A 1st Cavalry Division soldier died after collapsing during a morning run on Fort Hood, Texas, an Army official said.
Pvt. Corlton L. Chee, 25, collapsed on Aug. 28 at about 7 a.m. while running with his platoon near a tank trail, Lt. Col. Chris Brautigam, the division spokesman, told Army Times.
Chee was immediately taken to the Carl R. Darnall Medical Center before being transferred to Baylor Scott & White in Temple, Texas, on Sunday. He died days later on Tuesday, with his family by his side, according to a Fort Hood statement.
The Army hasn’t ruled out anything at this point, Brautigam said, to include the novel coronavirus, and is awaiting the results of an autopsy by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas. Brautigam did not know how far Chee’s platoon had gone during its run and said more information would be released following an investigation.
Chee, whose home of record is listed as Pinehill, New Mexico, entered the army in February as a tank crewman. In July he was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team.
RELATED
Lt. Col. Ron Sprang, the deceased soldier’s battalion commander, called Chee “an amazing Trooper” who was “so full of life and potential.”
“Every loss effects every single person in this battalion because we a family of warriors, but this is exceptionally heartbreaking,” Sprang said in a written statement. “The entire Thunderhorse team sends our condolences to his family members and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this difficult time.”
Another soldier died at Fort Hood during training earlier in August.
Army National Guardsman Sgt. Bradley Moore, 36, died during land navigation training at the central Texas installation on Aug. 13. Officials have not disclosed the circumstances behind that death either.
Weather data shows temperatures in the Fort Hood area have regularly reached 100 degrees during the daytime throughout the past month.
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.
