---
title: "Army identifies Special Forces soldier found dead at Fort Bragg"
description: "An Army Special Forces soldier was found dead at a Fort Bragg training area on Wednesday, the service announced"
date: "2020-12-04"
modified: "2020-12-04"
authors:
  - name: "David Roza"
    job_title: "YouTube Writer/Editor"
    link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/david-roza/"
url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-special-forces-fort-bragg-death/"
categories:
  - "Army"
  - "Around the World"
  - "Military Branches"
  - "News"
  - "United States"
tags:
  - "death"
  - "Northern Command"
  - "special operations command"
---

# Army identifies Special Forces soldier found dead at Fort Bragg

![](<https://taskandpurpose.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/04/imgonline-com-ua-FrameBlurred-ESITMrHHtw-scaled.jpg>)
*Master Sgt. William J. Lavigne II*

The Army identified Master Sgt. William J. Lavigne II as one of two people found dead in a Fort Bragg training area on Wednesday afternoon.

Lavigne was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Army Special Operations Command, the Army wrote in a press release on Friday.

The other person was a veteran who previously served at Fort Bragg, the Army wrote. The incident is being investigated by the Army’s Criminal Investigation Command.

The deaths come a week after an airman and a soldier were found dead at [Joint Base San Antonio](<https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2020/12/03/joint-base-san-antonio-identifies-airman-soldier-found-dead-in-separate-incidents/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Socialflow+AIR&utm_source=twitter.com>) in a separate incident.

“The loss of a Soldier is always tragic,” said Lt. Col. Justin Duvall, commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company. “Master Sgt. Lavigne dedicated himself to the Army for 19 years and deployed multiple times in the defense of our Nation. Our condolences go out to his family during this difficult time.”

Lavigne, 37, enlisted in the Army in 2001. Six years later, he graduated the Special Forces Qualification Course and joined the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne). He deployed multiple times to Afghanistan and Iraq while assigned to Army Special Operations Command.

Among the soldier’s many awards and decorations are the Bronze Star Medal with V device; Bronze Star Medal (second award); Meritorious Service Medal; Joint Service Commendation Medal; Army Commendation Medal (second award); Army Achievement Medal (third award); and Joint Service Achievement Medal.

## Author
David Roza writes scripts about military news for the Task & Purpose YouTube channel, and he also writes articles about military pay, benefits, health care, child care, culture, and other personnel topics on a freelance basis.

Roza previously covered the Air Force and Space Force for Task & Purpose from 2019 to 2023 and for Air & Space Forces Magazine from 2023 to 2025. In the course of that reporting, he has set off a ‘Hollywood explosion’ with Air Force bomb techs, turned the (unarmed) keys of a nuclear missile bunker, hovered over the Nevada desert on an Air Force rescue helicopter, and got the best sleep of his life on the floor of a C-17 over the central Pacific.

Share tips and story ideas with David at [david.roza@teamrecurrent.io](<mailto:david.roza@teamrecurrent.io>)