29th INFANTRY BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM SOLDIER DIES DURING TRAINING AT FORT HOOD, TEXAS

FORT HOOD, Texas – A soldier assigned to the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) collapsed  and died shortly after completing a six-mile run yesterday evening (about 7 p.m., Thursday, October 9) in the North Fort Hood training area. The Hawaii Army National Guard’s (HIARNG) 29th IBCT is currently conducting mobilization training at the Central Texas Army facility.

According to the III Corps serious incident report, the soldier collapsed shortly after the training run. Fellow soldiers could not find a pulse and began rendering CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation. An ambulance subsequently transported the soldier to the Coryell County Memorial Hospital in Gatesville, Texas where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The soldier’s name is being withheld by Army officials pending confirmation that next of kin have been notified. The cause of death is undetermined and the incident is under investigation.

The 29th IBCT is headquartered at Kalaeloa, Oahu, Hawaii, formerly known as Barbers Point Naval Air Station. It is the largest unit in the HIARNG. Commanded by Col. Bruce E. Oliveira, the Brigade has become a truly pan-Pacific brigade with units located on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu and Kauai; on the mainland in Arizona; and on the Pacific islands of American Samoa, Guam and Saipan.

In July 2004, more than 2,100 soldiers were ordered to report for active duty to begin preparations for a year of combat duty in Iraq With six months of training time on the mainland and at least a year in Iraq, the Hawaii Soldiers were deployed for a total of 18 months. In February 2005 the 29th BCT replaced the 81st BCT of the Washington State ARNG.

In mid-August 2008, about 1,200 soldiers with the 29th IBCT left the Pacific to begin mobilization training at North Fort Hood. They are scheduled to depart for duty in the Middle East this month.

This is the second combat deployment for the 29th Brigade since the Vietnam Conflict – the first being the 18-month deployment to Iraq and Kuwait three years ago. This time the Hawaii Guardsmen will have command and control and security responsibilities in Kuwait.  Additionally, the 29th IBCT Soldiers are responsible for providing convoy security escorts into Iraq in armored Humvees and Heavily Armored Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles on missions as far north as Mosul.

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For more information, contact:

Lt. Col. Charles Anthony

Public Affairs Officer

Phone: (808) 733-4258