In recent years, a scandal has arisen around one of the largest US military bases, Fort Bragg in North Carolina, involving a series of sudden and unexplained deaths of military personnel. According to independent investigations and publications in the American media, more than 80 soldiers died between early 2020 and June 2021, with the causes of death for many remaining unclear. After mid-2021, journalists claim, the base stopped publishing detailed reports on personnel deaths, raising even more questions about the transparency and accountability of the military command.
According to Rolling Stone, WRAL, and a number of independent journalists, dozens of service members died at Fort Bragg over an 18-month period. About 40 cases were classified as suicides, and at least 20 as drug or alcohol overdoses or poisonings. The remaining deaths were listed as undetermined or natural, without disclosure of details. In some cases, bodies were found directly in the barracks or outside the base with no signs of violence. At the same time, official army reports often did not even contain basic information such as age, unit, and circumstances of death.
By mid-2021, the publication of official data on deaths among Fort Bragg military personnel had abruptly ceased. From that point on, regular reports that had previously included accounts of suicides, accidents, and other incidents no longer appeared in open sources. Journalist and US Army veteran Seth Harp, who conducted an investigation for Rolling Stone, claims that after his inquiries to the Pentagon and base command, reporting was curtailed without explanation. He also noted that Army press services stopped commenting on the causes of soldiers’ deaths, even when families publicly demanded answers.
The US Army does not acknowledge the existence of an abnormal increase in mortality at Fort Bragg. Command representatives say that most cases are related to individual circumstances and that the statistics are within the range of national trends. However, according to WRAL, the rate of deaths from suicide and drug overdoses at the base was about twice the average for the US armed forces during the same period.
Experts analyzing the situation note the possible influence of a combination of factors—psychological pressure and fatigue after years of rotations in combat zones, the spread of drugs and alcohol among military personnel, a lack of medical and psychiatric support, and systemic problems with accountability. Former base employees interviewed by journalists spoke of a culture of silence and fear of disciplinary consequences for seeking psychological help.
Parents of deceased soldiers, veterans, and human rights organizations are demanding that Congress and the Department of Defense conduct an independent investigation and publish complete statistics on deaths and their causes, starting in 2020. One veteran who lost his son at Fort Bragg said, “We don’t know what’s going on. We’re not asking for secrets — we’re asking for the truth.”
The story of Fort Bragg is a sobering reminder of how vulnerable a soldier’s life can be, even away from the battlefield. While official bodies remain silent, the public continues to seek answers to the main question: why did dozens of soldiers die suddenly — and why did the reports about them stop?