Found Alive TX - Fort Cavazos Spc. Craig Chamberlain, 23, Killeen, declared AWOL in March, last seen by wife after argument, 15 May 2023 *wife dies a week later*

[imstilla.grandma]

A search party is being organized to search for Chamberlain on Friday, May 26 in Killeen. Friends, family and others who wish to attend will meet at Conder Community Park at 10 a.m. Those who attend are encouraged to bring good walking shoes, water and spread the word about the event.

Fort Cavazos reports wife of missing soldier has died, say soldier "willingly absented" from Army

A search party is being organized for missing Army Spc. Craig Chamberlain at 10 a.m. on May 26.

www.kcentv.com

Spc. Craig Chamberlain

III Armored Corps seeks public assistance in locating missing soldier

FORT CAVAZOS, Texas – The III Armored Corps is requesting the public’s help in finding a missing Soldier. The Soldier is Spc. Craig Chamberlain, assigned

fortcavazosmediacenter.com

 

[sunflowermomma]

Sending thoughts and support to Craig's parents, friends, and family. This turn of events creates so many more questions than answers and I hope they are doing as well as possible.

 

[Lusitana]

<modsnip - quoted post was removed>
I wondered if their marriage was fake. They married in 2020. There are no public pictures of the wedding, even if it was just a Court House wedding. No pictures of her with his family, no pictures of him with her family. There's ONE picture of them together circulating and that's it.

I'm really under the impression that Craig married Cameron so he could get out of the barracks and get BAH. <modsnip - no link>

My guess is that Craig was pushing for a divorce and was done with Cameron. I wonder if Craig had plans to leave to his new base in Korea alone. <modsnip - NO LINK to this statement>

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Cameron (left) and Craig Chamberlain (right)

Fort Cavazos soldier Craig Chamberlain not a person of interest in wife’s death, Army says

Officials on post on Thursday confirmed the wife of missing Army Specialist Craig Chamberlain has died.

www.kwtx.com

Cam Chamberlain, the spouse of Army Spc. Craig Chamberlain, has died, Fort Cavazos officials said.

Fort Cavazos: Missing soldier found; spouse has died

UPDATED 7:20 p.m.: Missing Fort Cavazos Army Spc. Craig Chamberlain has been found, according to a press release issued by Army officials, hours after it was revealed that Chamberlain’s wife,

kdhnews.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1662103797223788544

 

[MissMalowe]

None of this is really making much sense....if they were set to PCS to South Korea, household goods would be shipped, (or preparations made for future shipping) and the spouse would be on the orders. Was she just being told the date kept being pushed further out and didn't question it or....?

Why haven't we heard from the friends they moved in with in preparation for the move about anything regarding this case? (And what preparations, if any, were made? POV shipping? Household goods? Where were these 2 living prior to moving in with friends? An apt and lease was up? House that had been sold or on the market? Hadnt lived together previously? Where's their stuff?)

Edited to add: it also seems strange to me that the spouse said (paraphrasing) Craig had become deeply depressed due to his job/chain of command etc, she didn't really say just army life in general, she specifically mentioned his chain of command.....PCSing to Korea would mean new surroundings, a new unit/coworkers AND a new chain of command. Strange that he would decide to go AWOL and not show up to his new duty station when it was what was going to get him away from the people/environment he didn't like at his unit in Texas. Makes little sense to me.

 

[Lusitana]

None of this is really making much sense....if they were set to PCS to South Korea, household goods would be shipped, (or preparations made for future shipping) and the spouse would be on the orders. Was she just being told the date kept being pushed further out and didn't question it or....?

Why haven't we heard from the friends they moved in with in preparation for the move about anything regarding this case? (And what preparations, if any, were made? POV shipping? Household goods? Where were these 2 living prior to moving in with friends? An apt and lease was up? House that had been sold or on the market? Hadnt lived together previously? Where's their stuff?)

Edited to add: it also seems strange to me that the spouse said (paraphrasing) Craig had become deeply depressed due to his job/chain of command etc, she didn't really say just army life in general, she specifically mentioned his chain of command.....PCSing to Korea would mean new surroundings, a new unit/coworkers AND a new chain of command. Strange that he would decide to go AWOL and not show up to his new duty station when it was what was going to get him away from the people/environment he didn't like at his unit in Texas. Makes little sense to me.

That's exactly what doesn't make sense: he had a way out and didn't take it. He could've left to Korea and leave Fort Cavazos behind. Going to Korea would mean they would be starting fresh in a new place.

 

[ktemp]

Has anyone found an MSM link that backs-up his stated 'last seen' date, time & source? I'm a little concerned Craig may have been missing before the date given to officials

yeah, me too, especially because the Army doesnt declare you AWOL until you haven't shown up for 30 consecutive days.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

*this one says May 15

 

[MissMalowe]

The parents seem pretty confident that he's alive and (hiding out?) in the Killeen, TX area via the video just posted above....

