Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Among the soldiers many awards and decorations are the Bronze Star Medal with V device; Bronze Star Medal (second award); Meritorious Service Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal (second award); Army Achievement Medal (third award); and Joint Service Achievement Medal. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ hitType: 'event', A 24-year-old Army cook assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg was found dead from a gunshot wound Wednesday in a town about 20 miles Leshikars sister, Nicole Rick, told Connecting Vets on Friday that Lavigne and her brother were close friends, but had gotten into an altercation that night. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. The drug charge against Becerra, which could be for simple possession or a more serious accusation of distribution, shows that military prosecutors suspect him of some kind of narcotics offense. Most recently, a staff sergeant in the 82nd Airborne named Alonzo Dargan allegedly did a high-speed drive-by shooting on his extramarital mistress, Akeila Ware, the second pregnant woman to be allegedly murdered by a Fort Bragg soldier in the span of a year. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. Master Sgt. Jimmy was a tremendous teammate and paratrooper, said Col. John D. Bishop, commander of the 3rd Special Forces Group of the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne). The incident remains under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department. hitType: 'event', hitType: 'event', The medical examiner at Fort Bragg determined that the cause of death was likely homicide. Private first class Mikel Rubino, who hailed from Oroville, California, was pronounced dead at the scene on Friday, August 13, by medical personnel. "We mourn Mikel's passing alongside his family. ga('ads.send', { We are one of the worlds fastest growing Jimmy Lee Smith III was found unresponsive at about 10:36 p.m. and pronounced dead by emergency medical services at the scene on Hammock Lane in Raeford, according to the Hoke County Sheriffs Office. More importantly, he was a great human being. In one case, an elite Delta Force soldier suspected of trafficking drugs was found dead on an Army training ground, the victim of an apparently professional hit by skilled assassins. More than 30 soldiers assigned to the base have died this year, about half by suicide. By that time, Collier says. According to a statement from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Public Affairs Office, the soldier, assigned to the command, was rushed toWomack Army Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, the statement said. Matthew Disney, 20, of Aberdeen, Maryland, were pronounced dead on the scene by emergency medical A SPECIAL Forces soldier who was found dead next to an Army vet at Fort Bragg "killed a Green Beret in front of his five-year-old daughter in 2018," the victim's The incident is under investigation, according to officials. Sgt. Enrique Roman-Martinez are carried by the Patriot Guard Riders at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Los Angeles. The incident is being investigated by the Armys Criminal Investigation Command. They told the same story to authorities, who related it Griselda. Fort Bragg stops reporting soldier deaths after dozens found dead in their bunks. Rubino leaves behind his wife Alyssa, their daughter Legacy, and his mother, Sheila. After he stepped out of his car, the officer found a privately made 9mm weapon, often referred to as a ghost gun, with no serial number. }); Thats why he walked away in the middle of the night.. He had too many plans., Editors picks ", Military news:Fort Bragg paratrooper who died was found unresponsive in barracks room, Army officials say. No arrests have been made nearly five months after a Special Forces soldier and veteran were found dead Dec. 2, at Fort Bragg, an official said last week. ", When will Taemin return from military service? Two men connected to the special operations community were found dead on an Army post in North Carolina where both had served for years one a soldier in an elite unit and the other a veteran. 1st Class Michael B. Hamilton, 35, of Plano, Texas, was pronounced dead by emergency medical services after he was found unresponsive, officials said. He was caught by military police carrying a 3d printed ghost gun onto military property. Megan Touma, a 23-year-old Fort Bragg soldier found dead in a motel bathtub in Fayetteville, N.C., more than a month ago. Lavigne and Dumas were found shot to death in December 2020 on a training range at Fort Bragg. He arrived to Fort Bragg in 2021 and was originally assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery Brigade. 2023 Stars and Stripes. gads_event = event; Earlier in the day, park rangers had approached the group to ask them to move their vehicles, which were encroaching on protected sand dunes. A Fort Bragg soldiers alleged plot to "physically remove" racial minorities from eastern North Carolina was uncovered by military officials. A Fort Bragg soldier pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle. Norton can be reached at fnorton@fayobserver.com. Lavigne was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Army Special Operations Command, the Army wrote in a press release on Friday. The incident remains under investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department. Officials said 23-year-old Noah Edwin Anthony pleaded guilty yesterday to possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle and faces up to ten years in prison. