Bizarre cluster of deaths strike soldiers assigned to Fort Hood Army base; 12 dead in 2 months

The United States Army launched an investigation on Friday into the mysterious death of a soldier who was found unresponsive at his post on the Fort Hood base - the latest in a string of nearly a dozen deaths of soldiers serving in the massive Texas encampment.

Sgt. Alex Mathew Dean Taylor, 23, a soldier assigned to the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion, was found dead while on duty, according to Stars and Stripes.

Taylor had enlisted as an aviation operations specialist.

The army released no information about the circumstances of Taylor's death.

'At this point in the investigative process we do not suspect foul play, but have not completely ruled it out while we conduct a complete and thorough death investigation,' a spokesperson for the Army Criminal Investigations Command said.

Taylor was a decorated soldier, having earned numerous commendations during his service, including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Aviation Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

Since November, 12 soldiers assigned to Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored post in the US, have died.

On January 2, Private First Class Randal K. Anderson, 22, died from what Army officials said was 'an apparent gunshot wound' in Killeen, Texas, the town which abuts Fort Hood.

The military has yet to release the findings of its investigation into Anderson's death, according to the Houston Chronicle.

On November 26, Private Wanya Bruns, 20, also died from a gunshot in Killeen.

Ten days prior to Bruns' death, Private Kevin Paulino, a 24-year-old soldier originally from the Bronx, died from a gunshot wound in Peru, Indiana.

Paulino had enlisted in the military as an infantryman in May, according to the New York Daily News.

The military has not publicly disclosed the details of its investigation.

Three soldiers based at Fort Hood died on November 12 while serving in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. John Perry, 30; Private First Class Tyler Iubelt, 20; and Sgt. First Class Allan Brown, 46, were killed as a result of a suicide bomb attack at Bagram air base in Afghanistan.

Perry and Iubelt died almost immediately and Brown eventually was airlifted to Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland, where he succumbed to his injuries on December 6.

The Bagram blast killed two other American contractors and wounded over a dozen US soldiers, Stars and Stripes reported.

Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Taliban, according to CNN.

Private Dakota Lee Stump, 19, was found dead on the Fort Hood base on November 3 in an apparent car accident.

He had been missing since October 10.

The army said that Stump was found near his overturned vehicle by soldiers who were conducting land navigation exercises about 100 yards from the road.

Two other unnamed soldiers stationed at Fort Hood died from unspecified illness, while another died in a car accident on January 9.