Officials at the Army’s largest base have identified two men whose bodies were found in a training area earlier this week.
Their bodies were found Wednesday at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Officials say their deaths were not related to official unit training.
The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command is continuing its investigation. No other information was available.
One of the victims was 44-year-old Army veteran Timothy Dumas of Pinehurst, North Carolina, according to a statement issued Friday by the Army.
The U.S. Army Special Operations Command identified the second body as that of 37-year-old Master Sgt. William J. Lavigne II, a decorated soldier who deployed multiple times to Afghanistan and Iraq while assigned to U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
“The loss of a soldier is always tragic,” said Lt. Col. Justin Duvall from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command. “Master Sgt. Lavigne dedicated himself to the Army for 19 years and deployed multiple times in the defense of our Nation. Our condolences go out to his family during this difficult time.”
Fort Bragg, covering nearly 172,000 acres, is one of the world’s largest military complexes, according to its website. Located next to Fayetteville, North Carolina, it has approximately 57,000 military personnel, 11,000 civilian employees and 23,000 family members.