Soldier found dead during training at Fort Jackson is identified by US Army
A soldier training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, South Carolina has died, the U.S. Army said April 27.
Pvt. Gabriel J. Perez, an active-duty soldier in basic combat training, is the soldier who died during training, the Army said May 2. The 22-year-old — from Anchorage, Alaska — was assigned to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment, according to the Army.
Perez’s body was found April 24 during training, according to the release.
Information about the Perez’s cause of death was not available, but the Army said an investigation is being conducted.
“Losing a teammate affects us all,” Fort Jackson Commander Maj. Gen. Daryl Hood said in the release. “Our thoughts and prayers are with their family as well as the cadre and fellow trainees.”
The unit conducted a 48-hour training stand down, the Army said.
Fort Jackson is providing resources to the family and members of the unit as they grieve and process the soldier’s death, according to the release.
“We extend our condolences during this difficult time to all who knew Pvt. Perez,” Hood said. “We encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out for help.”
Fort Jackson is the nation’s largest military basic training base, with more than 50,000 recruits assigned there each year to train to be soldiers.
Multiple deaths
Other deaths have been reported at Fort Jackson in recent years, and multiple drill sergeants from the Army installation have died since June 2023.
That includes Staff Sgt. Corey R. Brown, a 34-year-old drill sergeant, was found unresponsive in his home July 28, 2024, and later died, an Army official said.
Prior to that, Sgt. 1st Class Joshua A. Alfieri was found dead at Fort Jackson on March 21, 2024, according to the Army. Fort Jackson emergency personnel responded to an on-post housing unit after receiving a 911 call where they discovered the 36-year-old Alfieri, the Army said.
On April 29, Pfc. Veronica L. Wynn became unresponsive during structured and disciplined pickup in the company area, according to the Army. Emergency personnel performed life saving measures on the 39-year-old basic combat training trainee and took her to a local hospital, where she died, the Army said.
In late February, 2nd Lt. Pascal Buma, 38, a chaplain-in-training at the fort, collapsed during a physical training run and later died at MUSC Health. Buma had been a student at Fort Jackson’s Institute for Religious Leadership, according to the Army.
In June 2023, Army Sgt. Jaime Contreras died during a training exercise at Fort Jackson. The 40-year-old also was a drill sergeant.
In December, two drill sergeants were found dead at Fort Jackson in little more than a week-long span.
On Dec. 8, 2023, Staff Sgt. Allen M. Burtram, a 34-year-old with 2nd Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment was discovered shortly after he failed to report for work, according to the Army.
The body of Staff Sgt. Zachary L. Melton, a 30-year-old with the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, was discovered Dec. 16, 2023, Army officials said.
There was no information connecting the deaths of the drill sergeants at Fort Jackson.
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This story was originally published April 27, 2025 at 2:07 PM.
