A junior Navy officer assigned to the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Mobile Unit 1 died Sunday while participating in a training evaluation at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe Bay.
During training, 29-year-old Lt. j.g. Aaron Fowler became unresponsive on April 17 and was pronounced deceased at the hospital, the Navy said in a statement.
"Our deepest sympathies go out to Aaron’s family and friends, and we join them in remembering and mourning this brave warrior,” said Rear Adm. Joseph Diguardo, Jr., commander, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. “His decision to join this elite special operations community was a testament to the dedicated and selfless character he embodied and his legacy will endure in our ranks through those he inspired by his service.”
According to Marine Corps spokesman 1st Lt. Phillip Parker, Fowler was in the third and final phase of the eight-week Marine Corps Reconnaissance Leaders Course at the time of his death. The course in Hawaii focused on “swim progression and amphibious patrolling”.
No other details were made available. The incident is currently under investigation by Naval Criminal Investigative Service and local authorities.
Fowler enlisted in 2012 before graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy and commissioning in 2018.
Counseling is being made available to his shipmates, the Navy said.
