Soldier from Deltona dies during training at Fort Jackson

Soldier from Deltona dies during training at Fort Jackson


Associated Press

3:42 p.m. EDT, September 12, 2009
FORT JACKSON, S.C. - The Army says a soldier from Florida has died after being diagnosed with pneumonia during basic training.

Multiple media outlets report Army officials said 23-year-old Spc. Christopher Hogg of Deltona, Fla., died Thursday, a week after he was taken to the hospital with fever and respiratory problems.

The Army says Hogg appears to have contacted pneumonia. An autopsy is not planned.

Hogg is the second soldier at Fort Jackson to die in less than a month. On Aug, 20., 18-year-old Pvt. Jonathan Morales died from apparent heatstroke.
Soldier from Deltona dies during training at Fort Jackson

Was cause of military pneumonia deaths ever found

Earlier today I was listening to the Rachel Maddow show and she mentioned a new report about bronchial problems hitting the troops hard. While looking for more information, I came across the following.

News Archives
Military Vaccine Education Center.

[NEWS] Death of soldier from Missouri will be investigated amid spike in pneumonia cases
Associated Press - Friday August 01, 2003
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Epidemiologists are investigating two unusual deaths from illness among troops in the Middle East to see whether they are related to 10 cases of severe pneumonia, The Springfield News Leader reported.
A Missourian, Spc. Joshua Neusche, 20, of Montreal, Mo., died of an illness July 12. His parents said the disease caused various organs to break down.
..."The doctor said (Josh) got into some type of toxin that began degenerating his muscles," Mark Neusche said Friday.
...The investigation comes at a time of overall concern about pneumonia. DeFraites said there has been a noticeable increase in pneumonia cases among soldiers since the war in Iraq began.

http://www.jca.apc.org/~altmedka/2003eng/engl-030805-2.html

When I was researching the non-combat deaths, there seemed to be a lot of deaths like this. How many more are there and what has been done to stop this from happening? This was reported in 2003.

No Clues In Iraq Mystery Illness
At Least 100 U.S. Troops In Iraq Have Been Sickened; Two Are Dead

WASHINGTON, August 5, 2003


(CBS/AP) The Army is still trying to figure out what's causing a rash of serious pneumonia cases, including two fatalities, among troops serving in Iraq.

At least 100 soldiers have been sickened, 14 of them so severely that they ended up on ventilators; two men died from the disease.

Col. Robert DeFraites of the Army Surgeon General's Office said Tuesday that officials have found that two of the cases – not the fatalities – resulted from common bacteria. The cause of the other cases remains unknown.

A medical team is in Iraq, searching for the cause of the outbreak. At this point, investigators know more about what isn't causing the illnesses than what is.

"There's been no positive findings of any anthrax or smallpox or any other biological weapons," said DeFraites. There's also no evidence the respiratory disease SARS was involved or Legionnaire's Disease, he said.

No clear pattern has emerged among the stricken soldiers; no common times or places or Army units have been detected and there's been no person-to-person spread.

The Army is urging soldiers in Iraq to take new precautions while officials try to find the cause of the outbreak. Soldiers are being advised to avoid dehydration, to be careful when dealing with dust and to stop smoking.

DeFraites says those types of environmental issues can cause pneumonia.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/08/01/iraq/main566292.shtml?source=search_story