Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 29, 2023, at 11:43 a.m. EST with a statement from the Army Criminal Investigation Division.
This report contains discussion of suicide. Troops, veterans and family members experiencing suicidal thoughts can call the 24-hour Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, text 838255 or visit VeteransCrisisLine.net.
Officials concluded their investigation into the death of a soldier earlier this year in a Department of Defense parking lot and determined his cause of death.
Master Sgt. Juan Paulo “JP” Bordador, 42, died by suicide on March 14 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a vehicle in the Pentagon’s north parking lot, investigators determined.
“The investigation into the tragic death of Master Sgt. Juan Paulo Ferrer Bordador by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division was concluded July 25, 2023,” Thomas B. Hamilton III, a spokesman for the Army Criminal Investigation Division told Military Times. “The investigation by Army CID and the autopsy conducted by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner both concluded the cause of death was a contact gunshot wound to chest, and the manner of death was suicide.”
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Deaths by suicide across the services continue to be an issue of concern for the Pentagon, with several services tracking a rise in the number of deaths by suicide among active duty troops during the first quarter of 2023 when compared to that time period the year prior.
Earlier this month, the Army published its long-awaited suicide prevention program doctrine. The regulation is set to take effect Sept. 8, and is meant to standardize how the service works to prevent and respond to suicide.
Separately, in May, the Pentagon implemented the Brandon Act so service members can confidentially request a referral from their leadership to receive mental health services.
Bordador enlisted in 2004 and was serving as an intelligence senior sergeant at the time of his death, according to service details previously provided by the Army to Military Times. He deployed to Iraq in 2010. His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, five Army Commendation Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, five Army Achievement Medals, and five Army Good Conduct Medals.
Bordador was born in the Philippines and immigrated as a child with his family to Daly City, Calif., according to an online obituary.
Jonathan is a staff writer and editor of the Early Bird Brief newsletter for Military Times. Follow him on Twitter @lehrfeld_media
