A 17-year-old died earlier after collapsing during physical training at Fort Jackson in South Carolina.
Pvt. Alyssa Cahoon was training with her twin sister for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. She collapsed on Aug. 20 during a training exercise.
Cahoon was transported by Fort Jackson Emergency Medical Services to a hospital off-base, but died five days later.
Her death was confirmed by the 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of PFC Alyssa Cahoon,” the regiment said in a Facebook post on Friday. “She passed away last night, 25 August 2022, with her family by her bedside.”
“We extend our deepest sympathies to the family members and teammates of the deceased soldier,” U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Patrick R. Michaelis said, according to local television station WLTX-TV.
“We are providing every comfort and assistance that we can to all involved,” he added.
The two sisters were recruited in Pennsylvania and they were both human resources specialists. Their company’s graduation took place Thursday.
“How cool is it that they get to go through Basic Combat Training together?! They qualified on their rifles with Back-up Iron Sights today!” the regiment wrote on Facebook last month, sharing photos of the two sisters training.
Fort Jackson is the Army’s largest training installation, training 50% of the Army’s Basic Combat Training load, as well as 60% of the women entering the Army each year.
The Army is conducting an investigation into the cause of death.
___
© 2022 New York Daily News
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
