Three soldiers at an army base in New York are suspected to have died by suicide within just 48 hours, with one of them being among the last of the troops to leave Afghanistan just one month ago.
Pfc. Tyler Thomas, 21, Spc. Sika Tapueluelu, 26, and Staff Sgt. Angel Green, 24, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, all allegedly committed suicide within two days of each other in mid-September at Fort Drum army base in New York.
Staff Sgt. Green, Green, an infantryman assigned to 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment (The Polar Bears), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, was one of the last soldiers to return home during the chaotic and bloody US pull out of Afghanistan at the end of August and didn’t return to New York until September 6.
Major Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr., division commander, declared he is committed to discovering the reasons behind his soldiers’ deaths which were officially announced by a Fort Drum spokesperson on September 19.
‘Immediately when we have a situation when a Soldier is suspected of taking their own life, we want to know the trigger,’ the commander said in a statement.
‘What are the underlying challenges that contributed to the decision to harm themselves? We want to know what didn’t we catch? What are we missing? This is what our immediate focus is.’
Their deaths are currently being treated as unrelated according to investigators, while unit leaders insisted that each death will be looked at individually.
Staff Sgt. Green, Green, an infantryman assigned to 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment (The Polar Bears), 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, was one of the last soldiers to return home during the chaotic US pull out of Afghanistan at the end of August and didn’t return to New York until September 6
Specialist Sika Tapueluelu, 26, was a cannon crewmember from Tukwila, Washington
Private First Class Tyler Thomas, 21, pictured in what is thought to be the last image he sent to his mother saying everything was okay – days before he died
Pfc. Tyler Thomas, 21, Spc. Sika Tapueluelu, 26, and Staff Sgt. Angel Green, 24, assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, all allegedly committed suicide within two days of each other in mid-September at Fort Drum army base in New York (Pictured: soldiers returning to Fort Drum on Sep. 6 following their exit of Afghanistan)
Investigators stated they do not believe that Green’s deployment to Afghanistan was the main reason behind the suspected suicide
Fort Drum army base in New York is home to the 10th Mountain Division and commanded by Gen. Maj. Milford H. Beagle Jr. All three soldiers suspected of committing suicide were on the base but operated in different platoons
Private Thomas was a signal support system specialist from Cedar Hill, Texas; Specialist Tapueluelu was a cannon crewmember from Tukwila, Washington; and Green was an infantryman from Barstow, California, who deployed to Afghanistan twice.
Investigators stated they do not believe that his deployment to Afghanistan was the main reason behind the suspected suicide. In addition to two tours of Afghanistan, Green had also deployed to Qatar once.
A Fort Drum spokesperson said that investigators believe the three deaths are not connected, as the soldiers were not in the same unit, occupied different roles and likely did not know each other.
Green was born in San Bernardino, California on November 6th, 1996 to Susan Barrera and Gerald and graduated from Eisenhower High School in 2014 where he was reportedly an exceptional track and cross country runner, notching a time of 3:05:44 in the LA Marathon when he was just 16.
Green joined the Army the following year in May of 2015 and moved to New York, where he was assigned to 2nd platoon, Bravo Company, 10th Mountain Division where he remained for the entirety of his career.
He served two tours of Afghanistan from 2018-2019 and 2020-2021, and earned the Combat Infantryman’s badge for his actions as team leader under direct fire from enemy forces.
Following the announcement of the soldiers’ deaths, Gen. Maj. Beagle Jr. reportedly made a statement to the rest of the soldiers at the base.
‘In trying times like these, it is incumbent upon us all to reach out to your battle buddy. Make sure they are OK,’ he said.
‘I have spoken with our command teams, and they will gather everyone together. I have asked them to address the warning signs of those at risk, enhance understanding of the characteristics of suicidal ideation and to share coping mechanisms.
Many of the 10th Mountain Division soldiers were among the last to leave Afghanistan
Fort Drum hosted a large welcome home ceremony for the soldiers who were able to meet friends, colleagues and family members
Cpl Preston Dyce, a soldier with the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, meets his family upon arrival at Fort Drum on September 6
‘To the soldiers of Fort Drum, the 10th Mountain Division and our entire Army, I want you to know every life is worth living. Your life because you are a teammate, your life because you are mountain tough soldier,’ he added.
‘If you have problems, challenges or issues, there is help available from this chain of command all the way down to help you get the resources you need. Do not suffer in silence.’
A Fort Drum spokesperson told Fox News that the installation has the lowest rate of suicide among Army posts but stressed that one suicide is too many, adding that leaders at the post would continue to engage soldiers on suicide prevention.
‘We will continue to reduce the challenges linked to suicide through continued leader engagement, peer intervention and focusing on building cohesive teams,’ the spokesperson said.
13 US troops were killed in the final days during the US evacuation of Afghanistan when an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside the gates of Kabul airport
Source: Daily Mail