Thread: Soldier missing for a week after visit to Laredo

Soldier missing for a week after visit to Laredo
Associated Press
July 21, 2009, 12:47PM

McALLEN — The Army and FBI are searching for a South Texas soldier who may have been kidnapped during a visit to Laredo, on the U.S.-Mexico border.

J.C. Gonzalez, the brother of Pfc. James Gonzalez, 24, says the soldier has been missing for about a week. He says the FBI told the family that the Army had received a call demanding a $100,000 ransom and a demand that all soldiers be withdrawn from the border.

Gonzalez, a soldier at Fort Hood in central Texas, failed to return to base July 13 as scheduled. He had told his family in Robstown two days earlier he was headed to Laredo to hang out with friends before returning to base.

About 575 National Guard troops remain on the border, but the thousands that had been patrolling the area withdrew last year.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bre ... 39720.html

Soldier missing for a week after visit to Laredo
Associated Press
July 21, 2009, 12:47PM

McALLEN — The Army and FBI are searching for a South Texas soldier who may have been kidnapped during a visit to Laredo, on the U.S.-Mexico border.

J.C. Gonzalez, the brother of Pfc. James Gonzalez, 24, says the soldier has been missing for about a week. He says the FBI told the family that the Army had received a call demanding a $100,000 ransom and a demand that all soldiers be withdrawn from the border.

Gonzalez, a soldier at Fort Hood in central Texas, failed to return to base July 13 as scheduled. He had told his family in Robstown two days earlier he was headed to Laredo to hang out with friends before returning to base.

About 575 National Guard troops remain on the border, but the thousands that had been patrolling the area withdrew last year.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bre ... 39720.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baxkHTyxMOs

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http://www.caller.com/news/2009/jul/17/ ... s-missing/

Robstown soldier is missing

By Elaine Marsilio, Susan McFarland
Originally published 11:13 p.m., July 17, 2009
Updated 10:24 a.m., July 18, 2009

James Andrew Gonzalez has been missing since Sunday. He is stationed at Fort Hood in Central Texas.

CORPUS CHRISTI — A Robstown soldier stationed at Fort Hood has been missing since Sunday night after a visit to the border, family members and military officials say.

James Gonzalez’s brother said he received a phone call from the Army Monday asking whether he had seen Gonzalez because he did not report to duty Monday.

J.C. Gonzalez said a few hours later, a Waco FBI agent called saying the Army had received a phone call that his 24-year-old brother had been abducted, and the kidnappers wanted $100,000 ransom and U.S. troops removed from the border.

A Fort Hood public affairs officer said Gonzalez still had not returned to duty as of Friday. He said the Army is investigating but wouldn’t elaborate.

Rose Gonzalez said her son enlisted in the Army in April 2008 and had been stationed at Fort Hood since October.

When his family last talked to him, he was headed to Laredo to visit friends.

“What worries us, it’s been five days,â€

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baxkHTyxMOs

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http://www.caller.com/news/2009/jul/17/ ... s-missing/

Robstown soldier is missing

By Elaine Marsilio, Susan McFarland
Originally published 11:13 p.m., July 17, 2009
Updated 10:24 a.m., July 18, 2009

James Andrew Gonzalez has been missing since Sunday. He is stationed at Fort Hood in Central Texas.

CORPUS CHRISTI — A Robstown soldier stationed at Fort Hood has been missing since Sunday night after a visit to the border, family members and military officials say.

James Gonzalez’s brother said he received a phone call from the Army Monday asking whether he had seen Gonzalez because he did not report to duty Monday.

J.C. Gonzalez said a few hours later, a Waco FBI agent called saying the Army had received a phone call that his 24-year-old brother had been abducted, and the kidnappers wanted $100,000 ransom and U.S. troops removed from the border.

A Fort Hood public affairs officer said Gonzalez still had not returned to duty as of Friday. He said the Army is investigating but wouldn’t elaborate.

Rose Gonzalez said her son enlisted in the Army in April 2008 and had been stationed at Fort Hood since October.

When his family last talked to him, he was headed to Laredo to visit friends.

“What worries us, it’s been five days,â€

Is there a difference in standards here?

We have a soldier that has been captured in Afghanistan by the taliban and Its nearly front page news and yet here we have a soldier that has been kidnapped and abducted in mexico and demands are made to the government and nary a whisper?

I wonder what the soldiers in Pfc. James Gonzalez's unit feel about that?

Shouldn't this also be front page news or is this just biz as usual when dealing with the corruption that comes from south of our undefended border?

Is there a difference in standards here?

We have a soldier that has been captured in Afghanistan by the taliban and Its nearly front page news and yet here we have a soldier that has been kidnapped and abducted in mexico and demands are made to the government and nary a whisper?

I wonder what the soldiers in Pfc. James Gonzalez's unit feel about that?

Shouldn't this also be front page news or is this just biz as usual when dealing with the corruption that comes from south of our undefended border?

if you watched OReilly this evening, he had on some retired army person who says the person "kidnapped" in afghanistan is a deserter.
he said the soldier left his weapon behind and just walked off.

this story did make the 5 minute network news on the radio overnight.
least CBS Radio News talked about it

if you watched OReilly this evening, he had on some retired army person who says the person "kidnapped" in afghanistan is a deserter.
he said the soldier left his weapon behind and just walked off.

this story did make the 5 minute network news on the radio overnight.
least CBS Radio News talked about it