A mother's final appeal.The mother of Pfc. Barry Winchell Barry Winchell (31 August 1977—6 July 1999) was an infantry soldier in the United States Army, whose murder by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, became a point of reference in the ongoing debate about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy enforced by the military regarding , who was murdered in his barracks bar·rack 1 tr.v. bar·racked, bar·rack·ing, bar·racks To house (soldiers, for example) in quarters. n. 1. A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel. in 1999, is appealing the Army's denial of her $1.8 million wrongful death claim Wrongful death is a claim in common law jurisdictions against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives, as enumerated by statute. . "We have to do this for our son's sake," said Patricia Kutteles. "He died, and I want his death to be meaningful. I want other mothers and fathers not to have to go through this." Kutteles's appeal, which was sent to Army secretary Louis Caldera caldera: see crater. caldera Large, bowl-shaped volcanic depression that forms when the top of a volcanic cone collapses into the space left after magma is ejected during a violent volcanic eruption. The term is Spanish for “caldron. on October 31, is her last chance to try for redress under the Military Claims Act, an administrative procedure that allows people to seek reimbursement from the military for injury or death. Kutteles said fellow soldiers believed the 21-year-old Winchell was gay and harassed him for months before he was beaten to death with a baseball bat while sleeping in his cot July 5, 1999, at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. The Army knew about the harassment but did nothing to stop it, she said. The Army denied Kutteles's initial claim, ruling there is "no legal basis" for it. |
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