Memorial Day has long stood as a day Americans set aside to remember those who gave their lives for the greater good of our country.
I appreciate all of the men and women who dedicate their lives to service so that our future remains one of freedom.
But on this Memorial Day, I want to also remember Soldiers whose deaths were caused by fellow soldiers, spouses, friends – people who they believed they could count on to always have their back.
The following Soldiers are not victims of war crimes, but those caused by the hand of a person who will no doubt use the priviledges afforded by the Constitution in an effort to save their own worthless asses.
The same Constitution that the person who they so maliciously killed had vowed to protect.
A little ironic, isn’t it?
Please remember these soldiers on this Memorial Day:
Megan Lynn Touma
Pfc. Megan Lynn Touma: On June 21, 2008, Touma’s body was found in a Fayetteville, North Carolina hotel room. On June 12, she had signed into Fort Bragg but was not reported as AWOL when she did not show up on her next scheduled work day. Touma was seven months pregnant at the time of her death.
Captain Marty Theer: On December 17, 2000, Theer was lured to the office of his wife Michelle Theer where he was gunned down by Michelle’s boyfriend John Diamond. Michelle continues to claim she is innocent even though, shortly after the murder of her husband, she fled the area and even had plastic surgery in an effort to avoid arrest.
Staff Sgt. Michael L. Severance: His wife, Wendi, reported him missing in January 2005. After an intense investigation by military and civilian police, Wendi was arrested in March 2005; at which time she claimed that she had found Michael dead in their bed. She stated that she feared a member of her family had killed him and immediately disposed of the body in a Texas ranch stock tank. Although her cases is currently under appeal, Wendi is presently serving a sentence of 25 years.
2nd Lt. Holly Wimunc
Army 2nd Lt. Holly Wimunc: A nurse at Fort Bragg’s Womack Army Hospital, Wimunc was reported missing was reported missing on July 10, 2008. A co-worker went to Wimunc’s apartment in an effort to locate her and found the apartment to be smoldering and to smell of gasoline. She notified police who discovered arson as the cause of the fire. Three days later, Wimunc’s charred remains were found near Camp LeJeune in South Carolina. Investigators learned that Wimunc had recently sought a protective order against her estranged husband, Marine Corporal John Patrick Wimunc who was stationed at Camp LeJeune. He was arrested and charged with First Degree Murder on July 14, 2008. Prosecutors in the case have announced they will seek the death penalty for John Wimunc when the case reaches trial.
Spc. Ryan Schlack: Having survived two tours in Iraq, Schlack was gunned down while trying to break up a fight between two fellow soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas. Spc. Armando Baca was charged with murder and subsequently sentenced to serve 20 years in a military prison at Fort Leavenworth.
Ryan Michael Sullivan
Staff Sgt. Ryan Michael Sullivan: 24-year-old Sullivan was reported missing to his unit when he failed to show up for PT formation on the morning of October 14, 2008. Fort Hood officials then visited Sullivan’s apartment where they found he had been brutally murdered. In May 2009, his ex, Katherine Nellie Briggs, was charged with hiring friends to kill Sullivan so she could collect on his $100,000 insurance policy of which she was named beneficiary. Briggs as well as her two accomplices, Kyle Moesch and John Anthony Valdez, are charged with Capital Murder and currently awaiting trial.
