1st US service member dies because of coronavirus

The Associated Press

5 years ago

National Guard personnel march in formation as they leave duty after working Thursday, March 19 ... — National Guard personnel march in formation as they leave duty after working Thursday, March 19, 2020, at a state-managed coronavirus drive-thru testing site that just opened on Staten Island in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says a New Jersey Army National Guardsman is the first U.S. service member to pass away because of the new coronavirus.

The guardsman died on Saturday, according to the Pentagon. The person had tested positive for COVID-19 and had been hospitalized since March 21.

“This is a stinging loss for our military community,” Esper says in a release, “and our condolences go out to his family, friends, civilian co-workers and the entire National Guard community. The news of this loss strengthens our resolve to work ever more closely with our interagency partners to stop the spread of COVID-19.”