Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide

By Davis Winkie, Military Times, and James Barragán, The Texas Tribune
Oct. 4, 2022

“Another National Guard soldier working Operation Lone Star dies by suspected suicide” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

This article is co-published and co-reported with Military Times, an independent news organization reporting on issues important to the U.S. military. Sign up for its daily Early Bird Brief newsletter here.

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A service member assigned to the Texas National Guard’s border security mission, Operation Lone Star, died by a self-inflicted gunshot to the head Tuesday morning in Eagle Pass, according to an official document obtained by Army Times and The Texas Tribune.

According to the document, the soldier shot himself with his duty weapon — an M4 carbine.

Army Times and the Tribune are withholding the soldier’s identity until after their family is notified.

A Guard official familiar with the incident, but who was not authorized to speak to the media, also confirmed the death. The Texas Military Department did not immediately return a request for comment.

If ruled a suicide, the death would be the first suspected suicide linked to the mission since December of last year, and the fifth suspected suicide overall.

The soldier is also the 10th-known Texas Guard member linked to the mission to die since its rapid expansion began in September 2021.

The deaths began that month when four troops died by suicide in an eight-week span. The suicide cluster was subject of an Army Times investigation.

By February, two more had died in accidental shootings.

In April, then-Spc. Bishop Evans died when he tried to save two drowning migrants in Eagle Pass. Evans was not equipped with a flotation device due to the mission’s long-standing problems with purchasing and fielding critical equipment, a joint Army Times/Texas Tribune investigation found.

Then another soldier died of a blood clot after a long security shift in July amid a record heat wave.

The ninth death occurred July 16 when a soldier assigned to the mission died in a motorcycle accident in Laredo, according to an incident report obtained by Army Times and The Tribune.

When the first suicides linked to Operation Lone Star occurred last year, troops on the mission were struggling through pay problems and poor living conditions. Many were also dissatisfied with the large-scale involuntary activations that were required to meet Gov. Greg Abbott’s troop quotas, according to surveys of the mission’s troops obtained by Army Times and the Tribune.

Army Times and the Tribune documented these issues in a rolling investigation that dissected the hasty mobilization process, revealed how Guard leaders ignored the results of a feedback survey and highlighted the mission’s budget overruns.

Since the news organizations’ reporting, TMD has taken steps to address soldiers’ concerns and slowly reduced the number of troops on the border. Three of the department’s top leaders also abruptly stepped down in March and April.

For 24/7 mental health support in English or Spanish, call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s free help line at 800-662-4357. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2022/10/04/texas-national-guard-suicide-operation-lone-star/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

October 4th, 2022 | News