Last week was the first part of a three-part story about men and women who died young after joining the military. For this week’s story, I wanted to share the stories of three more stories who died tragically. Two were murdered while the other died under suspicious circumstances. All three soldiers swore to protect America and ended up dead before their time. Unfortunately, all three would probably still be alive had they not joined the military.

Marc Hoover.

Amanda Gonzalez: Amanda had joined the Army and became a cook. Her duty station was at the former Army base at Hanau, Germany. She planned to return to Texas for Christmas to spend the holiday with her parents. She had a surprise for them. She was pregnant and expected to have her baby on their wedding anniversary.

Her parents looked forward to becoming grandparents. Unfortunately, this joyous moment never happened. On November 5, 2001, Amanda was found deceased in her barracks. Someone had beaten and strangled the pregnant mother. Instead of coming home for Christmas, Amanda returned home for burial.

Originally, the Army CID investigated the case. The case went through different investigators because they constantly rotated in and out of the country. Eventually, the FBI took over the case. Unfortunately, they have never solved Amanda’s homicide.

November 20, 2021, will be the twenty-year anniversary of Amanda’s homicide. Her two siblings have grown up and moved on. Had Amanda not been murdered, her baby would now be an adult. Today, Amanda’s family still has no answers. They don’t even know the identity of the man who fathered Amanda’s baby. Her parents found it suspicious that the father he has never tried to reach out to them to offer his condolences. Is it possible he’s a suspect? Was he married and angry about the pregnancy?

Derek Pagan: Derek Pagan had joined the Army in 2011. Prior to joining the Army, he was just another young man from Kunkletown, Pennsylvania, trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. Although his mother didn’t want her only son joining the Army, she supported his decision. After completing basic training and AIT, he was stationed at Fort Hood in Kileen, Texas. He had joined the military to make a career of the military. Tragically, his dreams of a career ended in the early morning hours of April 26, 2015.

On the night of his death, Derek was walking along U.S. 183 after attending a Life in Color concert. While returning to his hotel, an unknown vehicle struck him and left him for dead. Strangers stopped to help the mortally wounded soldier. Unfortunately, Derek didn’t survive. It’s believed a White vehicle struck him. He was then thrown onto the hood. It could have possibly been a passenger car or a pickup truck.

Whoever struck him would have had extensive damage to their vehicle. The person who killed Derek knows he or she hit someone. Yet, they failed to stop. Lynn Pagan still seeks justice for Derek.

Derek’s killer may have filed an insurance claim or taken the vehicle to a local body shop for work. The killer likely claimed to have struck a deer or some other large animal. Lynn Pagan loved her son. He will never get married, have children or celebrate another holiday with his family. The Pagan family has never recovered from the loss of Derek.

Christopher Ferguson: After high school, Christopher had already made plans for his future. He felt like joining the Army would get him there. His sister Christina thought the Army might be a good place for Christopher to learn about life. She had always heard about brave soldiers who took care of their own and looked out for each other.

Unfortunately, these words were nothing but lies.

For Christopher’s story, I have to take you back to March 25, 2007 when he died under mysterious circumstances. He was at an off-base apartment, hanging out with other soldiers. They were letting off some steam. There was music and drinking. But what happened to Christopher Ferguson one night in that apartment is a mystery. Christopher allegedly fell from a three-story apartment balcony to his death. The Army wrote it off as an accident.

However, since losing her brother, Christina has been on a nonstop quest to get the truth. For the past 14 years, she has spoken to different people who were at the apartment. They have given different stories. Christina said there were soldiers who claimed they weren’t there, but they actually were. Unknown to them, Christina recovered her brother’s camera. He had taken photos that night of these same soldiers who supposedly weren’t there.

And there is a good reason none of these soldiers wanting to admit to anything. Before Christopher’s death, he confided in Christina about something. He said an underage runaway girl was staying in the apartment. It’s also alleged that several of the soldiers who regularly hung around this apartment had sex with this underage girl.

Christina located and spoke to this young girl. She told Christina that Christopher had protected her from being sexually assaulted. He even encouraged her to return home and work things out with her family. Here is what this young girl told Christina she witnessed on the night Christopher died: The soldier who was renting the apartment argued with Christopher. She saw him pushing Christopher. She said he then placed Christopher into a headlock and dragged him to the balcony. She said moments later she heard Christopher let out a horrible scream that will haunt her forever.

She said the soldier then came back into the living room and said Christopher had fallen. Christina said she tried to speak to the Killeen Police about her brother’s death but was told the Army assumed jurisdiction over the case. Christina said there was no investigation. The Army immediately ruled Christopher’s death an accident. But was it an accident? Or was Christopher murdered during a heated argument that involved physical violence?

His family refuses to believe his death was an accident. If it were an accident, then how come no one wants to discuss it or share important details with Christina or her family? Christopher survived Iraq only to return home and die under questionable circumstances. His family just wants to know what really happened to Christopher. Christina has been told different stories about what happened to her brother. Today, she still doesn’t have any answers about his death.