Sergeant Renardo Deshun Dukes, 26, of Mississippi was killed while taking part in the large-scale Lightning Forge training exercise in Hawaii. The exercise involves 4,000 soldiers from the 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion's Second Brigade Combat Team. Other reports say up to 10,000 Hawaiian soldiers are participating.
Dukes, a combat engineer, enlisted in the Army in 2010 and at the time of his death was assigned to the 65th Brigade Engineer Battalion, second Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in central Oahu. He had previously served in Germany and Colorado and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and 2013.
The Army is investigating the death and has not released details on how Dukes died. Hawaii News Now, citing the soldier's family, reports that the soldier was carrying heavy equipment when he was struck by a vehicle.
The Army had warned neighboring communities that the roughly 10-day training exercise would involve the use of blank ammunition and explosive simulators.
"Our state and our nation mourn the death of a valuable member of Hawaii’s 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks," Governor of Hawaii David Ige said in a statement. "On behalf of the State of Hawaii, I extend my deepest condolences to the soldier’s family, those who served alongside that soldier and the leadership of the Second Brigade Combat Team."
Earlier this week, Staff Sergeant David Whitcher died during a special forces training exercise in Florida.
