The leadership of the 90th Security Forces Group at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming has recently held all-call meetings after an airmen was found dead last week, becoming the fourth death of a 90th group member since July. 

In a statement sent to Task & Purpose, Col. Jeremy Sheppard, the 90th Security Forces Group commander, said he told airmen under his command at these meetings “if your intentions are pure, I will ALWAYS have your back.”

Many in the 1,400-person 90th SFG are tasked with one of the military’s most high-pressure jobs, providing 24/7 physical security over the base’s nuclear weapons and the far flung missile silos for ballistic missiles dug into remote spots across the Wyoming prairie.

Since July, four personnel assigned to the group have died, of which at least three were killed in episodes of gun violence. Details on the fourth fatality — an airman found dead at F.E. Warren on Oct. 8 — have not been released.

Sheppard and the unit’s senior enlisted leader held several all-calls at the base last week to discuss the recent deaths and how they’ve affected the unit’s mission, said Maj. Patrick Gargan, a 90th Missile Wing spokesperson.

“The message was designed as a call to action, not an assignment of blame,” Gargan said. 

The main purpose of the meetings was to urge airmen to focus on “accountability, professionalism, and getting back to the basics,” Sheppard said. 

“We did talk about the recent fatalities, but the larger message was a call to action: to block out the noise, refocus, and recalibrate on what matters most,” Sheppard said. “Many supervisors followed up afterward with smaller group discussions to make sure the message was clear.”

Sheppard also responded to an online post from an airman who said they had attended one of the meetings, who felt that the unit’s leadership team had left the impression they blamed airmen in the group for the most recent death.

Sheppard acknowledged that not all airmen came away with the same understanding of what leaders were trying to convey.

“We’ve seen posts online and heard direct[ly] that not everyone fully got the message from the all-call, and to our teammates, we hear you,” Sheppard said. “Leadership is on it and will keep the conversation going, not just in big meetings, but one-on-one to make sure everyone understands where we are coming from.”

Gargan added that the comments being attributed on social media to the group’s leadership are “misleading or taken out of context.”

“I reminded the team that the overwhelming majority of our people are doing the right things every day,” Sheppard said. “But for the small number who aren’t, I made it clear: if you can’t find your way back to being a contributing, professional member of this team, on and off duty, then this might not be the right place for you. Our mission carries life-and-death consequences, and we need every person here to be all in.”

The string of deaths began on July 20 when Airman Brayden Lovan was shot and killed while on duty at F.E. Warren. The shooting initially prompted Air Force officials to stop or limit using M18 pistols, but in August, another airman was arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with Lovan’s death.

On Aug. 16, Senior Airman Joshua Aragon  was shot and killed in an off-base apartment in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Authorities have charged Airman 1st Class Jadan Orr, who is also assigned to F.E. Warren, with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly firing an AK-47 rifle through a wall, hitting Aragon.

Then on Sept. 30, Airman 1st Class Marcus Evan Jackson was killed in an incident at Fort Collins, Colorado that the county coroner’s office has ruled a murder-suicide. The case is under investigation.

 The base confirmed last week that a fourth airman was found dead on base Oct. 8. 

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