Sgt. Elder Fernandes is the third soldier from Fort Hood to go missing in the past year. Vanessa Guillen and Gregory Morales were murdered.

Our sympathies go out to Guillen and Morales' family and friends. We also pray for the safe return of Fernandes to the base. 

Is this part of a major criminal problem at the post or are the murders committed by citizens in the Killeen community?  Are these sexually motivated crimes because of the victims' lifestyle? We know in Sgt. Fernandes case that he was the victim of "abusive sexual contact." Could those responsible for the sexual assault have escalated their violence and killed Fernandes? It would not be the first time that other gay soldiers were killed by their "brothers in arms." 

If this issue was limited to the men and women at the post, the problem must be corrected. Are there other issues at the base which affect the training of the soldiers?  I certainly don't have any answers to these questions, but the management of the base needs to investigate and perhaps investigated. Should the post be reinvented and is purging the old name part of that process?

I'll let the men and women who have and are serving our country decide on the course of action.

Please protect the men and women at Fort Hood.