--- title: "Airman dies in ‘non-combat’ incident while deployed to an ‘undisclosed location’" date: "2024-08-17" modified: "2024-08-17" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/airman-dies-tristen-wright-inherent-resolve/" categories: - "Air Force" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "death" --- # Airman dies in ‘non-combat’ incident while deployed to an ‘undisclosed location’ ![Staff Sgt. Tristen Wright at Cannon Air Force Base in 2020. (photo courtesy U.S. Air Force)]() *Staff Sgt. Tristen Wright at Cannon Air Force Base in 2020. (photo courtesy U.S. Air Force)* 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. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** 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. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Command sergeant major for Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade** [**fired**]() - **The ‘**[**Swift Boating**]()**’ of Tim Walz has begun. What is the truth?** - **Army officer and West Point grad** [**crowned Miss USA**]() - **New** [**recruiting MOS**]() **selects first class of 25** - **A guide to** [**all the parachutes**]() **that American paratroopers ‘ride to work’** ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()