CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait — A soldier in Kuwait collapsed and died Sunday morning shortly after completing the local version of the Army Ten-Miler race.
The soldier, who witnesses said was a Georgia National Guardsman based at Camp Buehring, fell over near the finish line. About a half-dozen people gathered around and tried to revive him.
“They were giving him chest compressions for what seemed like an eternity,” said a young soldier who witnessed the rescue effort.
The race organizer, Sgt. 1st Class Deborah George, called over the loudspeaker for medics. They tried four times to revive him with an electric defibrillator. Later, the soldier was loaded aboard a helicopter and flown to the hospital at Camp Arifjan. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving there, according to a statement from the Coalition Forces Land Component Command.
The soldier’s name is not being released by the Pentagon until at least 24 hours after his family has been notified, according to Department of Defense policy.
About 700 servicemembers serving at bases in Kuwait joined in the race at Camp Buehring, held in conjunction with the annual Army-sponsored race in Washington, D.C. The race was run in the early morning, with temperatures in the upper 70s or low 80s. It was the first time the race had been held in Kuwait.
After the helicopter left with the soldier, a chaplain led race participants and spectators in prayer. There was little celebration as race organizers handed out medals to the winners.
