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HONOR ROLL
SITUATIONS! (page 6)
1. +
PVT. JACK DEMPSEY STONE
, USA
Born: March 19, 1920 - 22 short years - Died: Dec.
15, 1942...Murder!!!
2. +
LCPL WILLIAM MICHAEL GRALNIK, USMC
Born: May 28, 1979 - 18 short years - Died: April
1, 1998...Accident???
3. PTE DANIEL MICHAEL FARR, BRITISH ARMY
Born: March 8, 1979 - 18 short years - Died: June 10,
1997
Born: September 26, 1980 - 18 short years - Died: September 12, 1999...Accident???
PVT. JACK DEMPSEY STONE, USA (March 19, 1920 - Dec. 15, 1942)
On Line 22 of The CERTIFICATE OF DEATH,
issued by the North Carolina State Board of Health,
Bureau of Vital Statistics for Jack Dempsey Stone
reads: If death was due to external causes, fill in the following:
(a) Accident, suicide, or homicide
(specify) - HOMICIDE
(b) Date of occurance - Dec 15,
1942 (11:50am)
(c) Where did injury occur? -
Ft Bragg Cumberland, NC
(d) Did Injury occur about home,
on farm in Industrial place, In a public place? -
Gruber Rd near incinerator, Ft Bragg NC While at work?
- yes
(e) Means of Injury - Shot escaping
Military Police This document, including a graphic
discription of the 'Immediate cause of death' was
filed on Dec. 16, 1942.
In the months following Jack's shooting, other servicemen visited the family with various accounts of what happened that day. Though none were willing to testify in court, their reports were disturbing and questionable.
Jack's family was told that Jack attempted to escape from prison and that he did not stop running when the guard said 'halt' three times. On the surface that version, in and of itself, may sound reasonable, until one questions if an act of disobedience is justification for death. Why was he fatally shot rather than being detained? And by what stretch of the imagination would this justify the fact that after he was shot in the back, Jack was left lying, face down in the mud, for a half hour before being taken to the base hospital. Claims were made that some tried to go to his aid, but the guard stood over Jack's body and held them at bay with the .45 he'd used to shoot Jack. Jack was dead upon arrival at the hospital.
There was a rumor of a romantic triangle between Jack, a nurse and the guard. There were those who voiced the opinion that Jack's death had been a Ôset upÕ, that the guard had told Jack that he was being released, but he had to ÔclearÕ the area as quickly as possible and wasn't to stop for 'anything'! There was no investigation of the matter and the guard, who shot Jack never stood trial. In fact the guard was immediately reassigned to another base out of North Carolina. Cuber Stone, Jack's father, attempted to have Jack's death investigated by the Army. He received a short reply from a base captain with sentiments of "There is a war going on. This is not a party for the WPA." Cuber continued writing letters to senators and congressmen, asking for help in securing an investigation into his son's death, all to no avail.
Instead, the situation took on the aspects of a 'skeleton in the closet', as the family was made to feel shame that their son had been AWOL and had attempted an escape. There was a greater stigma, in those days, of not being military material. Jack's family grieved for him for years and his father took to his grave the burden that he had failed his son.
This situation is currently "Under Construction"
and should be being moved to another page, shortly.
If you have any questions or comments, please, feel
free to contact MAMMA.
LCPL WILLIAM MICHAEL GRALNIK, USMC (May 28, 1979 - April 1, 1998)
In 1998, LCpl William Gralnik, USMC, was stationed
at Camp Lejuene in North Carolina. William, an intelligent young
man, who endeared himself to everyone he met with his happy helpful
manner caused his mother, Zina, some concern when he started talking
about ‘Problems’ at the base. She recalls him noting...in true ‘Gung
Ho’ Marine fashion, that he wasn’t about to go running to his mother to
tell her all about the problems.
On March 30, 1998, William called his girlfriend in
California and told her that he wanted to see her before he died.
That ‘dream’ was never realized.
At 1845 hours, on March 31, 1998, during a ‘Training
Exercise’, LCpl Gralnik was fatally wounded and died at 0317 hours
on April 1, 1998. Though LCpl Gralnik’s death is ‘officially’ listed
as an ‘Accident’ and four (4) people were found negligent, every effort
was made to establish his death as a ‘Suicide’!
