An Army National Guardsman died from the coronavirus, marking the first death of a U.S. service member from the illness.
The Department of Defense on Monday announced the death, which occurred in New Jersey on Saturday, according to CNN. The guardsman, who has not yet been publicly identified, had been in the hospital 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 said.
A New Jersey Army National Guardsman passed away from the Coronavirus on Saturday according to the Pentagon. Secretary @EsperDoD: “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.”
— Ryan Browne (@rabrowne75) March 30, 2020
“This is a stinging loss for our military community, and our condolences go out to this family, friends, civilian co-workers, and the entire National Guard community,” he said. “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 Department of Defense’s number of coronavirus cases topped over 1,000 on Monday. So far, 34 infected personnel have recovered.
