Corlton Lane Chee came to the Fort Hood Army base from the high deserts of New Mexico. He grew up in a satellite community of the Navajo Nation called Ramah Navajo, an area nestled between mesas where the rolling hills are covered with juniper and piñon trees.
According to his sister Carma Johnson, even in the dry desert heat, Chee always helped to maintain his family’s cornfield and build fences. He was in shape and could handle hard labor, so it came as a shock to the family when they learned that Chee, a private in the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Hood, had collapsed during a physical training exercise on August 28.
After being admitted to the Darnall Army Medical Center, he was transferred to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Temple and put on life support because of brain swelling.