William’s father, Greg, is convinced that at least
one of the people found negligent was nothing more than a ‘Scape
Goat’. To put perspective on that belief...go to page 4 of the ‘Situation’s Section’ of this site and read
about the death of Cpl Christopher Martin Miller. If (?) there is
a major DRUG problem at Camp Lejuene...are good and honest young Marines,
true to the ‘code’ of ‘Death Before Dishonor’ being murdered because
they refuse to get involved with drugs? Don’t they deserve the ‘Respect’
of having the TRUTH told about their death...rather than be ‘dishonored’
in death by being buried with their dignity assaulted and their name sullied?
If you have any information about William’s questionable
death...PLEASE contact MAMMA at: mamma538@juno.com and we will make every
effort to contact his family.
PTE DANIEL MICHAEL FARR, BRITISH ARMY
(March 8, 1979 - June 10, 1997)
In 1997, 18 year old Daniel Michael Farr was a
Private in the Prince of Wales own Yorkshire Regiment, based at Catterick
in England.
On June 1, 1997, Daniel went home on leave. When his
mother, Lynn, picked him up at York Station, he was walking in a
strange manner. His mother asked what was wrong and he said that he
had a pain in his leg. He added that hadn’t reported it because he would
not have gotten to go on leave. Lynn took him to York Hospital where
he was thoroughly examined. The doctors thought it was probably strain
that was causing the pain as Dan-e, as he liked to be called, had just
come off crutches after a stress fracture in his other leg. He was given
some pain killers and was told to rest it...which he did.
When Lynn took her son back to Catterick, it was a hot
day and Dan-e slept all the way back to camp. When they arrived,
instead of insisting that his mother drop him off at the main gate,
like everybody else (Dan-e’s father works for the Ministry of Defense
so both parents have passes for getting into camps.), he asked to
be driven into camp so he didn’t have to walk so much.
That night, Daniel went out for a pint with his corporal.
The next morning, when his corporal saw him again, he was immediately
taken to the Military Hospital in Catterick where it was confirmed
that he had pneumonia.
Daniel’s father received a telephone call and he was
told that Dan-e was ill, but that it was nothing to worry about.
He went home and both parents decided to go to Catterick. By the time
they got to Lemming Bar on the A1, they got a phone call saying that
Daniel was now critical. When they arrived at Catterick, around lunch
time, Dan-e was on a life support machine to help him with his breathing.
After numerous and inconclusive tests, it was decided that his only chance
for survival would be at St. James’ Infirmary in Leeds, but it was uncertain
if he’d be able to make the journey. Daniel’s parents agreed to send him,
but weren’t able to go with him in the ambulance as there wasn’t enough
room for them and the staff and equipment that needed to go.
The Army padre from Catterick had arrived during the
afternoon and he drove Daniel’s parents to Leeds. Though they never
saw the ambulance on the way, everyone seemed to
arrive together at about 11 PM and Daniel was still
alive.
Daniel was tested for just about everything: HIV, Meningitis,
Legionnaires Disease etc.. The tests were all coming back negative
except that it was clear that he had bilateral pneumonia. He had orthopedic
surgeons, because of his previous stress fracture, microbiologists
and other consultant, yet no one could tell his parents what was happening
as they didn’t really know. Nothing they were doing and everything
they were giving him was having any effect on Daniel - not even making
the slightest promising bleep on any of the machines that surrounded him.
Mr. and Mrs. Farr were told that Daniel had stopped
absorbing oxygen and his mother asked about the possibility of
her son being brain damaged if he pulled through. They were told
that it was very unlikely that he would live, but if he did, he would
probably be severely damaged. Daniel’s parents made the decision that
enough was enough and the support machines were pulled and at 0245
on June 10, 1997, Daniel Michael Farr died.
Normally, this would be noted as a tragic death. However,
the consultant in charge said that if this had been an elderly
man who had abused his body all of his life...then, yes, this could
happen, but even he found it hard to believe for a fit young soldier.
Add the fact that in the 18 months following Daniel’s death there
were four other sudden deaths at Catterick and this becomes a situation
where there are a lot of parents with a lot of questions they want and
deserve to have answered!
If you have any questions or comments about this ‘case’,
please, feel free to e-mail Daniel’s mother, Lynn, at: lynn.farr@virgin.net.
