Soldier from Palmetto among Fort Hood flooding victims

A Palmetto man was one of the nine soldiers based at Fort Hood who died Thursday in Texas floodwaters, according to military officials.

Pfc. Zachery Nathaniel Fuller, 23, was among the soldiers killed Thursday morning after swift floodwaters overtook a 2.5-ton Army transport truck in Coryell County, Texas.

Fuller entered active-duty Army service in November 2015 as a motor transport operator and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 16th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, since April.

Fuller’s awards and decorations include a National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

Fort Hood officials released the names of the nine soldiers who died. They include Fuller; Staff Sgt. Miguel Angel Colonvazquez, 38, of Brooklyn; Spc. Christine Faith Armstrong, 27, of Twentynine Palms, Calif.; Pfc. Brandon Austin Banner, 22, of Milton, Fla.; Pvt. Isaac Lee Deleon, 19, of San Angelo, Texas; Pvt. Eddy Raelaurin Gates, 20, of Dunn, N.C.; Pvt. Tysheena Lynette James, 21, of Jersey City, N.J.; Cadet Mitchell Alexander Winey, 21, of Valparaiso, Ind.; and Spc. Yingming Sun, 25, of Monterey Park, Calif.

The bodies of five soldiers from the Central Texas post were recovered Thursday and four were found Friday, while three surviving soldiers were discharged Friday from Fort Hood’s hospital and returned to duty.

“I can’t estimate how fast it was flowing, but it was faster than I would have felt comfortable putting anything into the water,” said Coryell County emergency medical services chief Jeff Mincy said. “When we did find the vehicle, we could see the tires sticking up out of the water, so in that position where the vehicle settled, it had to have been about 8 feet deep.”

This story was originally published June 5, 2016 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Soldier from Palmetto among Fort Hood flooding victims."