Navy vet who died by suicide after alleged sexual assault now has new mural

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- It doesn’t look like anything remarkable.

On the corner of Duke of Gloucester and Conduit streets in Annapolis sits what seems like a residential home. But what happens here is much more than what it seems: The building houses the headquarters of HM2 Buck for Hope Foundation, a small nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about suicide and sexual assault prevention in the military.

Now, the nonprofit will have one more way to show what victims of such violence have endured, a constant reminder that while the military may have its own code of justice, it can sometimes fail service members who allege they were assaulted while serving their country.

On the building’s side is an unfinished mural, with one entire side painted navy blue and white. To the left is a faceless naval officer with their mouth covered by a hand creeping from the shadows.

The mural is just one of many tributes Eastport resident Elizabeth Buck has erected in memory of her son, Danny Buck, who served in the Navy from the early 2000s until his death by suicide in 2019. Danny Buck was raised in Anne Arundel County along with his sisters. He graduated from high school and college in Maryland before enlisting.

He was an HM2, which Navy job listings describe as a Hospital Corpsmen Second Class. In that role, Danny Buck was an enlisted Navy sailor, who was “attached to a Marine Corps unit” but not an enlisted Marine, said Kathyrn Cole, a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief of Naval Personnel.

Elizabeth Buck says she was traveling when her son said he needed to FaceTime her. Danny Buck, who spent 14 years in the military, told her he had been sexually assaulted by some officers on his ship while stationed in Japan a year earlier. Elizabeth Buck says she sat on the phone for hours with him and his sisters, who joined the conversation at some point, trying to convince him, unsuccessfully, to seek help.

Minutes later, Danny Buck was dead.

A familiar pattern

The American armed forces are not unfamiliar with sexual assault allegations.

Earlier this year, the Department of Defense released its annual sexual assault report. In fiscal 2023, 1.3% of active duty men “indicated” an experience of “unwanted sexual contact,” while 6.8% of active duty women said the same, according to the report. The Navy cataloged 1,942 reports of sexual assault in fiscal 2023, a 5% decrease from the previous year.

According to the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, which falls under the DoD, there were 364 deaths by suicide in fiscal 2023, up from 331 in fiscal 2022.

Those statistics are now a key part of what Danny Buck’s mother does for his memory.

In the year following her son’s death, Elizabeth Buck sold the family business, Buck Distributor, a 74-year-old alcohol distributing company in the Upper Marlboro area, and founded HM2 Buck for Hope Foundation, something she says her son asked her to do. The HM2 is a reference to his rank at the time of his death.

“I was so blessed with that five-hour conversation. I got so much that many parents don’t,” she said. Danny Buck’s alleged abusers never saw justice, Elizabeth Buck said.

Elizabeth Buck said that Danny Buck filed a report to his commanding officer, although she was unable to provide details or paperwork confirming what happened to the Capital Gazette, and efforts to obtain copies from the Navy and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service were denied by a spokesperson for the service.

A wall of silence

The Capital Gazette is still continuing to seek answers from the U.S. Navy and the Naval Criminal Investigative Services about the existence of any reports of what happened, or an investigation’s outcome, but neither organization has responded with any information about what happened to Danny Buck.

In its replies to the Gazette, the Navy declined to answer specific questions about the incident, or deferred to its official policy for internal justice investigations, citing privacy concerns.

The Gazette has requested access to those records via Buck’s family members, and has asked the Navy further questions about what, if anything, happened that day in Japan. The Navy has not responded to further requests for comment.

According to Elizabeth Buck, a police report was not filed following her son’s death because the family was told by NCIS there was a “lack of evidence.”

The Navy told the Gazette that while it could provide Buck’s service record only to family members, it has instituted programs and emergency measures to stop future assaults or make reporting them easier.

“NCIS takes reports of sexual assault very seriously, and we are dedicated to fully investigating any such allegation,” Meredith March, a spokesperson for the NCIS, said in a statement. “Out of respect for the investigative process, NCIS does not comment on, confirm details relating to, or confirm the existence of sexual assault investigations.”

The help that never came

Elizabeth Buck said little was done for her son following the sexual assault.

“The victim’s choice is you can stay where you are or you go back to your original duty station. Danny opted to go back, San Diego was his original duty station,” she said, describing the choices her son was given following his report. “But you’re not allowed to tell anybody, family or anybody. You get one psychiatric visit, that’s it, and you’re just supposed to marshal on and do the good thing and he did that for about almost a year.”

Asked about what resources are available to people who make reports, Cole said in addition to sexual assault response coordinators, counselors, dedicated advocates and legal counsel, a 24-hour hotline as well as other resources are available for view on its website.

“The Navy encourages all Sailors to report any concerns or issues regarding sexual assault, with OPNAVINST 1752.1C providing guidance on restricted and unrestricted reporting options for Sailors who report sexual assaults. Regardless of how or when a report is made, multiple resources are available to aid and support our Sailors,” Cole said in a statement.

There has been some legislative action to address the issue of sexual violence in the American armed forces.

In 2023, President Joe Biden issued an executive order moving the responsibility for sexual assault crimes from commanding officers to independent military prosecutors.

Elizabeth Buck is now focused on finishing the mural before winter begins. Ginger Vanderbilt Haeghe, who is painting the mural, said she really wasn’t aware of the topics of sexual assault and suicide prevention in the military.

She said she normally views commissions as just business, but that after hearing Danny Buck’s story and connecting with Elizabeth Buck over shared personal experiences with cancer, she wanted to be the one to create and illustrate the mural’s message.

Once completed, it will feature Danny Buck’s service insignia in the middle with a bow decorated teal and purple for suicide and sexual assault awareness, as well as other markers such as boots, a helmet and a gun to signify his naval service.

For Elizabeth Buck, the mural is just one more way to raise awareness about what she says is still a silent trauma often wrapped in shame.

“I just want to continue to spread the word anywhere I can see I can make a difference,” she said.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org.