A soldier deployed to South Korea was found dead Monday, U.S. Forces Korea officials said in a press release.
Staff Sgt. Nicholas M. Scalzo was found unresponsive in his barracks room at Camp Hovey near Dongducheon, South Korea.
The 28-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel and the cause of death is under investigation, Lt. Col. Martyn Crighton, a 2nd Infantry Division public affairs officer, told Army Times on Wednesday evening.
Scalzo was originally from Selma, Oregon. He joined the Army out of Portland in July 2012 to serve as an artilleryman. He completed training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and was first assigned to Fort Stewart, Georgia.
At the time of his death, Scalzo was assigned to the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, out of Fort Hood, Texas.
The 3rd ABCT had been deployed to the Korean Peninsula since July as the current rotational brigade training under the 2nd Infantry Division.
“Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan McLane and I would like to send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Staff Sgt. Nicholas Scalzo,” Col. Kevin Capra, Scalzo’s brigade commander, said in a statement.
“Nicholas was an integral member of the Steel Dragon and Greywolf teams," Capra said, using unit nicknames. "We are all deeply saddened by the loss.”
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.
