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A message from League of United Latin American Citizens

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View as web page:
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U.S. Army Reinstates Slain Latino Soldier Following LULAC Meeting
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Nation’s Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Wins Major Step for
Family of Ft. Hood Soldier First Called a Deserter

Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today
announced that murdered soldier, Army Pvt. Gregory Wedel-Morales will have his
record cleared of desertion and his family may now lay him to rest with full
military honors.

“LULAC thanks Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy for taking action just days
after we met with him at the Pentagon,” says Domingo Garcia, National President.
“What happened to Gregory Morales should never happen to any soldier. He
disappeared from Fort Hood two weeks before being honorably discharged after
serving more than five years in the Army. Rather than conduct an immediate
investigation into how or why he disappeared, as the family kept asking, the Army
called him a deserter and never bothered to do more.”

The 24-year old soldier was last seen on the night of August 19. When he didn’t
report to duty the following day, he was placed on AWOL status, then declared a
deserter a month later. Ten months later, only after LULAC began demanding
answers into his case and that of Vanessa Guillen, did military investigators
intensify their efforts and find his remains on June 19 in a shallow grave not
far from the base. A week later, Vanessa Guillen’s remains were also found after
LULAC offered a $25,000 reward.

“LULAC is glad that Gregory’s family can now have closure and is able to bury
their son, a brave and faithful soldier, with full military honors as he
deserved,” said Sindy Benavides, Chief Executive Officer. “What is as significant
is that an important decision came out of our meeting with Secretary McCarthy.
The Army is working to form a new investigative panel with input from LULAC. This
independent entity will help ensure that new protections are put in place for our
sons and daughters at Fort Hood. Indeed, LULAC is making sure that Gregory and
Vanessa’s deaths will not have been in vain and they will not be forgotten,”
added Benavides.

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About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and
oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans
and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000
councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and
advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of
today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org [ [link removed] ] .







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