WASHINGTON, May 13, 2009 - The Department of Defense announced today the death of four soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
They died May 11 in Camp Liberty, Baghdad, of wounds suffered in a non-combat related incident.
The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
Killed were:
Maj. Matthew P. Houseal, 54, of Amarillo, Texas. He was assigned to the 55th Medical Company, Indianapolis, Ind.;
Sgt. Christian E. Bueno-Galdos, 25, of Paterson, N.J. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany;
Spc. Jacob D. Barton, 20, of Lenox, Mo. He was assigned to the 277th Engineer Company, 420th Engineer Brigade, Waco, Texas; and
Pfc. Michael E. Yates Jr., 19, of Federalsburg, Md. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Grafenwoehr, Germany.
Military officials in Baghdad also identified a Soldier Tuesday, who has been charged with shooting and killing five of his comrades yesterday at a combat stress center at Camp Liberty, Iraq.
Sgt. John M. Russell, 44, of Sherman, Texas, is being held in military police custody at Victory Base Complex in Baghdad, and has been charged with five specifications of murder and one of aggravated assault, said Maj. Hunter Holliday, a military spokesman in Baghdad.
Russell is assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, based in Bamberg, Germany.
Holliday said the Army's Criminal Investigation Command is investigating the incident, and that a separate investigation is looking at the overall behavioral health services being offered in Iraq.
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