ROANOKE, Va. — Virginia Tech plans to add the name of a graduate who died in a U.S. Navy training exercise to its Pylon memorial.
The Roanoke Times reports 23-year-old U.S. Navy Ensign Sarah Mitchell of Feasterville, Pennsylvania will be the first woman listed on the memorial. The memorial honors Tech students and alumni killed in the line-of-duty in the military. Mitchell died Sunday from injuries suffered during a small-boat accident in the Red Sea. The military is investigating her death.
Mitchell graduated from Tech in 2017 with a degree in biochemistry and two minors. Corps of Cadets Commandant Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart says he doesn’t know when the school plans to inscribe Mitchell’s name. He says school officials need to consult with Mitchell’s family and verify her enrollment, death and military records.