2 Drill Sergeants Found Dead in 8 Days at Fort Jackson |
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Two drill sergeants were found dead at a South Carolina military base within eight days, according to army officials.
Allen M. Burtram, 34, was found dead at Fort Jackson on Dec. 8 when he didn't report for work, officials said in a news release. Fort Jackson Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene, where the man from Cleveland, Ala., was pronounced dead.
Just over a week later, Zachary L. Melton, 30, was found unresponsive in his car on Dec. 16 after he also “failed to report for work," officials said. The Huntsville man was pronounced dead shortly after emergency personnel arrived at the scene.
Brigade General Jason E. Kelly, commanding general at Fort Jackson, said “several” investigations “into the specifics of each of these deaths” have been opened.
Authorities have not released the cause or manner of death for either individual, but officials have said the deaths are not connected, reported NBC affiliate WYFF.
United States Army
Additionally, the Army said there was no evidence of foul play in Burtram’s death, according to CNN.
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Melton was a drill sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, while Burtram was a drill sergeant with 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, army officials said. Both men were decorated members of the military.
Burtram spent 12 years in the Army, including the last 18 months “as a drill sergeant on Fort Jackson.” Melton was also a member of the Army for over a decade, and spent “the last three years as a drill sergeant on Fort Jackson."
United States Army
Fort Jackson personnel are providing support to the teammates of both drill sergeants, according to army officials.
This is the third death at Fort Jackson this year. In June, 40-year-old staff sergeant Jaime Contreras was found dead after he went missing during a land navigation course at the base, according to the Associated Press and ABC affiliate WOLO-TV.
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