An Active Guard Reserve Sergeant First Class assigned to the Army National Guard, Fort Carson, Colorado, died in an off-duty water-related mishap 16 June 2023 in Buena Vista, Colorado, at 1430 local. The Soldier was floating on an innertube on the Arkansas River when he was swept away by fast-moving waters. The conditions or circumstances surrounding the mishap sequence are unknown. The Soldier was found unresponsive approximately two miles downstream. Emergency medical services personnel performed lifesaving measures but were unsuccessful in resuscitating the Soldier. Local law enforcement and Army CID are investigating the mishap.
Since 2018, the Army has lost an average of seven Soldiers a year to off-duty water-related mishaps. This was the second off-duty water-related mishap of FY23 and less than the number of off-duty water-related fatalities from this time last year.