Pt. 2/5. The Murder of Donald Anthony Wilder. Non Combat Death.org. The Real Deal on Revere Radio.

http://non-combat-death.org/SurnamesUZ.htm
http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=53349

Soldier died of alcohol poisoning. Was anyone else to blame?
By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, March 16, 2008

MANNHEIM, Germany — Seven soldiers and two civilians implicated in the hazing of Spc. Donald Anthony Wilder were either not charged or had most of their punishments suspended for the crime.

Even though a criminal investigation found that the nine men had committed the offense, just one soldier, a specialist, lost rank. The only two other soldiers punished received written reprimands and had to perform 45 days of extra duty.

According to documents obtained by Stars and Stripes, Army investigators determined that a group of nine men hazed Wilder and two other soldiers during a Masonic initiation on Jan. 7, 2006. The ranks of the soldiers involved ranged from specialist to sergeant first class.

Hours after the ceremony, Wilder was declared dead in his Mannheim barracks. His cause of death was determined as alcohol poisoning. His wounds from the hazing did not contribute to his death, according to the autopsy.

Of the seven soldiers implicated in the hazing, three received Article 15 punishment for their actions. Those three soldiers — a specialist, a sergeant and a staff sergeant — all had some or most of their punishments suspended during field-grade Article 15 hearings, according Criminal Investigation Command documents.

Among other violations, agents investigated suspects on charges of assault and cruelty and maltreatment, according to the investigation report. If convicted in a court-martial and given the maximum sentence, they could have received up to a year of jail time and a dishonorable discharge, according to the 2008 Manual for Courts-Martial.

Only one soldier — the specialist — lost rank. The other two received written reprimands and had to perform 45 days of extra duty.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=53349

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Donald Wilder
• Diane Wilder
• Tom Wilder
• jim fetzer
• non combat deaths