What's everyone's thoughts on what you think happened to Craig?

1. Hiding out because the officially AWOL thing finally caught up with him or because his being missing became news?

2. Hiding out because of the argument with his spouse?

3. Deceased- natural causes or suicide very recently?

4. Deceased- natural causes, suicide some time ago/was never AWOL?

5. Deceased- Murder by person known/close to him

6. Deceased- Murder by unknown party?

7. Other (please specify)

 

[Lusitana]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

The parents seem pretty confident that he's alive and (hiding out?) in the Killeen, TX area via the video just posted above....

What's everyone's thoughts on what you think happened to Craig?

1. Hiding out because the officially AWOL thing finally caught up with him or because his being missing became news?

2. Hiding out because of the argument with his spouse?

3. Deceased- natural causes or suicide very recently?

4. Deceased- natural causes, suicide some time ago/was never AWOL?

5. Deceased- Murder by person known/close to him

6. Deceased- Murder by unknown party?

7. Other (please specify)

I'm going with 5.

<modsnip: Quoted post was removed>

 

[Gut_feeling]

I am really at a loss with this case, so many unknowns and suspicious circumstances, but the flashing neon sign in my brain keeps saying "this IS Fort Hood", and I feel very uneasy about that.

I don't know what happened to Craig or his wife, but I know that Fort Hood did a very good job for a very long time of hiding very bad things. They've changed their name, but HOW MUCH has the atmosphere there changed? So much heat and focus came down on them in recent years, for good reason, followed by assurances from the "powers that be" that changes were made.

My concern is that if ANYONE at Fort Hood/Cavasos had ANYTHING to do with Craig's disappearance and/or Cameron's death, imagine how badly at least SOME of the local military leadership might want to keep that a secret. Just think about HOW BAD it would look if after ALL the talk of major changes being made, bad actors removed, incompetant leadership replaced and lessons learned, ANOTHER soldier goes missing. And THEN his wife ends up dead. <modsnip - no link>

Cameron's statements/behavior seem suspicious to me, absolutely, but I can't help but wonder if there are people on base who were involved somehow, and I am very concerned that it could be very difficult to get to the bottom of this.

** I want to also just add that in no way am I trying to bash the military. I support the military and military families, and I so appreciate the sacrifices they make for us. It's the track record of hiding misdeeds, especially at Fort Hood, that makes me suspicious in this case.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

* August 2022 article:

WASHINGTON — Since the publication of Army Directive 2020-16, Determination and Reporting of Missing, Absent-Unknown, Absent Without Leave, and Duty Status-Whereabouts Unknown Soldiers, the urgency and timeliness of locating Soldiers who are missing from formation has been improved across the force at all levels.

“On a recent trip to Fort Hood, I was privileged to visit the First Cavalry Division’s Pegasus Troop where Soldier in-processing is taken to a whole new level,” said Hon. Carrie F. Ricci, the Army General Counsel, also a member of the Fort Hood Independent Review Committee. “They have made it their priority to know the Solider personally as well as their family support system. I inquired about implementation of the missing Soldier protocols, and I was impressed. They are on it – from their families to their battle buddies, Soldiers are embraced by their new Army family.”

The directive has been a step in the right direction to enable Army leaders to maximize their efforts in finding missing Soldiers. Instead of labeling Soldiers as absent without leave — or AWOL — they will get the proper help they need, which could be detrimental to their safety or career.

“What really bothered me and challenged me, anytime we had a Soldier depart our formation, we had this moniker that was placed on them, called AWOL,” Miller said. “When people went AWOL, it typically connotated a negative moniker.”

Perceptions of the public as well as in the minds of many Soldiers, having the AWOL status could cause repercussions because of the negative view of the status, Miller said. People would see a Soldier with the AWOL status without really knowing why the Soldier departed the formation and make, often negative, assumptions about the reason.

Sometimes, Soldiers were flagged in criminal databases just because of an honest mistake, like thinking they were on leave when they really weren’t. And other times, Soldiers may need mental health services but are apprehensive of coming back because of the repercussions of being AWOL.

“We’ve empowered leaders at every level to use all the resources available to them to go find Soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. Duane Miller, Provost Marshal General and commanding general of Army Corrections Command. “You don’t have to rely on law enforcement to go find your Soldiers, but I can now send platoons out into the local community. It’s empowered them to get the whole community to look for one Soldier or two Soldiers.”

Army Leaders more empowered to locate missing Soldiers

WASHINGTON — Since the publication of Army Directive 2020-16, Determination and Reporting of Missing, Absent-Unknown, Absent Without Leave, and Duty Sta...

www.army.mil

 

[Sillybilly]

ADMIN NOTE:

I tried six ways to Sunday to get the US Army tweet embedded w/o the bigoted reply that was displayed with it but it just wouldn't work for some reason. We've removed the post as it's not critical to the discussion.

