An Army ROTC cadet died during training last week in Kentucky, officials said.
Neil Edara, 22, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, was killed during land navigation training at Fort Knox last Thursday, the Army said in a statement.
He received some medical training at the scene before being flown to University of Louisville Hospital — about 40 miles northeast — where he was pronounced dead.
Edara was attending Cadet Summer Training. Land navigation training involves reading maps and traveling through unfamiliar areas.
No other information was given about the incident, but the area was under a heat advisory at the time, according to National Weather Service data.
The cause of death remains under investigation.
“Safety of cadets and cadre remains U.S. Army Cadet Command’s top priority as training continues,” the command said in its statement.
The command said he joined ROTC at Rutgers University in New Brunswick in 2021. The biology major was slated to graduate next year. He was also a volunteer EMT in Ridgewood.
“Cadet Edara was one of the most dedicated and promising young leaders I’ve had the privilege to know,” Lt. Col. Timothy Sorensen, a Rutgers professor of military science, said in the command’s statement. “His calm collected demeanor and unwavering commitment to excellence left a lasting impact on everyone around him.”
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