2 soldiers killed, 3 injured in weather-related incident in Georgia
Two soldiers from Fort Benning have died and three others were injured in a weather-related event in northern Georgia, a U.S. Army spokesperson announced.
2nd Lt. Evan Fitzgibbon and Staff Sgt. George Taber died after succumbing to injuries in the rough weather, a spokesperson from the Army's Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning said on Wednesday.
Fitzgibbon and Taber were with three other Rangers sheltering during a weather-induced training hold when they were struck by a falling tree around 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, officials said on Wednesday.
The incident took place at Yonah Mountain, located near Dahlonega, Georgia, the spokesperson told ABC News.
"We are all deeply saddened by the loss of these two outstanding Soldiers and send our heartfelt condolences to their families," Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning Commanding General Maj. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard said in a statement on Wednesday. "They are in our thoughts and prayers."
The three injured soldiers were treated by an Army medic on the scene before being transferred to a local hospital, the spokesperson said, where they remain under the care of hospital staff. Fitzgibbon and Taber were also transported to the same hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
"Those who volunteer to attend Ranger School represent the very best of our military," Airborne and Ranger Training Brigade Commander Col. Christopher C. Hammonds said in a statement on Wednesday. "This loss resonates across our Army and across our nation."
This is the second event involving weather and Army fatalities in Georgia in three weeks.
On July 20, a U.S. Army Reserve soldier was killed and another nine were injured following a lightning strike while training at Fort Gordon.
