Soldier missing after Fort Hood drill

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

FORT HOOD, Texas — Fort Hood officials expanded their search for a soldier who went missing at the Central Texas Army post during a training exercise in rugged terrain.

Local and state agencies joined 600 soldiers Sunday in the third day of a search for Sgt. Lawrence G. Sprader, Col. Diane Battaglia said.

The 24-year-old was last heard from Friday evening, about an hour before he was supposed to have completed a six-hour solo navigational mission. He was on foot.

"We think he got disoriented on the course and got misdirected," Battaglia said. "In his last message, he said he reached a hard, paved road, and was instructed to call in if that happened. He wasn't able to give any terms of reference as to where he was located."

Military Black Hawks and a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter scoured the area Sunday, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice provided bloodhounds, Battaglia said.



Read more: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/4878612.html

[babylonsister]

1. The heat out here would kill him.

I'll hold out hope a civilian picked him up and drove him to Canada.

[elocs]

2. I have an 18 year old nephew at Ft. Hood, so this title thread got my attention.

I'm afraid that Canada is no longer a place of refuge. That was then and this is now.
That would be a hell of a drive.

[Claire Beth]

6. My son is at Ft. Hood

and I worry about him all the time.

[elocs]

8. So far my nephew likes it much better than when he was at Ft. Gordon.

They had put him in a barracks there with older guys (he is only 18 and not big) and he was being bullied and had nearly everything of value stolen from him. One time when he was out on field exercises somebody broke into his locker and stole everything. He even had his wallet stolen along with his military id and the thought there was "big deal". At least at Ft. Hood he is in a dorm room that he shares with one other guy. He was told he would be there for probably at least a year so hopefully things will be better Iraq-wise by then.

[TexasLady]

3. I live a few miles from there

and let me tell ya, after all the rains, and now the heat..the humidity plus heat out here is unbearable.

heat index is supposed to be just at or over 100 degrees today.

[Lisa]

4. I hope he managed to find some water and shade

I don't think I would last five minutes out there!

[babylonsister]

5. I'm in Houston, and will be inside for the most part until October. It's

unbearable, and feels worse every year.

[BeHereNow]

7. My folks are in Dallas- I don't know how you stand it.

I love my folks, but lord I hate to visit them
in the summer.
It feels like the blast from a hot oven when
you step outside of the air conditioning in Dallas.
God help you people if there is a blackout in
the middle of a heat wave!

I tell my mom to keep a tub of water filled in case
they lose electricity.
They are old and I'm afraid the heat could kill them
if there was a power failure.

BHN

[Eugene]

9. Fort Hood Searchers Find Dead Soldier

Source: Associated Press

Fort Hood Searchers Find Dead Soldier

Wednesday June 13, 2007 6:46 AM

By MICHELLE ROBERTS

Associated Press Writer

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - Searchers found the body late
Tuesday of a sergeant who was missing for four days after
he disappeared during a training exercise, an Army
spokeswoman said.

Sgt. Lawrence G. Sprader, 25, went missing Friday during
a solo exercise testing basic map-reading and navigation
skills.

Col. Diane Battaglia, III Corps spokeswoman at Fort Hood,
said the body was found on the rugged Central Texas Army
post. The body had been sent for an autopsy and the cause
of death had not been determined, she said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6705139,00.html

[maddezmom]

10. :(