Spc. Donald Anthony Wilder on a September, 2005, scuba trip to Mexico with his family. It was their last vacation together; Wilder died of alcohol poisoning on Jan. 8, 2006. (Courtesy of the Wilder family)
Spc. Donald Anthony Wilder on a September, 2005, scuba trip to Mexico with his family. It was their last vacation together; Wilder died of alcohol poisoning on Jan. 8, 2006. (Courtesy of the Wilder family)
Spc. Donald Anthony Wilder went drinking at Murphy’s Law Irish Pub in Mannheim after being hazed into a Masons group on Jan. 7, 2006. Wilder and fellow soldiers celebrated his initiation by drinking at Murphy’s and other downtown bars. (Ben Bloker / Stripes)
A group of Masons met for an initiation ceremony on Jan. 7, 2006, in the gym at Mannheim High School. Spc. Donald Anthony Wilder and other soldiers went drinking after the ceremony. Wilder died the next morning of alcohol poisoning, according to investigation reports. (Ben Bloker / Stripes)
MANNHEIM, Germany — Seven soldiers and two civilians implicated in the hazing of Spc. Donald Anthony Wilder were either not charged or had most of their punishments suspended for the crime.
Even though a criminal investigation found that the nine men had committed the offense, just one soldier, a specialist, lost rank. The only two other soldiers punished received written reprimands and had to perform 45 days of extra duty.
According to documents obtained by Stars and Stripes, Army investigators determined that a group of nine men hazed Wilder and two other soldiers during a Masonic initiation on Jan. 7, 2006. The ranks of the soldiers involved ranged from specialist to sergeant first class.
Hours after the ceremony, Wilder was declared dead in his Mannheim barracks. His cause of death was determined as alcohol poisoning. His wounds from the hazing did not contribute to his death, according to the autopsy.
Of the seven soldiers implicated in the hazing, three received Article 15 punishment for their actions. Those three soldiers — a specialist, a sergeant and a staff sergeant — all had some or most of their punishments suspended during field-grade Article 15 hearings, according Criminal Investigation Command documents.
Among other violations, agents investigated suspects on charges of assault and cruelty and maltreatment, according to the investigation report. If convicted in a court-martial and given the maximum sentence, they could have received up to a year of jail time and a dishonorable discharge, according to the 2008 Manual for Courts-Martial.
Only one soldier — the specialist — lost rank. The other two received written reprimands and had to perform 45 days of extra duty.
Staff Sgt. Geustravious Rice was one of the soldiers who received an Article 15.
“I have been punished,” Rice wrote in an e-mail. “I have grieved over the loss of a brother and a friend. I been (sic) deployed for 15 months. So as you can see a lot has happened since then, now respectfully I asked (sic) that you leave me alone in reference to this case. I am sorry for his families (sic) loss but the healing process has began for me.”
The 21st Theater Sustainment Command would not release the name of the officer who presided over the Article 15s because federal statutes prohibit it, said Lt. Col. Tamara Parker, the command’s spokeswoman. The statutes state that the release of information concerning Article 15 action and overseas-stationed personnel may be withheld.
When asked to interview the officer who gave the Article 15, Parker said that person was “not here.” She provided no additional information as to whether the individual was in the U.S. and possibly outside the scope of the statutes.
When asked why some punishments were suspended, Parker said she did not know what the situation was but that she had talked to the investigator who handled the case. She addressed the issue of suspended punishments in an e-mail.
“If a soldier commits misconduct during the suspension period, the suspension can be vacated and the punishment imposed,” Parker wrote.
Nothing in the CID investigation file indicates that the three soldiers’ suspensions were revoked.
Wilder’s parents, Anthony and Diane, said they felt betrayed by the Army when they learned punishments were suspended for the soldiers.
“The Army has done everything it can to deceive and mislead us throughout the last two years,” the couple wrote in an e-mail. “However, more importantly, by suspending the sentences, the Army has ensured there is no deterrent to a repeat of another hazing incident and, potentially, another young man’s death. While publicly stating hazing will not be tolerated, the Army has given its tacit approval to a barbaric ritual.”
Hazing ritual
The hazing took place at the Mannheim High School gym during a ceremony in which Wilder and two other soldiers were being initiated into the Masonic group Knights Templar under Andrew Morgan Commandery No. 9. The ritual included drinking and members paddling the initiates’ buttocks for several minutes. Wilder was already a member of the Prince Hall Masons’ Perfect Square Lodge No. 88 in Mannheim.
He died of alcohol poisoning the next morning, following a night of celebratory drinking in downtown Mannheim. Wilder had a history of alcohol problems and referred himself for treatment months earlier.
Photos taken in the barracks where Wilder’s body was found show large bruises and scrapes to his buttocks, thighs and scrotum. An autopsy report from Army Col. (Dr.) Kathleen Ingwersen confirmed the injuries but stated they did not contribute to Wilder’s death.
Based on their knowledge of what happened during the nearly two-year investigation, CID agents sought charges of aggravated assault, cruelty, maltreatment and dereliction of duty for those involved.
Army lawyers ruled out charges of negligent homicide and aggravated assault because Wilder consented to the paddling and the paddling injuries did not lead to his death. Officers also ruled out charging those involved with conspiracy, obstruction of justice or false official statement because those offenses were linked to the Masonic initiation and not Wilder’s death.
“Inconsistencies in statements are normal with eyewitnesses and anything and anybody dealing with the Masonic initiation was irrelevant, as we know Spc. Wilder walked out of there,” according to a January 2007 statement attributed to a major in the CID report. “CID should not be investigating the Masonic organization as they had not violated any laws.”
The only offense acted on was hazing, which is a violation of Army regulation 600-20. Those who hazed could have been subject to court-martial for cruelty and maltreatment, and assault. Civilian employees who violate the Army’s hazing policy can be punished for their actions, according to regulation 600-20. The investigation report shows no evidence that the two civilians involved were punished.
The punishments
Among the three soldiers punished, on Aug. 16, 2006, the staff sergeant was reduced to sergeant, which was suspended; ordered to forfeit $1,385 a month for two months, which was suspended; restricted for 45 days, which was suspended; ordered to perform extra duties for 45 days; and received a written reprimand.
On Aug. 9, 2006, the sergeant was reduced to specialist, which was suspended; ordered to forfeit $1,136 a month for two months, which was suspended; restricted for 45 days, which was suspended; ordered to perform extra duty for 45 days; and received a written reprimand.
On the same day, the specialist was reduced to private first class, ordered to forfeit $846, restricted for 45 days and ordered to perform extra duty for 45 days. His fine of $846 was suspended.
The investigation was closed in September when a final report was issued, according to CID documents.
Wilder’s parents continue to seek information about what happened to their son and are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the incident. They have set up an e-mail address (helpanthony@live.com) in hopes of receiving tips.
“If this is the last thing I do, I’m going to find out what happened,” Diane Wilder said.
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