A Fort Bliss soldier from Farmersville, Texas, is presumed dead after he didn't resurface from the water at Elephant Butte Lake on Saturday afternoon, Army officials said.
Spc. Travis J. Powell, 26, was tubing at the lake near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, at about 1:20 p.m. Saturday when he flipped over in his tube and did not resurface, officials said in a news release Wednesday.
Area authorities and dive teams are working to locate Powell's body. The incident is under investigation, officials said.
He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, at the Texas installation.
"Spc. Powell was an exceptional human being and a Soldier with many friends who was loved by all in our organization," said Capt. Demetrius K. Morris, HHB commander, in the statement. "His dynamic personality, strong sense of duty, and commitment to our mission made him an indispensable member of our team. He will be missed by us all."
Powell enlisted in the Army in October 2013. After basic training, he attended Air Defense Artillery Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and graduated as an air defense battle management system operator.
He arrived at Fort Bliss in July 2014 and was deployed to Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, to support the missile defense command's operations as an air defense operations noncommissioned officer. He redeployed in November 2015, officials said.
Powell received the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
He is survived by a daughter, Marley Christine Powell.
