Texas Border Business
AUSTIN — Following the recent disappearance of multiple Fort Hood soldiers, including most recently Sgt. Elder Fernandes, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) sent a letter to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy urging continued action to investigate those disappearances and protect U.S. service members serving at Fort Hood.
He wrote: “Soldier safety is rightfully the Army’s top priority, and it is clear that changes must be made to Fort Hood in order to better safeguard the soldiers stationed there. Our brave men and women go to work every day to defend our nation, and our nation owes it to them to take every measure required to protect them.”
“Following the release of the findings, I look forward to working with you to ensure the Army rapidly develops a strategy to address security concerns at Fort Hood and that Congress provides the resources necessary for its implementation. A loss of even a single soldier is an unacceptable tragedy, and the painful events at Fort Hood this year have raised urgent concerns that our nation must address.”
You can view the signed letter here, and text is below.
August 24, 2020
The Honorable Ryan D. McCarthy
Secretary of the Army
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301
Dear Secretary McCarthy:
I write to express my deep concern regarding the frequency with which soldiers stationed at Fort Hood have died, disappeared, or fallen victim to criminal acts over the course of the last several months. Also troubling is that the rate at Fort Hood seems to be higher than at other Army installations in our country and abroad. I fully support the recent establishment of an independent commission to investigate the root causes of these issues, and I am committed to working with you to rapidly address the commission’s upcoming findings. Soldier safety is rightfully the Army’s top priority, and it is clear that changes must be made to Fort Hood in order to better safeguard the soldiers stationed there. Our brave men and women go to work every day to defend our nation, and our nation owes it to them to take every measure required to protect them.
Thank you for taking the time to speak with me on these issues following your August 6, 2020, sensing session at Fort Hood, and I appreciate your direct involvement and urgency in ensuring the safety of the brave men and women stationed at Fort Hood. Your office has been responsive to myself and my staff throughout the multiple investigations at Fort Hood this year, and through our conversations, I know you share my belief that the Army has a duty to both rapidly respond to the findings of the independent commission once they are released as well as promptly complete and implement the findings from its own investigations into the recent tragedies. In the meantime, it is clear that more resources must be devoted to the safety of our service members at Fort Hood in order to improve their safety while awaiting the findings of the investigations. Following the release of the findings, I look forward to working with you to ensure the Army rapidly develops a strategy to address security concerns at Fort Hood and that Congress provides the resources necessary for its implementation. A loss of even a single soldier is an unacceptable tragedy, and the painful events at Fort Hood this year have raised urgent concerns that our nation must address. Thank you for your leadership and attention to this issue.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator John Cornyn
 sent a letter to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy urging continued action to investigate those disappearances and protect U.S. servicemembers serving at Fort Hood.){kind=link}