAYS HAVE
SINCE GONE
BEHOLDING AN IMAGE OF WHAT I USE TO
BE
AS VISIONS WERE STIRRED, AND GOD SPOKE
TO ME
HE
SHOWED ME A WARRIOR & SOLDIER IN PLACE
POSITIONED BY HEAVEN, YET I SAW NOT
THE FACE
I WATCHED AS THE WARRIOR FOUGHT ENEMIES
THAT CAME FROM THE DARKNESS WITH DESTRUCTION
FOR ME
I
SAW AS THE WARRIOR WOULD DRY AWAY TEARS
AS ALL OF HEAVEN'S ANGLES HOVERED SO
NEAR
I SAW MANY WOUNDS ON THE WARRIOR'S
FACE
YET WEAPONS OF WARFARE WERE FIRMLY
IN PLACE
I
FELT MY HEART WEEPING, MY EYES HELD SO MUCH
AS GOD LET ME FEEL THE WARRIOR'S PRAYER
TOUCHED
I THOUGHT "HOW FAMILIAR" THE WORDS
THAT WERE PRAYED
THE PRAYERS WERE LIKE LIGHTNING THAT
NEVER WOULD FADE
I
SAID TO GOD "PLEASE, THE WARRIOR'S NAME"
HE GAVE NO REPLY, HE CHOSE TO REFRAIN
I ASKED "LORD, WHO IS BROKEN THAT THEY
NEED SUCH PRAYER?"
HE SHOWED ME AN IMAGE OF MYSELF STANDING
THERE
BOUND
BY CONFUSION, LOST AND ALONE
I FELT PRAYERS OF THE WARRIOR CARRY
ME HOME
I ASKED, "PLEASE SHOW ME, LORD, THIS
WARRIOR SO TRUE"
I WATCHED AND I WEPT, FOR MOTHER....THE
WARRIOR WAS YOU!!!
When the ‘incident’ reports came in, they were
a mess. They are filled with discrepancies and even the autopsy report
has become a source of confusion as it doesn't match the CID Report. One
report says there was so much noise that it wasn't possible to differentiate
the sounds of 'Blank' ammo and 'Live' ammo and yet other notations claim
it was fairly quiet and that every member of the BLUFOR squad heard Rick
give the 'Safety Kill' call, heard the command give an order to the 'shooter'
to shoot and heard the 'shooter' say "F..k This", as he took two shots
at Rick. One report states that the 'shooter' did not know what happened
to his gun's suppresser yet the CID report states that the other members
of his squad saw it fly off with the first shot, all of this while another
report says that it was not light enough to tell who was shooting at who.
The Autopsy report states that Rick was shot in the lower left back area
which would be consistent with the report of the 'shooter' being in the
left side 2 o'clock position. However, according to the witnesses' statements
he was hit center chest, which propelled him into the air and caused him
to land on his back.
According to statements, due to the ‘game’ flavor of the exercises,
the members of the BLUFOR squad, who laughingly walked away from a fellow
soldier who lay bleeding to death, had assumed that Rick’s pleas for
help was a matter of ‘role playing’. A couple of them even went so far
as to ‘claim’ that they hadn’t approached SSgt. Robak, to assess if he’d
actually been hurt, because they believed he might ‘cheat’ and jump up
and try to ‘kill’ them. Now............hold on a minute, here! SSgt. Robak
had already MADE the ‘Safety Kill’ and the BLUFOR sqaud members were DEAD!
Doesn’t that make these men cheaters, who want to WIN at all costs?
Fort Benning has quite a ‘History’ of training soldiers(?) that
‘Rules’ don’t apply when they have a mission...’winning’ is the name
of the ‘Game’! So, what’s in a name? Consider that Fort Benning was ‘home’
to the U.S. Army’s School of the Americas (SOA), until it was forced
to under go a ‘name change’ to avoid being CLOSED all together!
According to the SOA Watch (see MAMMA’s support page), Fr. Roy Bourgeois was serving
the poor in Bolivia when he learned about US support for military abuses
in that country and the rest of Latin America. They note that when Fr.
Bourgeois went in search of the source of this terrorism, he found the
School of the Americas and immediately began doing the research and organization
necessary to shut it down! Opponents of the SOA renamed it the “School
of Assassins” and set about documenting that ‘soldiers’ trained at the
SOA were not taught to defend their countries’ borders, but rather to make
war on their own people. In 1996, the pentagon was forced to reveal training
manuals used at the SOA that recommended interrogation techniques like
torture, execution and blackmail. With mounting evidence of SOA graduates
being guilty of some of the worst atrocities to come out of the Latin American
civil wars, including massacres of civilians, torture, and murders
of priests, nuns and union workers, the Pentagon launched efforts to save
the SOA and temporarily closed the doors...pending an investigation.
The ensuing ‘investigation’ was nothing more than a PR ‘campaign’
waged solely to change the perception of the SOA by changing its’ name,
a ‘tactic’ designed to confuse people, as the only change...is the name!