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Fort Bragg is one of the world's largest military complexes, housing about 57,000 active-duty personnel. He dedicated his life to serving his country and did so with great distinction. They have told me, while they dont have enough to charge for homicide, they have ample for lesser offenses that they could use to leverage people to flip.. Rubino served as an infantryman assigned to 2nd Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team. No more information about the deaths of Lavigne and Dumas will be released while the Army Criminal Investigative Command investigates, USASOC said. FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WTVD) -- Fort Bragg officials have identified the soldier killed Thursday in a military vehicle accident on post. FORT BRAGG, N.C. . The illegal firearm a 3D-printed rifle with no serial number was found during a search of Anthonys room after Fort Bragg officers found an unregistered The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. In October, a highly trained Green Beret and intelligence sergeant named Calvin Rockward died from a sudden, unexpected medical event, though he was only 38 and in even better shape, to go by his Instagram photos. Specialist Joshua Diamond of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Private First Class Matthew Disney of Aberdeen, Maryland, both served with the 82nd Airborne Division. Enrique just wanted to go home. No further details on the circumstances of Rubino's death were provided by military officials. Meanwhile, Fort Bragg soldiers have been turning up unresponsive in their barracks on a disturbingly regular basis since the beginning of 2020, including Caleb Smither, Terrance Salazar, Jamie Boger, Joshua Diamond, Matthew Disney, Mikel Rubino, Michael Hamilton, and numerous others who have not been named. On the afternoon of Jan. 21, 2020, Pvt. They are trying to deter this investigation from a homicidal one to an accidental one, she says, and in my opinion they look ridiculous and incompetent., In November 2021, CID announced that after exhausting hundreds of leads and thousands of hours of investigation, the file had been moved to cold case status.. Its unclear if he remained at the command throughout the remainder of his career. A former chief warrant officer 3 and property book officer, he served from November 1996 to March 2016, an Army spokesman at the Pentagon said. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ In total, a staggering 83 active-duty soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg died in the 18 months ending June 2021, according to data obtained by Rolling Stone. "The loss of Mikel to his family, friends, and fellow Paratroopers is a tragedy," Col. Phillip J. Kiniery III, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat, 82nd Airborne Divisions, said in a statement. No arrests have been made nearly five months after a Special Forces soldier and veteran were found dead Dec. 2, at Fort Bragg, an official said last week. When we woke up he was not here, and weve been looking for him all day. Hewitt declined to provide further information about what unit Dumas had served with at the end of his career. We might be afraid he might have hurt himself, he told the dispatcher. A Fort Bragg soldier who allegedly sought to physically remove as many racial minorities from eastern North Carolina by whatever means need be pleaded The post is home to USASOC, as well as the XVIII Airborne Corps, Army Forces Command, 82nd Airborne Division and the Army Reserve Command. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), Investigators said they believed that drug use was involved. Posted at 11:49 PM, Apr 27, 2023. and last updated 8:49 PM, Apr 27, 2023. At no time during that interaction did the off-duty soldiers mention a missing person, a spokesman for the national park told Army Times shortly after the recording of the 911 call was made public. In addition, no fewer than five Fort Bragg soldiers were charged with or convicted of raping children under the age of 13 over the course of just six months in 2021. 734. window.adsContainer = {"positionAfterTitle":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position2":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position3":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Below_Next_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle1_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle2_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position7":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle3_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle4_Rel_Newrev","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle5_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position10":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle6_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position11":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle7_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position12":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle8_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position13":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle9_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position14":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle10_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position15":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle11_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"position16":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_Middle12_Rel_Newrev","max_width":336,"max_height":280},"positionTop":{"code":"Article_Desktop_970x250_Header_Rel","isOrganicUserAd":false,"max_width":970,"max_height":250},"positionBottom":{"code":"Article_Desktop_Sidebar_Bottom_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":300,"max_height":600},"positionBottomRight":{"code":"Article_Desktop_300x250_After_Title_Rel_Newrev","isOrganicUserAd":true,"max_width":336,"max_height":280}} Army criminal investigators also continue to investigate the death in late May 2020 of Fort Bragg Specialist Enrique Roman-Martinez, a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, whose dismembered remains were found during a Memorial Day camping trip with fellow soldiers to North Carolina's Outer Banks. A representative of the Taliban said the group was checking on Ghani's whereabouts. Officials added that the gun hadnt been registered, as required under the NFA. Noah Edwin Anthony, 23, pleaded guilty Tuesday to possessing an unregistered short-barrel rifle, according to the release. let gads_event; The men were found dead around 3:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in a wooded training area of Fort Bragg, near Manchester Road, the newspaper reported. Only 11 of A senior defense official told ABC News in late March 2018 that the shooter was an active-duty member of a Special Missions Unit, known as Delta Force. The loss of Mikel to his family, friends, and fellow paratroopers is a tragedy, Col. Phillip J. Kiniery III, commander 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, said in the news release. By Brent Staples. Support local journalism with a subscription to The Fayetteville Observer. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. Private First Class Mikel Rubino, of Oroville, The incident is being investigated by the Armys Criminal Investigation Command. Mark Harris. 2023 www.fayobserver.com. }); He joined the 3rd Special Forces Groups support battalion in March 2020. Chad is a Marine Corps veteran who covers the U.S. military in the Middle East, Afghanistan and sometimes elsewhere for Stars and Stripes. FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WNCN) A Fort Bragg soldier was found dead in a barracks room Friday, officials say. },false) Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Download the News13 appto stay updated on the go.Sign up for WBTW email alertsto have breaking news sent to your inbox.Find todays top stories on WBTW.comfor the Grand Strand and Pee Dee. As per reports, as the Taliban entered Afghanistan's capital Kabul, and an official in the Afghan Interior Ministry said President Ashraf Ghani left the city for Tajikistan. FORT BRAGG A senior enlisted paratrooper was found dead Monday at his home on Fort Bragg, according to a statement Tuesday from the 82nd Airborne Divisions Public Affairs Office. reporters on a platform technologically tailored to meet the needs of the modern reader. I spoke to him that Wednesday and we talked about him leaving the Army, she tells Rolling Stone. An investigation is underway after a Special Forces soldier fromFort Bragg died after being foundunresponsiveinside a parked car in Fayetteville on Friday, officials said. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A soldier from New Port Richey died in a training exercise at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to a Friday announcement. pg.acq.push(function() { Anthony was stopped March 3, 2022 at the entrance of Fort Bragg as part of a random vehicle search, according to the release. The FGC-9 rifle found was submitted to the ATF Firearms Laboratory, which confirmed that it was a short barrel rifle violating the National Firearms Act (NFA). Sadly, the killings didnt end there. Spc. His previous assignments include Hohenfels, Germany; Fort Hood, Texas; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and Fort Sill, Oklahoma. },false) Forty-one Fort Bragg soldiers took their own lives in 2020 and 2021, making suicide the leading cause of death. Jimmy was more than just an NCO, he was a mentor, a shoulder to cry on, a comedian at times, but most of all a great friend, Spc. A Fort Bragg soldier was found dead over the weekend at his family's home in Tucker, Ga., the U.S. Army said Thursday. Mikel Rubino was pronounced dead after emergency medical services personnel were called to his barracks and attempted life-saving measures, military officials said in a statement to ABC station WTVD in Durham, North Carolina. The Army identified Master Sgt. His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, four Army Commendation Medals, seven Army Achievement Medals, two Navy Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, two NCO Professional Development Ribbons, Army Service Ribbon, four Overseas Service Ribbons, NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge, and the Army Parachutist Badge.