A U.S. Army soldier stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas was found dead at his off-base residence on Tuesday.
Sgt. 1st Class Allan Edwards, 31, of Telford, Tenn., was found dead in his home and the incident is currently under investigation by the El Paso Police Department, according to a Fort Bliss statement provided to American Military News.
Edwards was assigned to the 1st Armored Division Operations Section. He joined the U.S. Army in March 2008 as a 19K, M1 Armor Crewman, tasked with operating an M1 Abrams tank.
“Sgt. 1st Class Allan Edwards gave 100% daily to the team and his profession; his technical knowledge enhanced the capability of the Division operations section,” said Col. Bryan Frizzelle, the Assistant Chief of Staff-Operations for the 1st Armored Division. “Sgt. 1st Class Edwards was a determined senior noncommissioned officer who leaves a legacy of armor crew members that are more confident in their profession.”
Edwards arrived at Fort Bliss in March 2014 and served as Assistant Operations NCO in 4th Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment; the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team Master Gunner; Platoon Sergeant in 1st Battalion, 67th Armored Regiment; and finally at the Division Headquarters.
Fort Bliss was Edwards’ third duty station and he had one combat deployment to Afghanistan.
Edwards’ military qualifications included completion of the Unit Armorer course, M1A2 Tank Operations course and the Bradley Crew Evaluator course. Edwards’ also completed the M1A2 Master Gunner course with the skill identifier of K8.
His awards and decorations included the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal (4), Army Achievement Medal (5), Army Good Conduct Medal (4), National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (3), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon (2), NATO Medal, Master Gunner Identification Badge, Marksmanship Qualification Badge Expert-Pistol, and Marksmanship Qualification Badge Expert-Carbine.
Two Fort Bliss died in separate traffic-related incidents off base in January. Sgt. 1st Class Dejaun K. Frazier, 43, died in a motorcycle crash. Spc. Kenmaj D. Graham, 21, was traveling on foot on the East Side of El Paso on Sunday morning when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle.
Also in January, 11 Army soldiers were sickened after ingesting antifreeze while taking part in a field-training exercise at Fort Bliss. Lt. Col. Allie Payne, spokesperson for the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss, said the soldiers were poisoned after drinking what they believed was an alcoholic beverage while out in the field training exercise. Two soldiers involved were hospitalized in critical condition.
The 11 soldiers were identified only as one warrant officer, two noncommissioned officers, and eight enlisted members. All were assigned to the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 32d Army Air and Missile Defense Command
