A member of the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade died this week in an accident while vacationing in Austria, according to a brigade press release issued on Friday.

Sgt. Darren M. Blazer, 23, of Devils Lake, N.D., died Tuesday after falling down a cliff near Ehrenberg Castle, near Reutte, Austria, according to brigade spokesman Sgt. 1st Class Christopher DeHart. Blazer was assigned to Company D, 3rd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment.

An Austrian police spokesman in Reutte said Friday that Blazer had been visiting the castle with his family, and they decided to hike up a mountain nearby. Blazer chose the steeper and more difficult of two routes up the mountain, and must have left the trail along the way, the spokesman said. Blazer fell 600 to 1,000 feet down the mountain, the spokesman said.

A memorial ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Monday at Storck Barracks in Illesheim, Germany.

DeHart said the Army is investigating the cause of the accident.

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