One soldier was killed and another was injured in a vehicle roll-over accident in the Yukon Training Area on Friday.
The vehicle driver, Spc. Marquise Gabriel Elliott, 25, was severely injured in the roll-over. He was treated at the scene by medics and transported by military helicopter to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 3:23 p.m., U.S. Army Alaska said in a press release.
Another soldier was treated at the scene. He sustained injuries to his lower extremities but has since returned to duty, Army officials said.
The soldiers were both from B Battery, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment.
The accident is currently under investigation, officials said. A series of vehicle roll-overs in the past month have taken several lives, including a West Point cadet and a National Guardsman.
At the time of the accident, the soldiers were travelling in an up-armored Humvee in the Yukon Training Area. The roll-over occurred at roughly 3 p.m.
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“Spc. Elliott was a gifted and intelligent paratrooper," said Lt. Col. Tobias Bennett, 2-377th PFAR commander, in a statement.
“His reserved and thoughtful demeanor, disciplined work ethic, and commitment to his fellow paratroopers endeared him to all fortunate enough to share time with him," Bennett added.
Elliott was from Charlotte, North Carolina, and had joined the Army in October 2015. He trained at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Fort Benning, Georgia, before reporting to Alaska in April 2016.
Elliott deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Resolute Support with the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division from September 2017 to May 2018.
His awards included the Army Commendation Medal with “C” device, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, a Meritorious Unit Citation, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal and the Army parachutist badge.
Kyle Rempfer was an editor and reporter who has covered combat operations, criminal cases, foreign military assistance and training accidents. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq.