Make no mistake, this tactic works! When the Naval Investigative
Services (NIS) attained a sullied reputation by botching the USS Iowa
investigation, Tailhook etc., its’ name was changed to the Naval Criminal
Investigative Services (NCIS) and the public was assured that all of the
grievances with that department had been rectified. NOT SO!! And, sadly,
the ‘Situations’ Section of this site demonstrates that growing numbers
of military families are finding this out...the HARD WAY!
On January 17, 2001, following an investigation that entailed
internal reviews and posturing, the U.S. Army School of the Americas
(SOA) reopened under the “new name”: ‘Western Hemisphere Institute for
Security Cooperation’ at Ft. Benning, GA. Is it merely a ‘coincidence’
that on February 9, 2001, SSgt. Richard M. Robak Jr. died at the hands
of fellow ‘soldiers’, at least one of whom is listed as a Registered
Alien (RA), who seemed to be under the impression that the ‘Rules’ of engagement
needn’t be followed in a ‘laser tag’ exercise where winning is the name
of the ‘Game’?
Don’t situations, like the death of Rick Robak, normally dictate nothing less than a charge of 'involuntary manslaughter'? The military, viewing it as an 'unfortunate' ACCIDENT, only saw fit to level the charges of 'False Swearing' and 'Dereliction of Duty', with regard to improper handling of 'live' ammo, against Sgt. Mustapha Adur Rahim, who was then suspended. He was given: two months of forfeiture of pay (reduced to one month), reduction from E-5 to E-1 for one month, extra duty for 45 days and restricted to base for 45 days. Case "CLOSED"!
While this obvious 'injustice' has deeply hurt Rick's family, they are genuinely concerned that no lessons have been learned. They want the case reopened, with an eye toward 'Justice', for their family and the underwriting and enforcement of precautionary measures that would prevent any future such 'accidents'.
Meanwhile, a scholarship has been established
with the Warsaw Chapter of the American Red Cross and is given to Perry
High School graduating Seniors, who are entering the military, for expenses
incurred at Boot Camp. SSgt. Robak’s family feels that such a ‘Memorial’
is a fitting tribute to a fine young man whose military awards include:
- The American Commendation Medal,
- Joint Services Commendation Medal,
- Army Achievement Medal...with Oak Leaf Clusters,
- Kosovo Service Medal,
- Armed Forces Service Medal,
- Non-Commissioned Officer,
- Professional Development Ribbon,
- Family Support Liaison,
- Army Service Ribbon,
- Overseas Service Ribbon,
- Macedonia Service Ribbon,
- NATO Ribbon,
- Expert Marksmanship Badge and
- the Meritorious Service Medal was awarded posthumously.
If you have any questions or comments on this case, please feel
free to e-mail Rick's mother, Kathy, at: kkmp2@yahoo.com
SrA RODNEY GLENN
HESHISER, USAF (May 5, 1970 - February 9, 1995)
On Feb. 9, 1995 around 1830 EST A1C Rodney
Glenn Heshiser's parents were notified by personnel
from Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio that their
son Rod was dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot
wound. Later that evening, Rod's parents were notified by their
son's First Sergeant, Master Sgt. Betty Crosby that she
had taken their son to the hospital on the 7th because
he had the flu. The facts that Rod was dead and that
he'd been sick for several days seem to have been the
only truths that Sgt. Crosby told Rod's parents. Along the
way, they discovered that Sgt. Crosby lied to them on almost
all aspects of anything that had to do the Rod's death, his belongings,
the investigation and her part in the discovery of Rod's
body.
On Feb. 10th, Linda Heshiser, Rod's
mother, spoke with Lt. McNichols, the mortuary officer
and asked him where her son had been shot. She was told
that Rod had been shot in the right temple. She then asked
Lt. McNichols how her son could've committed suicide by shooting
himself in the right temple since he was left handed. After
stammering around a bit he simply said, "well that is what
the report says." Mrs. Heshiser then contacted Sgt. Crosby who
told her that Rod was shot in the left temple with the bullet
exiting the right temple. This was only the beginning of
the many different versions (at last count there were six)
that she's been told about where her son was shot. When
Mr. & Mrs. Heshiser went to their local funeral home
to make arrangements for Rod's service, they expressed their
concern with the different stories they'd been told. The funeral
director called Holloman AFB and told them he was on the phone
with them for over an hour trying to sort out where their
son was shot. He told them he'd been told that their son
had shot himself in the mouth and the bullet had exited
the top of the head. The family had chosen Mrs. Heshiser's
nephew, who was in the Navy, to escort their son's body
home. He called them to say that he'd been told that Rod
was either shot in the top of the head with the bullet exiting
under the chin, or else he was shot under the chin with the
bullet exiting the top of the head. When Rod's parents went to
Holloman AFB for a memorial service after their son had been
buried at home, Sgt. Crosby told them that their son was
shot behind the left ear and demonstrated the manner by holding
her hand like a gun and pointing her finger behind her left
ear and said the bullet exited the right forehead in an
explosion type wound. After they'd returned home, the OSI investigator,
Robert Jakcsy, came to their home and told them that their
son was shot in the top of the head, right above the hair
line, that there was no exit wound, and that the autopsy
had turned up bullet fragments that were found at the base of the
skull.
