WASHINGTON — A Navy reservist died Tuesday of a noncombat related injury while deployed to Djibouti, the Pentagon announced Wednesday afternoon.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew J. Clement, 38, of Massachusetts died at Camp Lemonnier where he’d been deployed after he was mobilized to support the ongoing Operation Enduring Freedom-Horn of Arica, the American-led mission to combat terrorism and piracy in eastern Africa.
Clement was assigned to the Navy Reserve Unit Tactical Air Control Squadron 22, Navy Operational Support Center in Quincy, Mass.
The incident is being investigated, the Pentagon said. A request to a Navy spokesperson for additional information about the incident was not immediately returned on Wednesday.
There are about 4,000 U.S. and allied servicemembers deployed to Camp Lemonnier, a U.S. Naval base on the Gulf of Aden that serves as the headquarters for Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, according to the Navy. The task force works with partner nation militaries in eastern Africa -- primarily Sudan, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Seychelles and Kenya – to enhance stability in the region and combat violent extremism.
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