Army stays silent on details of death

The Army still will not say how a 35-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier was killed this week while preparing for a live-fire mission.

The victim was identified as Sgt. Allen Stevens, from Chesapeake, Va., who has been in the Army since November 2002.

He has been at Schofield Barracks since July 2003.

Stevens was a signal support systems specialist assigned to the 25th Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery.

Kendrick Washington, an Army spokesman, said Stevens died Thursday morning at Wahiawa General Hospital where he was taken after the accident.

Washington said he could not say whether Stevens died from a gunshot wound. He said the accident is under investigation. However, Wahiawa police yesterday confirmed that the soldier had been shot and that the accident was being handled by the Army.

During live-fire training, soldiers, armed with M-16 rifles or M-4 carbines, use live ammunition while practicing clearing a trench or house.

Stevens is survived by his wife and two children.

Stevens' military record showed that he served in Afghanistan with the 25th Division's 2nd Brigade in 2004 and earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal..

Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mixon, 25th Division commander, said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of Sergeant Stevens. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time of loss."

He is the third 25th Division soldier to die this year during training.

Pfc. Alexander E. Creighton, 23, of Romoland, Calif., was killed and nine others received minor injuries May 11 when the truck they were in rolled over and caught on fire while the 25th Infantry Division was at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.

On March 10, Staff Sgt. Oscar Rodriguez, 27, of Beeville, Texas, was killed and four other soldiers injured when an 81-mm mortar round malfunctioned and exploded during a live-fire exercise at the Big Island's Pohakuloa Training Area.