A U.S. Army ranger who died after a parachuting accident near Marana was the third military man in six months to die in training there.
Staff Sgt. Christopher M. Roulund, 27, was in routine military free-fall proficiency training when the accident occurred about 11 a.m. Wednesday. He died later that day.
The Army Special Operations Command, which operates the parachute testing and training facility, released no other details of the accident.
Roulund, a native of Jacksonville, N.C., was a reconnaissance specialist with the Regimental Special Troops Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Fort Benning, Ga. He joined the Army nine years ago and served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The other recent deaths involved Navy SEALs based on the East Coast and training at the same facility at Pinal Air Park just north of Marana.
People are also reading…
In February, Senior Chief Petty Officer Thomas J. Valentine, 37, died during a free-fall exercise. A maintenance man found his body at the Mission Royale Golf Course in Casa Grande.
In March, Chief Special Warfare Operator Lance M. Vaccaro was killed.
After the second death, the Navy had all special operations forces stand down to review safety procedures.
∫
Faculty concerned about changes to U of A admissions policy
