17-year-old National Guard soldier — who served with twin — dies after training incident

In Fort Jackson, South Carolina, a trainee died less than one week after collapsing during a physical training exercise for the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.

WIS, an NBC affiliate in Columbia, South Carolina, reported that Pvt. Alyssa Cahoon, 17, collapsed during the training on August 20 and was taken to a local hospital off the base by Fort Jackson EMS. Five days after she was taken to the hospital following her medical emergency, Cahoon was pronounced dead.

The 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment released the tragic news in a statement on its Facebook page, which read, “Leyte Family, It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of PFC Alyssa Cahoon. She passed away last night, 25 August 2022, with her family by her bedside.”

They have not shared any additional details at this time.

U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson Commander Brig. Gen. Patrick R. Michaelis said in a statement, “We extend our deepest sympathies to the family members and teammates of the deceased soldier. We are providing every comfort and assistance that we can to all involved.”

On July 16, the 1st Battalion 34th Infantry Regiment, whose graduation took place on August 25, shared a post on its Facebook page sharing that Cahoon and her twin sister, Brianna, were both trainees at the same time at Fort Jackson. The post included a photo of the twins standing side by side in their camouflage uniforms, along with two solo shots wielding their rifles and a video capturing one of their exercises.

“They are both 42A Human Resource Specialists,” the post explained. "How cool is it that they get to go through Basic Combat Training together?! They qualified on their rifles with Back-up Iron Sights today!”

No exact cause of death has been shared at this time. The Army is investigating.