A Navy junior officer died Sunday while training with Marines at a base in Hawaii, the Navy announced on Wednesday.
According to a news release, Lt. j.g. Aaron Fowler, 29, “became unresponsive during the training” at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
Fowler, who was assigned to a San Diego-based explosive ordnance, died after the incident in Kaneohe Bay, KSWB-TV reported. He was pronounced dead at an area hospital, the television station reported. No cause of death was given.
According to Marine Corps spokesperson 1st Lt. Phillip Parker, Fowler was in the third and final phase of an eight-week Marine Corps reconnaissance leaders course, Navy Times reported.
A Navy service member assigned to a San Diego-based explosive ordnance disposal unit died last weekend during a training event in Hawaii, the Navy reported. https://t.co/1S3yHzysHp
— FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) April 20, 2022
The Hawaii phase of the course focuses on “swim progression and amphibious patrolling,” Parker told Navy Times.
“Our deepest sympathies go out to Aaron’s family and friends, and we join them in remembering and mourning this brave warrior,” Rear Adm. Joseph Diguardo, Jr., the commanding officer of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, said in a statement. “His decision to join this elite special operations community was a testament to the dedicated and selfless character he embodied and his legacy will endure in our ranks through those he inspired by his service.”
Fowler enlisted in 2012 before graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and earning his commission in 2018, the Navy said in its release. In January, Fowler joined the EOD unit, “which specializes in clearing explosive hazards to provide access to denied areas.”
The incident remains under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and area authorities, KSWB reported.
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