A 22-year-old Army ROTC cadet died during training in Kentucky last week, officials said.
Neil Edara from Ridgewood, New Jersey, passed away after becoming unresponsive during a land navigation exercise at Fort Knox on Thursday, as reported by the Army Cadet Command in a statement on Saturday.
He was participating in Cadet Summer Training as a part of the 9th Regiment, Advanced Camp, according to the command. Medical responders treated him on site before he was airlifted to University of Louisville Hospital, where he was declared deceased.
The command explained that Edara was at the installation’s land navigation site, designed to train cadets in determining locations and distances for travel and targeting purposes.
High temperatures in the area of Fort Knox have been in the low 90s in recent days, according to National Weather Service data.
The weather service issued an urgent weather message Sunday to extend a heat advisory for the region through Wednesday night. “Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses,” the message warned.
The news release announcing Edara’s death did not mention the heat wave gripping much of the South and the Midwest, and what caused his death is under investigation.
“Safety of cadets and cadre remains U.S. Army Cadet Command’s top priority as training continues,” the command said in its statement.
The command said Edara joined the ROTC at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in 2021.
Lt. Col. Timothy Sorensen, a Rutgers professor of military science, said Edara had the heart of a leader.
“Cadet Edara was one of the most dedicated and promising young leaders I’ve had the privilege to know,” he said in the command’s statement. “His calm collected demeanor and unwavering commitment to excellence left a lasting impact on everyone around him.”
Madison Lambert contributed.
