Over 35 Soldiers Victimized in TX: Cars Vandalized/Stolen at Houston Army National Guard Armory

Texas Conservative Republican News ^ | 7/25/2012 | David Bellow

[davidbellow]

7/25/2012

By David Bellow

Over 35 vehicles belonging to U.S. Soldiers were stolen or vandalized this past week at the Army National Guard Armory on Westheimer Parkway in Houston, TX

I encourage the local media to bring attention to this targeting of Texas Soldiers so that the thugs who are doing this will be brought to justice.

Over the last 2 weeks, myself and hundreds of Houston area Texas Army National Guard Soldiers drove nearly 1000 miles one way in a military vehicle convoy to get to Dona Ana Camp in New Mexico (just north of El Paso, TX). It was our Annual Training. The Battalion that I am a Sergeant in, HHB 1/133^rd FA, is a Field Artillery Unit. We camped out in the desert for 11 days and part of our Battalion mission was to shoot three thousand 105mm rounds into a nearby mountainside.

While we were away training, thugs vandalized and/or stole at least 35 vehicles belonging to my fellow U.S. soldiers at the Houston, TX Armory on Westheimer Parkway. Many of these soldiers have deployed to Iraq and/or Afghanistan multiple times. Thankfully, the armory that I was parked at on W. Rankin Road in North Houston was not hit by these thugs.

This is not the first time that this has happened either. This has happened in the past in Houston, TX while soldiers were away for annual training. This is troubling because it means that this is not a random event and there is a group of thugs who are specifically targeting U.S. Soldiers in Houston, TX. This group knows that National Guard Soldiers go away for 2 weeks every summer for annual training. They know that the vehicles of training soldiers will be in the parking lot for 2 weeks. They find out when the annual training is and they victimize U.S. soldiers once they leave for annual training.

This is despicable.

I encourage anyone with knowledge of who did this to please call the local authorities.

I encourage the local media to bring attention to this targeting of Texas Soldiers so that the thugs who are doing this will be brought to justice.

[CORedneck]

I say WTF. Talk about lowlifes. I am curious who these scumbags are.

[Marie]

If this has happened before, why the hell isn’t there additional security?

[I Drive Too Fast]

If this has happened before, why the hell isn’t there additional security?

I agree. Maybe it's time to set up a sting. Park 50 or so cars equipped with lojack or use bait cars to trap them. Then take them out to where the target practice is going to be and let them have it with the 105mm guns. Okay, maybe they can't do that part, but I can dream can't I?

[SaraJohnson]

The military set them up to be victimized by Houston’s criminals. I guess they don’t want to guard the lot. They could nab quite a ring of theives if they did.

[pallis]

Those cars are probably in Mexico by now.

[cableguymn]

I can’t speak for the military but my local LEO won’t even show up to take a report for theft from or of a car.

They will take your info over the phone and give you a report number to give your insurance company.

Guy down the road caught the guy in his car while he was doing what ever he needed to do to get away. Called 911 and 8 minutes later the thief pulled out of his drive with the car.. cops, knowing the crime was IN PROGRESS arrived 20 minutes later. He got a very clear photo of the perp with his SLR camera while they where working on the car.

Why didn’t he scare him off? He could see the 45 laying on the dashboard. A Camero is not worth a gun fight.

His car.. well.. most of it.. Turned up 3 weeks later at the impound lot. Even with a photo the cops never found (because they where not looking) for the guy.

property crimes are mainly ignored in my town.

[Zeppelin]

It’s getting bad in Houston.

Less than a year ago, my wheels were stolen off my Vette, which was in a parking garage in the Galleria area, one of the nicer areas in Houston. I’m sure it was a 2 minute job for the thieves.

Such activity has only increased over the past year.

[GeorgeWashingtonsGhost]

Agreed. I’d be shocked if they WEREN’T in Mexico by now.

[Chode]

hate crime...

[mia]

Wonder if this would work. . . Put a call into the 911 Operator, "there is a fellow in my car with a gun and he's about to steal my car. I've got a shotgun and I'm about to blow a big hole in him while he's busy trying to steal my car. If someone isn't here within two minutes, he won't leave here alive."

A swat team, 10 police cars, the chief of police, and a TV crew should be there before the perp gets away. (Hopefully, they don't take you away with them.)

[ktw]

Just damn!!! I do my drills there. But I didn’t have to go this year! Glad I didn’t!!

Hope my friends cars didn’t get jacked!

[chuckles]

Just got back home from 2 months of cancer treatments at MD Anderson in Houston. Only lost my hub caps. Luckily they had security gates or I might have lost the whole car.

[chuckles]

Just got back home from 2 months of cancer treatments at MD Anderson in Houston. Only lost my hub caps. Luckily they had security gates or I might have lost the whole car.

[a fool in paradise]

Houston PING

[a fool in paradise]

Houston PING

[Terry Mross]

This is the military. Never leave equipment or personel unguarded.

[stevie_d_64]

I bet the TV crew got there before anyone else...

[Arrowhead1952]

If this has happened before, why the hell isn’t there additional security?

The same thing happened at either Temple or Waco armories several years ago. POV (personally owned vehicles) are not allowed inside the motor pools - which are almost totally empty when annual training is underway. I never figured that out. Leaving all those POVs in unguarded and unfenced lots.