Army Ranger killed in parachute accident only back a month from Afghanistan

Christopher P. Dona Dead: Army Identifies Massachusetts Ranger Killed During Parachute Training
Huffington Post
AP
06/15/13

ATLANTA — The U.S. Army Ranger killed in an apparent parachuting mishap was a 21-year-old veteran from Massachusetts who recently returned from Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.

Pfc. Christopher P. Dona was found dead Thursday with parachute cords and canvas straps from a harness wrapped around his neck after a routine training jump at Fort Stewart in southeast Georgia. It was not immediately clear what caused the fatality. Army authorities are investigating the incident.

An Army spokesman earlier said Dona's parachute seemed to work normally during the jump. When he landed, wind filled the parachute's canopy, dragging Dona about 350 feet along the ground. Dona was unconscious by the time fellow soldiers reached him.

Dona served in the 1st Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah. He was a combat veteran who returned last month from his first deployment to Afghanistan.
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