Well, here I am again, reporting on yet another bizarre death of a young and healthy person. This time we lost a hero who fought for our country. A very fit, and seemingly really healthy 41-year-old Army Lieutenant Colonel, who died of “natural causes” while overseas. We’ve come to find out he actually died of a heart attack, and that’s how the military classifies those deaths, even when it happens to someone so young. I guess that sounds more palpable. But the reality is that none of this is normal.
There’s nothing natural about a young healthy man in the prime of his life, dropping dead.
It has been confirmed that LTC Goshen died after having a heart attack during a routine physical fitness test while deployed to Romania.
When a servicemember dies from a heart attack, the Army now classifies that death under “natural causes.”
— BowTiedRanger (@BowTiedRanger) September 13, 2022
Clarksville Now reported that U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas D. Goshen passed away from natural causes on September 6, 2022 while serving in Eastern Europe. Lt. Col. Goshen was deployed with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and was based at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania.
Since June, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) has nearly 4,000 soldiers deployed to Europe to assure NATO Allies and deter Russian aggression.
“Nick was a valued member of the team whose passion and commitment to the division and our Soldiers was extraordinary,” said Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division. “I can personally attest to his exceptional talent. He will be missed.”
Born in Ohio on October 26, 1981, Goshen was commissioned as an Infantry Officer in 2004 after attending The Citadel Military College of South Carolina. After graduating Ranger School, he was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky. with 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), where he deployed to Iraq as a platoon leader.
He served as the Associate Professor of Military Science at the University of Southern California, simultaneously earning a master’s degree in communications in 2010. Goshen then served with 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, where he deployed to Afghanistan. He then served with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment where he deployed to Afghanistan twice. Goshen served with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy.
Following his tour in Italy, Goshen once again served with the 75th Ranger Regiment and deployed to Afghanistan. Goshen also served at the Pentagon, on the Joint Staff, before returning to Fort Campbell in 2022 with the 101st Airborne Division. Goshen has deployed seven times, one deployment to Iraq and six deployments to Afghanistan, totaling 42 months of overseas combat deployments.
It sounds like he did a lot for his country and we hope that his family gets the answers they deserve so they can find some peace.
I hope they get an autopsy.
This post originally appeared on WayneDupree.com.