An airman with the 27th Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron died on Thursday, Aug. 15 in a “non-combat related incident.”
Staff Sgt. Tristen Wright, who served as a materiel management specialist with the squadron, died in an “undisclosed location,” the U.S. Air Force announced on Saturday, Aug. 17. He was 28.
The Air Force did not provide any details to the cause of or what led to Wright’s death. The incident is under investigation.
“Tristen was a force for good within the 27 SOLRS and beyond,” Maj. Brent Escay, commander of the 27th SOLRS, said in the Air Force release. “He was the kind of supervisor who took the privilege of leading and mentoring Airmen seriously. He cared deeply for the airmen in his flight and volunteered actively within the local community. We’ll never forget how his infectious smile could light up a room.”
The 27th Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron is based out of Cannon Air Force Base, but was deployed as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the ongoing U.S. and partners operation against the remnants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in those two countries. The squadron provides support to the wider 27th Special Operations Wing, which falls under Air Force Special Operations Command.
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Wright enlisted in the Air Force in August 2016. Before serving with the 27th Special Operations Logistics Readiness Squadron he had served in Japan with the 18th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Kadena Air Force Base. He had previously deployed in both Operation Inherent Resolve and Resolute Support. Among his decorations are the U.S. Air and Space Force Commendation Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Medal.
Although combat operations against ISIS remain ongoing, there have been several non-combat deaths as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. Earlier this month two National Guard soldiers died in Iraq in separate incidents away from the battlefield.
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