International Military - A 27- time-old flier from Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, failed last week in a"non-combat" incident during his deployment to Africa, according to the Department of Defense.
Staff Sergeant. DennisF. Melton, of Waverly, Tennessee, is posted at Nigerien Air Base 101 in Niamey, Niger, with the 768th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron. The flier is grounded in the 20th Fighter Wing of Sumter, South Carolina.
"Non-combat incident"is a marker used by the Department of Defense when a service member dies during training or due to a fatal accident, illness, or self-murder.
The 20th Fighter Wing didn't incontinently respond when asked about Melton's cause of death; The Department of Defense said the incident was"under disquisition."
The news of Melton's death entered an cornucopia of support on social media. Colonel BryanT. Callahan, commander of the 435th Air Expeditionary Wing, said he was deeply burdened by the news.
"The death of SSgt Melton was met with deep sadness each over,"Callahan wrote on his 435th Facebook runner."This is a delicate time for all, please seek help when you need it. It's okay not to be okay.
"There is power in knowing when to get down on your knees and reach out to your teammates,"he added.
The US has two main service locales in Niger Air Base 101 in Niamey and Air Base 201 in Agadez.
The most recentnon-combat death in the region was when ArmyPfc. Walter Lewark failed at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, in 2020. The Army didn't release specifics of Lewark's death.