The first U.S. military service member has died from thecoronavirus, the Pentagon said on Monday, as it reported another spike in the
number of infected troops.
The service member was a New
Jersey Army National Guardsman who tested positive for COVID-19 - the disease
caused by the coronavirus - and had been in hospital since March 21. He died on
Saturday, the Pentagon said.
"Today is a sad day for the Department of Defense as we
have lost our first American service member - active, reserve or Guard - to
coronavirus," Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement. "This
is a stinging loss for our military community, and our condolences go out to
his family, friends, civilian co-workers and the entire National Guard
community."
The nationwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic
climbed past 3,000 on Monday, the deadliest day yet.
The New Jersey National Guard identified him as Captain Douglas
Linn Hickok, a drilling guardsman in Medical Command and a civilian physician assistant,
originally from Jackson, New Jersey.
"Our thoughts are withhis wife, children, and their family," New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
wrote on Twitter.
General Joseph Lengyel, chief
of the National Guard Bureau, lamented the death and said "all of us are
likely to know people directly affected by this virus in the coming
weeks."
Earlier on Monday, the
Pentagon said that 568 troops had tested positive for the coronavirus, up from
280 on Thursday. More than 450 Defense Department civilians, contractors and
dependents have also tested positive, it said.
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