Share
News

Another US Serviceman Has Been Found Dead at the Border

Share

A U.S. soldier assigned to patrol the nation’s border with Mexico was found dead Sunday near Ajo, Arizona. He is the second service member to die there this month.

The soldier was identified as Pfc. Kevin J. Christian of Haslet, Texas, The Associated Press reported.

The report said Christian was an infantryman with Army’s 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

He was sent to help U.S. border patrol agents deal with the large influx of illegal immigrants in recent months, Fox News reported.

While his death is under investigation, officials at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado, indicated they do not suspect foul play, the AP reported.

Trending:
Hillary Clinton Jumps Into Trump 'Bloodbath' Frenzy with a Question, Doesn't Want to Hear the Answers

Officials said in a statement that the military service member was with the Southwest Border Support Mission.

Base officials announced the death of the first service member on June 1. He too was with the Southwest Border Support Mission.

Pfc. Steven Hodges, 20, of Menifee, California, was found dead near Nogales, Arizona.

Officials indicated that they did not believe foul play was suspected in his death, either, the Army Times reported.

Should the U.S. send more troops to the border?

Hodges served as a grenadier with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He enlisted in the Army in 2017.

His unit was part of “Task Force Red Lion,” which conducted mobile surveillance at the border.

“Every Soldier in the Tomahawk Battalion is an essential member of our team. The loss of any soldier is deeply felt,” Lt. Col. Sean Lyons, the battalion commander, said in a statement, according to the Tuscon Sentinel.

“Private First Class Steven Hodges is sorely missed by his teammates and the entire Tomahawk family, every Soldier is a national treasure,” Lyons said.

“We are grateful for all the young men and women who volunteer to serve our nation. We are humbled at the sacrifices their families continue to make on a daily basis, Steven and his family are in our prayers,” he said.

Related:
National Guardsmen, Border Patrol Officer Dead at the Border After Serious Incident

Hodges was awarded the National Defense Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon during his service.

Both soldiers were deployed as part of the Pentagon’s mission under President Donald Trump’s orders to support the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents to deal with the continuing crisis at the border.

The Pentagon has deployed thousands of troops to the border as the continual influx of migrants has stretched the resources of the Border Patrol agency beyond the breaking point.

The extra troop support is expected to cost $7.4 million through September of this year.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
, , ,
Share
Mary Lou Lang is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to the Washington Free Beacon. Her work has also been published in The Daily Caller, LifeZette and other national and local media. Her investigative work has also appeared on Fox News. She resides in Central New Jersey.
Mary Lou Lang is a freelance writer whose stories have appeared in national and local media. She is a frequent contributor to the Washington Free Beacon and her work has also appeared in The Daily Caller, LifeZette and Fox News. She has decades of experience writing and editing. She previously worked for financial and economic development publications including Dow Jones and A.M. Best Co.
Birthplace
Brooklyn, New York
Nationality
American
Education
B.A., Journalism, SUNY at Stony Brook
Location
Long Branch, New Jersey
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Finance, National Security, Politics




Conversation