A body mysteriously found on train tracks near the Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas has been identified as an active-duty airman who was stationed there.
The Val Verde County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the body at a railway in Del Rio around 9am on Tuesday, according to the air force base.
His name was not immediately released, pending notification to his family.
‘We tragically lost a member of our Air Force and Laughlin family,’ stated Col Kevin Davidson, 47th Flying Training Wing commander, on Thursday.
‘Our hearts and prayers are with the family and all those that knew him. Our top priority is to support the grieving family, friends, and loved ones struggling with this loss.’
The airman’s cause of death is under investigation by the sheriff’s office. The air force base stated it would release more information ‘as it becomes available’.
Del Rio, where the base is located, is about 20 miles east of the US–Mexico border.
The US Army Air Corps founded the Laughlin Army Air Field in July 1942 as a flight training school for aircrafts including the B-26 Marauder and Douglas A-26 Invader, according to the base’s website.
It continued to serve as a flight training school for American and allied countries’ pilots during World War II.
In 1961, the air field announced that Laughlin’s mission would expand to offer an undergraduate pilot training program.
‘Laughlin’s critical mission has remained the same since 1962: train and develop the finest military pilots,’ states the base’s site.
Currently, the base uses the T-6 Texan II, T-38C Talon and T-1A Jayhawk for training American and allied nations’ pilots.
The airman is not the only serviceman to be found dead in the US recently.
In July, three US Marines were discovered dead inside a parked car at a gas station about 30 miles from Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. There were no signs of foul play and their causes of death were determined to be due to carbon monoxide positioning.
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