WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Pfc. Ocean K. Winfrey was struck and killed on Interstate 44 outside Fort Sill at roughly 4:45 a.m. on Sept. 11.
- Winfrey was a Basic Combat Training trainee assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery Regiment.
- Fort Sill did not answer whether Winfrey was authorized to leave or whether his unit had reported him missing.
- The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating with assistance from the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
Before sunrise on Sept. 11, Pfc. Ocean K. Winfrey, a 27 year old Army basic trainee, was on foot along Interstate 44 outside Fort Sill, Oklahoma.
A passing vehicle struck and killed him.
The incident occurred at roughly 4:45 a.m. near mile marker 41, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The nearby exit leads to Fort Sill’s Key Gate.
Fort Sill officials confirmed to Task & Purpose that Winfrey was completing Basic Combat Training.
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He was assigned to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 79th Field Artillery Regiment, 434th Field Artillery Brigade.
Winfrey enlisted in the Army in August as a network communications specialist, designated 25H. He arrived at Fort Sill the following month to complete Basic Combat Training.
Col. Tony H. Brunner, commander of the 434th Field Artillery Brigade, said Winfrey’s death was being felt throughout the brigade.
His statement focused on Winfrey’s decision to serve and the grief confronting those around him.
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“When Ocean raised his right hand to serve, he stepped forward to be part of something greater than himself,” Brunner said in the Army’s release.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with his family, loved ones and the soldiers and drill sergeants of Bravo Battery during this unimaginably difficult time.”
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is investigating the circumstances surrounding Winfrey’s death. The Army Criminal Investigation Division is assisting with that investigation.
Fort Sill has said it will not release additional details about the incident while the investigation remains underway.
That leaves major questions about the trainee’s presence on the interstate unanswered.
Task & Purpose asked Fort Sill whether Winfrey had authorization to leave his unit or the installation before the fatal incident.
The publication also asked whether his unit had reported him missing or unaccounted for.
Fort Sill did not answer those questions before publication. Officials also have not explained how a soldier undergoing Basic Combat Training came to be on Interstate 44 before dawn.
Basic Combat Training is described as a highly controlled environment where trainees have limited freedom of movement.
Drill sergeants and unit leaders maintain accountability for soldiers throughout the training process.
Basic trainees generally cannot leave their training unit or the installation without authorization. Fort Sill has not said whether Winfrey had received any such authorization before he was struck.
Only hours after Winfrey’s death, soldiers, civilian staff and family members gathered across Fort Sill for a remembrance ceremony and run.
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The event marked 25 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The remembrance ceremony was scheduled to begin at 7:45 a.m., followed by the run at 8 a.m. Winfrey had been struck at roughly 4:45 a.m., about three hours before the ceremony was scheduled.
Key Gate sits alongside Fort Sill’s Basic Combat Training area, immediately east of Interstate 44. The gate is near the interchange where the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the fatal incident occurred.
McNair Hall, the location of Fort Sill’s 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony and Run that morning, sits northwest of the interchange.
Ahead of the event, Fort Sill officials advised motorists to avoid Key Gate East except for traffic related to Basic Combat Training.
Fort Sill said chaplains, behavioral health professionals and command teams are providing grief counseling and support.
Those services are available to trainees, cadre and staff throughout the brigade.
The investigation continues with assistance from the Army Criminal Investigation Division, while Fort Sill is withholding further details.
The unanswered questions include whether Winfrey was authorized to leave and whether his unit had reported him missing or unaccounted for.
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