Hi there,

Independent media is more important than ever. Speaking up and telling the truth is becoming increasingly dangerous. Because we are only sponsored by you—not by governments or corporations—we can continue to bring you courageous journalism in a landscape filled with disinformation. If every person who came here for news this month gave just $15, we would be fully funded for a year. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations today will be TRIPLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $45. If you believe that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential to the functioning of a democratic society, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

A Rash of Wife Killings at Fort Bragg Military Base: Three Veterans of the War in Afghanistan and Another Soldier Kill Their Wives in 6 Weeks

Listen
Media Options
Listen

First it was Teresa Nieves, shot in the head by her husband two days after he returned from Afghanistan. Next came Jennifer Wright, mother of three, strangled in her bedroom. Then Andrea Floyd, shot in the head the same day she asked for a divorce. Then came Marilyn Griffin, stabbed 50 times and set on fire.

Four sergeants on the North Carolina Fort Bragg army base have killed their wives in the last six weeks. Three of the soldiers were from the Army’s Special Operations unit and had recently returned from Afghanistan; the fourth was from an airborne unit. Two killed themselves after killing their wives, and two others sit in jail.

Fort Bragg is the Army’s headquarters for the Special Forces and Special Operations units, and the base has sent hundreds of soldiers to fight in the so-called “war on terrorism.” The vast Ft. Bragg military installation is also the heart of a larger military community that includes thousands of Army families and retirees.

Few people had paid attention to the rash of killings until the Fayetteville Observer published a story last Friday pointing out that they had all been carried out by local soldiers.

Every year, about 1,400 women are killed by their husbands. Studies show that military couples have a rate of domestic abuse sometimes two to five times higher than the general population. A Yale University study published in the American Journal of Public Health in January found that men involved in combat were responsible for 21 percent of the cases of spousal abuse reported in the survey.

According to the Pentagon’s Family Advocacy Program, there were almost 11,000 substantiated cases of physical, emotional or sexual spouse abuse among military families last year. But military domestic violence is notoriously under-reported.

Guest:

  • Christine Hanson, executive director of the Miles Foundation, a non-profit that works with victims of violence associated with the military. Email: milesfdn@aol.com.
  • “Ms. Smith,” (not her real name) a victim of domestic violence from her husband, a naval officer. She chose to go by “Ms Smith” after one of the first military investigations into domestic violence, called “Operation Ms. Smith.”
  • Sunera Thobani, Professor of Women s Studies at the University of British Columbia and former President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, Canada’s largest feminist organization.
  • Maj. Jan Northstar, spokesperson for Fort Bragg.

Related link:

Related Story

StoryMay 26, 2025“Sinners”: Director Ryan Coogler on His Latest Hit, Delta Blues, His Mississippi Roots & Vampires
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top