Army Failed to Notify Family of AWOL Status, Leading to Apparent Suicide by Cop

– Shane Barrett said the Army never told the family his brother Brandon was AWOL, although Army officials apparently told the Tucson Police Department (TPD) the soldier was in such a status. Shane works for TPD as a detective. Family did not know Brandon would put on his military gear, carry weapons and ammunition and walk along one of Salt Lake City’s streets, some saying as if he was on patrol. Family did not know Brandon would fire at a city cop, wounding him slightly in the leg, before the wounded officer fired one shot in self-defense, hitting the soldier in the head and killing him. – 

By Bill Hess of the Herald/Review

Sierra Vista, Arizona — Army Spc. Brandon Barrett loved video games, especially those with a military nexus

When he came home to his family on his R&R, about halfway through his year deployment to Afghanistan, playing video games is what he did, said Shane Barrett, the soldier’s older brother.

But when Brandon came home in July, in what the family thought was his redeployment leave, he was different, Shane said. He was quiet, no longer outgoing “and he didn’t want anything to do with military war gaming,” Shane said.

It should have indicated something was wrong, but didn’t set off alarms with in the family, the brother said.

What they did not know was the 28-year-old soldier was AWOL — absent without leave.

They did not know Brandon would go the Utah.

They did not know he would put on his military gear, carry weapons and ammunition and walk along one of Salt Lake City’s streets, some saying as if he was on patrol.

They did not know Brandon would fire at a city cop, wounding him slightly in the leg, before the wounded officer fired one shot, hitting the soldier in the head.

Brandon was dead.

His actions have led to more questions as the family and the Army try to understand the actions of a soldier who survived combat in Afghanistan only to die in America.

Shane said Brandon never told the family he was AWOL, although Army officials apparently told the Tucson Police Department the soldier was in such a status. Shane works for TPD as a detective.

The Army never notified the family, as required, telling them Brandon was AWOL, the brother said. 

However, Maj. Jenny Willis, a spokeswoman for I Corps at the Fort Lewis portion of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the state of Washington, said a letter is only one part of the process to find an absent soldier. “The unit started by calling the family contact numbers that Barrett had left, without success. It appears that the numbers Barrett had left for his family were inaccurate,” Willis said. The unit should have sent a letter to the next of kin at the 10-day mark of a soldier’s AWOL status, she
 added.

The circumstances involved in the soldier’s AWOL, notification of his absence without leave, and the incident in Salt Lake City are part of a special investigation currently under way, the major said.

The 15-6 investigation will “examine the efforts of the unit made to reach the family,” Willis said, adding the unit had no indication of the soldier’s “potential for violence until he began texting threatening messages to a platoon mate on or about 18 Aug., at which time the unit contacted the police in Tucson, Barrett’s home of record,” the spokeswoman said.

Brandon’s duty status is one of the critical issues regarding military honors. Technically, after 30 days of being carried as a person who is AWOL, the status changes to deserter, if appropriate forms are submitted, which was not done.

So, at the time of his death the soldier was still in AWOL status, which allows for some rights, to include a military funeral.

Fort Huachuca public affairs officer Angela Moncur said it is Army policy to have the assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs approve or disapprove military honors for an AWOL soldier and the decision was “to withhold military honors for Spc. Brandon Barrett … due to the circumstances surrounding his death.”

Initially, the soldier was to be dropped from the rolls, but it was later “determined that the files were not submitted to the U.S. Army Deserter Information Point in order to finalize the processing” which meant he was still in AWOL status and “recognized as a member of the U.S. Army at the time of his death,” Moncur said.

The action means some of his benefits will be restored but there was no change of the “decision to withhold funeral honors,” she said. As for the honors, the decision came down on the day the original funeral was to be held, with the Fort Huachuca Honor Guard told they could not participate, Moncur said.

Shane said the decision not to have the funeral on Sept. 10 was devastating to the
family. He noted his mother was purchasing flowers for her soldier son when told the funeral was canceled, Shane said. The family members do not support Brandon’s actions in Salt Lake City but believe his honorable service up to that time should have been provided by the Army, he said.

Willis said when the TPD told Shane about his brother being AWOL, he informed them his brother left on Aug. 19 “with body armor and weapons.”

And between Aug. 18 and 23, Brandon had been in contact with the battalion chaplain, giving “indications he was returning to JBLM, but was going to (first) visit a friend in Utah,” she said.

On Aug. 26, the soldier sent more disturbing text messages and at that time the JBLM Provost Marshal posted a “BOLO,” — be on the lookout for the soldier, Willis said.

Brandon was a member of Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, she said. While some said he was a trained sniper, Willis said there is no indication of such training in his personnel files. He was an infantryman, and received the Combat Infantryman Badge while deployed to Afghanistan, Willis said.

“Barrett’s unit characterized his deployment as very typical for a combat infantryman. He routinely engaged in patrols and operations. He witnesses three IED (improvised explosive device) events but was not in the affected vehicles or wounded,” Willis noted.

Many soldiers coming back from deployments are screened for any medical or psychological issues, she said. On July 6, he completed a mandatory Post—Deployment Health Risk Assessment and spoke to a behavioral health provider, the major said. 

“He complained about being lonely and was offered an appointment for counseling on July 8, which he missed,” Willis said. The solider said he often drank a six-pack of beer daily as well as some liquor, which led his command to refer him to the Army Substance Abuse Program, and he was evaluated on July 15 as being “low-risk and placed on a 45-day outpatient alcohol treatment program,” she said, adding five days later, he went AWOL.

It was on June 27, the day after he returned from Afghanistan, when the soldier was arrested for DUI on the post and he “received a no-drinking order from his chain of command,” Willis said.

During the screening process, which began before the unit redeployed from Afghanistan, the soldier “reported no concerns that would indicate he had post-combat readjustment issues, such as PTSD, nor did his unit observe such symptoms,” she said.

However, in the field of mental health involving military combat experts say such stress can manifest itself quickly or be dormant for long periods, up to years, meaning it could pop at any time.

Willis said the 15-6 investigation is looking at all avenues which could explain the soldier’s decisions and actions.

While no one condones Brandon’s last actions, area veterans have expressed displeasure at how the Army handled a service of active duty Army honors for a soldier who fought for his country.