A Tennessee man was identified as the soldier who died during training Sunday at Fort Rucker, the base said Tuesday.
First Lt. William B. Pickel, 30, of Cleveland, Tennessee, was taking part in a survival training exercise Sunday when he experienced a “health-related issue” that required him to be taken to then hospital via aircraft. He was pronounced dead around 9 a.m.
BREAKING: Fort Rucker identifies the soldier who died this weekend as First Lt. William B. Pickel. The 30-year-old soldier from Cleveland, TN, had a medical issue during survival training. Pickel died after being airlifted to a hospital. pic.twitter.com/b3ifOSmSjf
— Devon Sellers (@DevonSellers) September 3, 2019
“Fort Rucker officials are deeply saddened by the loss of this outstanding soldier,” the Dale County base said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family. The next of kin were notified and a casualty assistance team is currently providing assistance to the family.”
Pickel, who had been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan for combat, was in the Army since 2007.
Fort Rucker officials continued to investigate the incident Tuesday; Pickel’s cause of death was not known as of Tuesday evening.
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