24-year-old Aaron Cox, a member of the US Army from Mabank, Texas, died on Thursday, 5 June on duty in a training accident at Camp Croft, a NATO military base near the city of Veszprém, Hungary. The death was the result of a vehicle accident in a scheduled training exercise in preparation for the upcoming Exercise Saber Guardian 25.
Cox enlisted in the Army in 2021 and completed his basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was assigned to the 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) as an infantryman, and was first deployed in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, then was moved to Poland for his first foreign deployment. He arrived in Hungary earlier this year, after serving three years in Poland. He rose to the rank of Sergeant.
Sgt Cox was a decorated soldier, with awards such as the Army Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Expert Infantryman Badge and Air Assault Badge.
‘The loss of Sgt. Cox is a tragedy for all of us on the Strike team. He was a strong Soldier and leader, who quickly rose through the ranks while serving. We are in direct contact with his family, for the care and support that they need during this difficult time. We would like to thank our Hungarian Allies for their prompt response and support to our Soldiers,’ Colonel Duke Reim, commander of the 101st Airborne Division, wrote in the US Army’s public statement about his fallen man.
The investigation into the accident is still ongoing.
Sadly, a similar event took place in March, when two US soldiers died at a NATO base in Lithuania while repairing an immobilized tactical vehicle.
How Many US Soldiers Are Deployed in Hungary?
There are currently around 63,000 active US military personnel deployed in Europe. In Hungary specifically, that number is only around 100—of the European nations, Germany has by far the most American soldiers, around 35,000. Back in March of this year, President Trump floated the idea of relocating those troops to Hungary, as his relationship is a lot friendlier with the Hungarian government than the German government. However, so far, no advancement has happened on that front.
There are two US military bases in Hungary. One is the Air Base in Pápa, a town near the NATO camp where Sgt Cox’s tragic death has just occurred; while the other is the Air Base in Kecskemét, a city 92 kilometres (57 miles) southeast of the capital city of Budapest.
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