 

[ktemp]

I am really at a loss with this case, so many unknowns and suspicious circumstances, but the flashing neon sign in my brain keeps saying "this IS Fort Hood", and I feel very uneasy about that.

I don't know what happened to Craig or his wife, but I know that Fort Hood did a very good job for a very long time of hiding very bad things. They've changed their name, but HOW MUCH has the atmosphere there changed? So much heat and focus came down on them in recent years, for good reason, followed by assurances from the "powers that be" that changes were made.

My concern is that if ANYONE at Fort Hood/Cavasos had ANYTHING to do with Craig's disappearance and/or Cameron's death, imagine how badly at least SOME of the local military leadership might want to keep that a secret. Just think about HOW BAD it would look if after ALL the talk of major changes being made, bad actors removed, incompetant leadership replaced and lessons learned, ANOTHER soldier goes missing. And THEN his wife ends up dead. <modsnip>

Cameron's statements/behavior seem suspicious to me, absolutely, but I can't help but wonder if there are people on base who were involved somehow, and I am very concerned that it could be very difficult to get to the bottom of this.

** I want to also just add that in no way am I trying to bash the military. I support the military and military families, and I so appreciate the sacrifices they make for us. It's the track record of hiding misdeeds, especially at Fort Hood, that makes me suspicious in this case.

I am not sure if people realize how big the population is that is directly linked to Ft. Hood/Cavasos. Here is a quote from military one source:

Population​

• * 43,199 active-duty military
• * 421,286 retirees, survivors and family members
• * 7477 civilians and contractors

Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood Metro Area Supported: 508,047 on average
The demographic composition of Fort Hood differs significantly from surrounding communities. The total service area population exceeds 500,000, with over 5,000 Exceptional Family Members. Fort Hood has a relatively young population, the largest age group being the 25 to 34 year group. The ethnic mix of the military is usually more diverse than a typical Texas city and Fort Hood follows this pattern with 48% White, 26% African-Americans, 19 % Hispanics, 3 % Asians and 4% various other races.

• Population served 507,905
• Active Duty (Officer)
• Active Duty (Enlisted)
• Family Members - On Post 14,040
• Family Members - Off Post 34,456
• Retirees, Survivors & Family Members 421,286
• Civilian/NAF/Other Employees 9,270

If you consider this it ranks in the top 40 of biggest cities in the US (population wise), the only reason those cases get known so widely is because the families have to raise awareness because they don't live close by. Plus anybody that was ever stationed there or knows someone that was, will see the news on their feed, because it will be shared by them.

 

[Lusitana]

I am not sure if people realize how big the population is that is directly linked to Ft. Hood/Cavasos. Here is a quote from military one source:

If you consider this it ranks in the top 40 of biggest cities in the US (population wise), the only reason those cases get known so widely is because the families have to raise awareness because they don't live close by. Plus anybody that was ever stationed there or knows someone that was, will see the news on their feed, because it will be shared by them.

Well, yeah. The large on base population means that more deaths and disappearances will be registered when compared to the vast majority of the bases with less people working and living there. But there are some serious problems on that base.

 

[MrsWatson]

The parents seem pretty confident that he's alive and (hiding out?) in the Killeen, TX area via the video just posted above....

What's everyone's thoughts on what you think happened to Craig?

1. Hiding out because the officially AWOL thing finally caught up with him or because his being missing became news?

2. Hiding out because of the argument with his spouse?

3. Deceased- natural causes or suicide very recently?

4. Deceased- natural causes, suicide some time ago/was never AWOL?

5. Deceased- Murder by person known/close to him

6. Deceased- Murder by unknown party?

7. Other (please specify)

I'm going with number seven at this point, Other, Unknown. We have so little information. We're not even sure when exactly the last time anyone other his wife saw Craig, or when, or where or the circumstances. Where was he going when his wife thought he was going to work? The Army is being very vague and it doesn't sound like they followed their own procedures.

 

[SimplyCass]

Missing Fort Cavazos soldier found alive by civilian search group

Despite the death of Craig’s wife, Cameron, search crews push on looking for any sign of the missing Army specialist.

www.kwtx.com

Found alive.

 

[jellybean96]

Well heck. I would have lost my lunch money, lol.

Missing soldier from Borger found alive

The mother of Craig Chamberlain said her son was found alive and is going to be okay.

abc7amarillo.com

 

[SandyQLS]

Missing Fort Cavazos soldier found alive by civilian search group

Despite the death of Craig’s wife, Cameron, search crews push on looking for any sign of the missing Army specialist.

www.kwtx.com

Found alive.

Just WoW. His parents must be so joyful and relieved.

 

[PromotedPawn]

Interesting turn of events. Waiting for COD of his wife, hopefully soon. Moo.