At first, Sgt. Crosby had told Rod's parents that there
was a short note stating: "I'm sorry but I can't see
the light at the end of the tunnel" Later this note, according
to Sgt. Crosby, became a 14 page dated "methodical" journal
that detailed everything he was going to do. NO SUCH NOTE
OR JOURNAL EXISTED. However, a note was found hidden
in a Hershey tin on top of a bookcase and Mr. Jakcsy
told Rod's mother that the OSI would have doubted it
was a suicide, if there hadn't been a note. Well, months
later, when Mr. and Mrs. Heshiser finally got a copy of the
alleged suicide note, IT WAS NOT IN THEIR SON'S HANDWRITING,
and the Air Force couldn't prove it was, even though
it was sent to a handwriting expert. Only 35% of suicide
victims leave a note and that note is ALWAYS in sight
and not hidden, as such a note is a 'final' statement.
Mr. Jakcsy had also told them that Sgt. Crosby would not
have seen or had access to any such note.
There was no trace of gunpowder on Rod's
hands and the gun was not checked for fingerprints.
There was also a washcloth wrapped around the grip
of the gun which the Air Force investigation does not address.
This information was on a copy of a report filled out by security.
In one of the statements, base security also states they
were sent to my son's house by Sgt. Crosby to check on
a suicide. WHY? Such a premise is hardly conducive to
a thorough investigation.
Rod's car was missing from his house,
but yet was there when the body was found. He had
been taken to the hospital and to his home by his boss
and he'd told this to his mother during a phone conversation
on the 7th of February. He had been given two bags of
IV fluids with Phenergan in them to stop the vomiting
and wasn't permitted to drive. Sgt. Parnell Adams was
seen by a neighbor taking Rod home, but both he and Sgt.
Crosby denied this and stated that Rod took himself home.
Rod's car WAS NOT checked for fingerprints nor was his
home.
The autopsy report does not match up with what family
members saw on Rod's body. It reported lividity was on
the left side of his body, as that is the way his body
was laying, but lividity was clearly seen on the right
side of his head. Rod looked as if he had been beaten,
with bruising and swelling on the right side of the
forehead and the right cheek area and family members heard other people,
as well, commenting about this at the funeral home.
Rod's will ended up missing and Rod's
mother has a letter from the Air Force stating that
his Dependent Care Form and his Mobility file had been
destroyed by Sgt. Crosby right after Rod's death and while the
investigation was ongoing. To date, Mrs. Heshiser has
never received an answer as to why these items were destroyed,
except to have it noted that it is the Air Force policy to
get rid of unnecessary paperwork.
The autopsy report for SrA Rodney Glenn Heshiser
states that the death was ruled a suicide based on
information provided by Sgt. Crosby, who stated that
Rod was in counseling due to being suicidal. However,
Rod's medical records DO NOT indicate he was currently or previously
in counseling and a subsequent investigation proved he
was not or had ever been ordered into counseling as Sgt.
Crosby had also stated.
No one in the Air Force has been able to tell Rod's parents
at what angle or distance the gun was held when their son
was shot. They claim that it would be impossible to
provide them with that information. They also have
told Rod's mother that "the top of the head is a common
place for a person to shoot themselves".
Lt. David Fass, the summary court officer
assigned to handle Rod's property, did everything
in his power to prevent Rod's parents from getting
their son's personal property. However, with the help of a local
former commissioned officer from West Point, they were
able to obtain most of their son's items, even though
some items are still missing and presumed in the hands of
others.
Rod's mother said, "I know that my son
was MURDERED and that the personnel at Holloman AFB
have gone to great lengths to cover it up. Military personnel on
the base were ordered not to discuss my son's case with
anyone, as we found out when we hired a private investigator
to investigate our son's death. I was told so many lies
by Sgt. Crosby that it would take pages to cover them all.
After Rod's memorial and before leaving Holloman AFB, we
confronted Sgt. Crosby on all the lies she had told us.
She became very nervous and shaky, to the point of being
unable to even light her cigarette. She ordered us off the base. We
left, as we had a plane to catch."
An inadequate investigation was done to
say the least, with no checks for any other finger prints
on the gun, Rod's car or his home. Rod had been divorced for
10 months, at the time of his death, and was the custodial
parent of his son, Matthew. Linda Heshiser says, "My
son's death was just called a suicide from the very beginning
and was never investigated as a MURDER, even though I
have heard statements from military personnel that say
all deaths are investigated as murders...this is not true.
I can be reached at emaw01@adelphia.net
for additional information. We still want answers about our
son's MURDER!"
A THOUGHT TO PONDER:
"Sometimes silence
isn't golden...just yellow"
............The Teen
Self Esteem Calandar
