(Reuters) – The soldier who died this week after collapsing during a physical training exercise at the Fort Hood U.S. Army base in Texas has been identified as Private Corlton Chee, 25, of Pinehill, New Mexico.
Chee collapsed during a morning run with his platoon on the base Aug. 28 and was rushed to a hospital in nearby Temple, Texas, where he died Wednesday, surrounded by his family, the Army said in a release on Friday.
Local media reported the weather topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the week when Chee collapsed.
“Our team is devastated by the loss,” said Chee’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Ron Sprang. “Corlton was an amazing Trooper and so full of life and energy.”
“Every loss effects every single person in the Battalion because we are a family of warriors, but this is exceptionally heartbreaking,” he said.
Chee’s awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. He joined the Army in February as a tank crew member.
The official cause of death was not released.
The Military Times, a website devoted to covering the U.S. Army, reported an Army National Guardsman, Sergeant Bradley Moore, 36, died during a land navigation training exercise on Aug. 13 and that the circumstances were still under investigation.
Fort Hood was rocked earlier by the suspected killing at the base of Vanessa Guillen. The 20-year-old soldier had reported being sexually harassed before disappearing in April, according to the Army.
Guillen’s remains were found in June and the Army and U.S. Department of Justice are still investigating her death.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Tom Brown)
