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Army Wants to Know What's Behind Four Killings at Fort Bragg

Aired July 26, 2002 - 14:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Army officials want to know what is behind the four killings in the past six weeks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

In each case, the victim was the wife of a Fort Bragg soldier, and the soldier is alleged to be the killer.

Is it the stress of war, or as one death of four deaths. Stress of war or one source suggests. an anomaly or timing?

CNN's Barbara Starr is live from the Pentagon.

Barbara, we talked with General Grange, David Grange earlier. He doesn't feel that indeed this is something because of combat stress. What's the word there?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Army officials, special forces officials, are looking into it. At the moment, they agree, they don't see it particularly as being an issue of combat stress. Of course thousands of solders in the military forces have served in the overseas war on terrorism. The overwhelming majority of them come home, return to their families, and there's no problems.

We are told in some of the cases, these men were involved in personal family issues. One of them at least was sent home early from Afghanistan to deal with the family issue. And that's a very unusual circumstance.

The woman were -- all of these instances took place over a six- week period, four women murdered by their husbands. Two of those men then committed suicide after the murders. The other two men are in custody, and those cases of course remain under investigation.

But still it's a bit unsettling for the U.S. Army. The garrison commander at Fort Bragg, which is the home of many of the most elite special forces units in the Army. He says he wants to look into it. He wants to make sure there is no common thread, there's no underlying problem, and he says he wants to make sure that the Army and the military is offering returning troops all of the assistance, counseling, stress management, for them when they return and for their families while they're away.

But of course, special forces are very unique breed, many of them operate in a lonely combat environment, and they're really not used to asking for help when they have problems. That's another issue the Army wants to look out, to make sure that it's really getting help to the soldiers if they need it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon, thank you.

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