Two troopers, certainly one of whom was from Baker County, have been killed in a weather-related incident Tuesday throughout coaching on a mountain within the northern a part of Georgia, U.S. Army officers at Fort Benning mentioned.
Army Ranger candidates Employees Sgt. George Taber — who News4JAX confirmed was from Glen St. Mary, Florida — and 2nd Lt. Evan Fitzgibbon died after they have been struck by a falling tree whereas sheltering throughout “a weather-induced coaching maintain,” in line with Fort Benning.
Taber’s father informed News4JAX by cellphone on Thursday that his son was an completed member of the army who was already a Inexperienced Beret and that Army Ranger was one other badge his son was engaged on incomes. Taber, 30, was a particular forces medical sergeant assigned to the seventh Special Forces Group at Eglin Air Drive Base in Florida. He enlisted within the Army in March 2017.
Taber’s father mentioned his son served his nation faithfully. He requested for privateness because the household grieves and mentioned he plans to honor his son and speak about his legacy as soon as the household discusses how they’ll try this.
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Taber has a deep household historical past in Baker County. His household goes again generations, operating a plant nursery. The tightknit neighborhood is saddened by the loss.
“Only a tragedy once more, it lives on together with his household endlessly. God bless them,” mentioned Retired Maj. Gen. Douglas Burnett, who led the Florida Nationwide Guard. “And God bless them for letting our United States Army have their son to defend this nice nation.”
Fitzgibbon was an infantry officer assigned to a coaching unit at Fort Benning. He was commissioned final 12 months after graduating from the U.S. Army Academy at West Level.
“Our heartfelt ideas and prayers are with the households, associates, and management of those two excellent leaders who unexpectedly misplaced their lives within the pursuit of excellence,” Fort Benning officers mentioned in an announcement.
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The lethal incident occurred at Yonah Mountain, about 70 miles northeast of Atlanta and 170 miles northeast of Fort Benning, the place the troopers have been collaborating within the Army’s grueling Ranger College. The 2-month course exams troopers’ skills to beat fatigue, starvation and stress in rugged environments.
“We’re all deeply saddened by the lack of these two excellent Troopers and ship our heartfelt condolences to their households,” Maj. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, commanding normal of Fort Benning and its Maneuver Heart of Excellence, mentioned in an announcement. “They’re in our ideas and prayers.”
Three different troopers have been injured in Tuesday’s incident and handled at a hospital. As of Wednesday, in line with the Army, two of them have been handled for non-life threatening accidents, and the opposite remained in steady underneath medical care.
Burnett mentioned lethal coaching accidents are uncommon, however the danger is at all times there.
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“The nation’s enterprise and caring for its nation and our residents is harmful, and the Army is essentially the most harmful — they’re good at what they do,” Burnett mentioned.
He mentioned the Division of Protection will do a full investigation.
“And now exit and take this aside all the way down to bedrock and see what was missed if one thing was missed,” Burnett mentioned. “They’ll see what the climate reporting was, the way it was disseminated. They’ll speak to individuals inside that formation to see have been they conscious of a pending storm or something like that.”
It was the second lethal incident involving Georgia-based troopers previously month. In late July, Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Clark was killed by a lightning strike at Fort Gordon close to Augusta. 9 different troopers have been additionally injured within the incident.
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