AR MICAH JOSEPH SCHINDLER, USAF (Sept. 26, 1980 - Sept. 12, 1999)
On September 10, 1999, Michael and Julie Schindler were notified that their beautiful 18 yr. old son, AR Micah Joseph Schindler, had collapsed at the end of a 36 hour field training experience while in his 5th week of BMT for the Air Force. Micah was pronounced brain dead on September 12, 1999 and the cause of death is officially noted as Anoxic Encephalapathy secondary to heat stroke.
Michael and Julie, a RN, do not dispute the cause of death, but that is where the agreement begins and ends. From the moment they were notified ( by phone from an ER doctor) that Micah was gravely ill, the cover-up of events began.
Micah’s parents were told that their son, was highly motivated to complete the exercise/experience and showed no signs of illness or distress and made no request for medical attention and that he was in fact leading the march and encouraging others onward. (As Julie says, today, “What a crock of crap!”). Michael and Julie were also told that Micah was immediately rushed to the hospital by ambulance, but they now know that claim was NOT!!! true.
Micah’s parents have learned that Micah was ill and on medication at the time of the exercise and that he had been seen at the infirmary less than twelve hours prior the onset of the field experience. No restrictions were placed on his activity, despite an active infection, fever, and a highly elevated pulse rate that was more than double the normal rate.
The field experience culminated with a six mile march through rugged terrain in greater than100 degree weather. Though Micah’s family was told that yellow flag conditions existed, fellow flight members note being told that they were under red flag conditions (which should have meant a cancellation of the march ) According to statements made by fellow recruits and contained in the investigation, Micah exhibited very clear and obvious signs and symptoms of heat illness early into the march. When he asked for help from a TI, he was verbally berated, forced to drink more water and directed to keep marching.
As the march proceeded, Micah's health deteriorated and he began vomiting. The medic was called, but once she noticed that he was throwing up she stated "I don't do vomit" and determined that he would be fine to continue marching because he was able to stand. She never came closer than 40 feet, never spoke to him or made any verbal or physical contact with him at all. The other TIs laughed and mocked him and told him to go "leave your chunks in the bushes for the birds”.
Forty-five (45) minutes later, Micah was incoherent, marching in place, and reciting chain of command uncontrollably. After persistent urging from flight mates, two TIs approached him and told him to stop marching in place or they would punch him in his “fucking head". When he failed to comply, they picked him up by his trouser legs and dropped him face first onto the dirt path. As Micah attempted to crawl away, they knelt on his back and legs and held him there until he stopped moving. (and breathing), then rolled him over and smacked him in the face telling him to stop faking it. When he failed to 'come to', the medics were called.
Micah’s family has photos, taken that day, that they received through FOIA. The photos show their son laying supine in full sun with medics and TIs just standing around talking to one another, but no one is attending to Micah.
Once Micah went into a full blown grand-mal seizure, the effort was made to transport him to a nearby fire station where they met up with an ambulance and he was transported to the Emergency Room. According to the emergency room doctor, Micah's core body temp exceeded 111 degrees at the time he arrived in the ER. Micah was put on life support and never regained consciousness.
What compounds this family’s tragedy is that the Air Force has taken active steps to conceal the gross demonstrations of neglect and non compliance of mandated regulations that pertain to health and safety measures during field experience exercises. The focus quickly became a matter of over hydration and not self identifying ones' own illness, shifting attention away from the fact that people did not do their jobs and it resulted in the death of another. In the civilian community that is called "negligent homicide". In the end, they made Micah’s death his own fault (for supposedly drinking too much water which complicated his heat stroke), with no mention of how he stumbled around begging for someone to help him and how we was repeatedly berated, threatened and denied medical attention.
Six members were held 'accountable' for circumstances contributing to Micah's death. Their punishment: Letters of reprimand for 3 NCO's for maltreatment, two officers received UIF (which the family now knows have been removed and at least one has been promoted to full colonel) and a non judicial article 15 for the medic that 'failed to properly assess him during the march", which usually results in the loss of pay for one month and reduction of rank by one stripe.
Meanwhile, Micah Joseph Schindler is buried and gone and his family is left with the pain of his absence and thoughts of how, what should have been an honorable career turned into a nightmare they now call life.
If you have any questions, comments or an offer of assistance for Micah's family, feel free to contact Micah's parents, Michael & Julie Schindler at: m.schindler@fuse.net
Be not intimidated... nor suffer
yourselves to be wheedled out of your liberties by any pretense of politeness,
delicacy, or decency. These, as they are often used, are but three different
names for hypocrisy, chicanery and cowardice.
~ John Adams ~
