Designate PVT Richard Halliday as a Missing Soldier

Since 22 August 2020, PVT Halliday has been labeled as a criminal, a “DESERTER”, without proof or evidence. He is a third generation Soldier assigned to Delta Battery, 1/43 Air Defense Artillery (ADA), 11th ADA Brigade, Ft. Bliss, TX. He excelled in all duties and responsibilities – First in Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training, promoted with waivers and awarded for his achievements as a “Stellar Soldier”. PVT Halliday was deployed to Qatar for ten months and recieved another award for outstanding performance. Upon redeployment Richard became offended with his leadership's actions which resulted in a series of events detrimental to Army Readiness. On 23 July 2020 he vanished. Richard's unit leaders NEVER contacted the Family to inform them of his disappearance and waited 28 days to secure and inventory Richard's belongings. The Halliday Family, worried, contacted the unit on 28 August 2020 (36 days post disappearance). The US Army offered no help, just horrific news and rumors. The Family immediately attempted to file missing person reports unsuccesfully. Feeling helpless, they launched a social media campaign, and wrote to leaders in Congress to gain support and assistance in the search for America's missing Soldier. With media success, the US Army offered a gesture of assistance. The Halliday Family encountered hurtful fabrications, a string of inconsistencies and false narratives. However, through all the impediments, the Family has pursued facts, rallied public support, worked for leads and debunked nonsense, in order to find their son, America's Volunteer Soldier. Yet, the harmful rumors continue, hard feelings from the search team still surface, and there is military weariness around Richard and a resentment of prior events. This impedes the search for Richard. From the beginning there has been no real sense of comradery, “Army of One” and “No Soldier left behind”, only evidence of low morale, fear, rancor and callousness. This prejudicial criminal status of “deserter” given to PVT Richard Halliday is a hinderance to Army Readiness and again in the search for him. This has compelled the Halliday Family to persue this petition for a change in PVT Richard Halliday's status.