A recruit died Tuesday at the Navy’s boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois, officials confirmed Thursday.
Seaman Recruit Kelsey Nobles, 18, collapsed following her final physical fitness assessment, according to Recruit Training Command spokesman Lt. Joseph Pfaff.
The Alabama native went into cardiac arrest and was taken to a nearby civilian hospital, where she was pronounced dead, according to the Naval Safety Center.
“The Navy, and Recruit Training Command, take the welfare of our recruits and Sailors very seriously and are investigating the cause of this tragic loss,” Pfaff said in an email. “Our thoughts are with Seaman Recruit Nobles’ family and friends during this tragic time.”
Nobles is at least the second Navy recruit to die under such circumstances at Great Lakes in recent months.
Seaman Recruit Kierra Evans, 20, collapsed and died Feb. 22 while undertaking her own physical fitness assessment a week before she was scheduled to graduate.
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The investigation into the cause of Evans’ death remains ongoing, according to Lake County, Illinois, coroner Howard Cooper.
Pfaff said that after Evans’ death, the command reviewed “the training, safety, medical processes, and overall procedures regarding the implementation of the (physical fitness assessment) and found no discrepancies in its execution.”
“If information is discovered during the course of the investigation revealing deficiencies in our processes or procedures, that could improve safety in training, it would be acted on,” Pfaff said.
Geoff is the managing editor of Military Times, but he still loves writing stories. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan extensively and was a reporter at the Chicago Tribune. He welcomes any and all kinds of tips at geoffz@militarytimes.com.
