Soldier who died at Fort Rucker buried with full military honors
Our thoughts are with this officer's loved ones.
A soldier who died from health-related issues at Fort Rucker earlier this month was buried on Thursday with full military honors.
1st Lt. William Pickel, 30, was buried at the Chattanooga National Cemetery, his obituary states. He is survived by his wife and two children.
Pickel joined the Army in 2007 and served as an enlisted medic before being commissioned as an officer on May 5, 2017, according to his obituary. He previously deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He served with the 1st Aviation Brigade and was doing “survival training” at Fort Rucker.
According to a Fort Rucker press release, officials were notified that Pickel was “experiencing symptoms” on the evening of September 1st, and was medically evacuated to the hospital. He was pronounced dead later that night.
“Fort Rucker officials are deeply saddened by the loss of this outstanding Soldier,” the press release says. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”
The cause of death is unknown, and is being investigated by Fort Rucker officials.
Correction: This article has been changed to reflect that Pickel was buried on Thursday, not Tuesday.
