2 Soldiers Found Unconscious Die
Two soldiers died shortly after being found unconscious in their tent equipped with a propane heater while on a routine training exercise in the Mojave Desert, Army officials said Monday.
The San Bernardino County coroner plans to perform autopsies this week to determine the cause of death, including the possibility that the two died of asphyxiation related to the heater.
Pfc. Marcos Ruiz, 25, of Purcell, Okla., and Cpl. Erik Norem, 23, of Antelope, Calif., were last known to be alive when they retired to their tent early Friday morning in the open desert of the Ft. Irwin military base, officials said.
About 7:30 a.m. Friday, they were found unresponsive in their closed tent with an operating Coleman propane heater inside, officials said. Both soldiers were taken to Weed Army Hospital and were pronounced dead about 11 a.m.
“Everyone is in the grieving process,” said Maj. Rob Ali, a Ft. Irwin National Training Center spokesman. “We don’t want to speculate on what might have caused the deaths.”
Investigators from the U.S. Army Safety Center are conducting the investigation at Ft. Irwin, 37 miles north of Barstow.
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