First U.S. Service Member Dies From Coronavirus, Pentagon Says

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A New Jersey Army National Guardsman passed away on Saturday. The individual had tested positive for COVID-19 and had been hospitalized since March 21.

“Today is a sad day for the Department of Defense as we have lost our first American service member – active, reserve or Guard – to Coronavirus,” said Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. “This is a stinging loss for our military community, and our condolences go out to his family, friends, civilian co-workers and the entire National Guard community. The news of this loss strengthens our resolve to work ever more closely with our interagency partners to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

The Pentagon did not disclose the service member’s age or prior health conditions. Over 600 US military members have contracted the deadly virus.

Starting in January the Department of Defense adopted mitigation measures to protect service members, civilian employees, contractors and their families from Coronavirus. These include mandating social distancing, termination of certain work and training activities and providing testing and care for our community members.

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