U.S. soldier dies during training incident in Hungary, Army says
Sgt. Aaron Cox, 24, of Mabank, Texas, died Thursday near Camp Croft, Hungary, during preparations for the upcoming Exercise Saber Guardian 25. The Army said Cox died as a result of wounds from a vehicle accident, but didn't provide further details.
Cox joined the Army in 2021, and this was his second deployment. He previously deployed to Poland in 2022. He was an Infantryman assigned to the "Strike" 2nd Mobile Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
"The loss of Sgt. Cox is a tragedy for all of us on the Strike team," said, Col. Duke Reim, commander, 2MBCT, 101st Airborne Div. "He was a strong Soldier and leader, who quickly rose through the ranks while serving." He also thanked the Hungarian allies for their assistance and support to the soldiers.
Reim said an investigation into the accident is ongoing.
A similar tragedy occurred a few months prior when four U.S. soldiers died in March in Lithuania after they went missing while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle. The soldiers were on a training exercise at the massive General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė. Their vehicle was reported missing the following morning, the U.S. Army said, and was then found the next day by the Army and Lithuanian authorities.
It took more than a week to remove their submerged armored recovery vehicle from a peat bog. Thick mud and soft ground around the site made it a complicated recovery effort, the Army said. It required specialized equipment to drain water from the side and "stabilize the ground," to pull the 70-ton vehicle ashore.
Hundreds of service members from the Army, Navy and the militaries of Lithuania and Poland helped in the effort to bring the 63-ton M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle to the surface, the command said.
Musk alleges Trump's name appeared in Epstein files as feud escalates
Dad says son "may never be the same" after alleged hazing
Saturday Sessions: Turnpike Troubadours perform "On The Red River"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Boston Globe
A man is halted climbing the US-Mexico border wall. Under new Trump rules, US troops sound the alarm.
'Deterrence is actually boring,' said 24-year-old Army Sgt. Ana Harker-Molina, voicing the tedium felt by some fellow soldiers over the sporadic sightings. Advertisement US Army Sgt. Salvador Hernandez stood beside Stryker combat vehicles while watching over the US-Mexico border fence from a hilltop in Nogales, Ariz., on Tuesday. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press Still, she said she takes pride in the work, knowing that troops discourage crossings by their mere presence. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Just if we're sitting here watching the border, it's helping our country,' said Harker-Molina, an immigrant herself who came from Panama at age 12 and became a U.S. citizen two years ago while serving in the Army. U.S. troop deployments at the border have tripled to 7,600 and include every branch of the military — even as the number of attempted illegal crossings plummet and Trump has authorized funding for an additional 3,000 Border Patrol agents, offering $10,000 signing and retention bonuses. The military mission is guided from a new command center at a remote Army intelligence training base alongside southern Arizona's Huachuca Mountains. There, a community hall has been transformed into a bustling war room of battalion commanders and staff with digital maps pinpointing military camps and movements along the nearly 2,000-mile border. Advertisement Until now border enforcement had been the domain of civilian law enforcement, with the military only intermittently stepping in. But in April, large swaths of border were designated militarized zones, empowering U.S. troops to apprehend immigrants and others accused of trespassing on Army, Air Force or Navy bases, and authorizing additional criminal charges that can mean prison time. The two-star general leading the mission says troops are being untethered from maintenance and warehouse tasks to work closely with U.S. Border Patrol agents in high-traffic areas for illegal crossings — and to deploy rapidly to remote, unguarded terrain. 'We don't have a (labor) union, there's no limit on how many hours we can work in a day, how many shifts we can man,' said Army Maj. Gen. Scott Naumann. 'I can put soldiers out whenever we need to in order to get after the problem and we can put them out for days at a time, we can fly people into incredibly remote areas now that we see the cartels shifting' course. Patrols aimed at stopping 'got-aways' At Nogales, Army scouts patrolled the border in full battle gear — helmet, M5 service rifle, bullet-resistant vest — with the right to use deadly force if attacked under standing military rules integrated into the border mission. Underfoot, smugglers for decades routinely attempted to tunnel into stormwater drains to ferry contraband into the U.S. S military personnel are reflected on a map as they listen to Jose Luis Maheda during a briefing at the US Border Patrol station in Nogales, Ariz., on Tuesday. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press Naumann's command post oversees an armada of 117 armored Stryker vehicles, more than 35 helicopters and a half-dozen long-distance drones that can survey the border day and night with sensors to pinpoint people wandering the desert. Marine Corps engineers are adding concertina wire to slow crossings, as the Trump administration reboots border wall construction. Advertisement Naumann said the focus is on stopping 'got-aways' who evade authorities to disappear into the U.S. in a race against the clock that can last seconds in urban areas as people vanish into smuggling vehicles, or several days in the dense wetland thickets of the Rio Grande or the vast desert and mountainous wilderness of Arizona. Meanwhile, the rate of apprehensions at the border has fallen to a 60-year low. Related : Naumann says the fall-off in illegal entries is the 'elephant in the room' as the military increases pressure and resources aimed at starving smuggling cartels — including Latin American gangs recently designated as foreign terrorist organizations. He says it would be wrong to let up, though, and that crossings may rebound with the end of scorching summer weather. 'We've got to keep going after it, we're having some successes, we are trending positively,' he said of the mission with no fixed end-date. Militarized zones are 'a gray area' The Trump administration is using the military broadly to boost its immigration operations, 'It's all part of the same strategy that is a very muscular, robust, intimidating, aggressive response to this — to show his base that he was serious about a campaign promise to fix immigration,' said Dan Maurer, a law professor at Ohio Northern University and a retired U.S. Army judge advocate officer. Advertisement 'It's both norm-breaking and unusual. It puts the military in a very awkward position.' The militarized zones at the border sidestep the Posse Comitatus Act, an 1878 law that prohibits the military from conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil. 'It's in that gray area, it may be a violation — it may not be. The military's always had the authority to arrest people and detain them on military bases," said Joshua Kastenberg, a professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law and a former Air Force judge. Michael Fisher, a security consultant and former chief of the Border Patrol from 2010-2016, calls the military expansion at the border a 'force multiplier' as Border Patrol agents increasingly turn up far from the border. 'The military allows Border Patrol to be able to flex into other areas where they typically would not be able to do so,' he said. The strategy carries inherent moral challenges and political risks. A view from inside a US Border Patrol vehicle shows the US-Mexico border fence at dawn in Sunland Park, N.M., on Wednesday. Jae C. Hong/Associated Press In 1997, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen was shot to death while herding goats by a Marine Corps unit on a border anti-drug patrol in the remote Big Bend Region of western Texas. Authorities say Esequiel Hernandez had no connection to the drug trade and was an honor student. The shooting stoked anger along the border and prompted an end to then-President Bill Clinton's military deployment to the border. In New Mexico, the latest restrictions barring access to militarized zones have made popular areas for hunting, hiking and offroad motorsports off-limits for recreation, leading to an outcry from some residents. Naumann said adults can apply for access online, and by agreeing to undergo a criminal background check that he calls a standard requirement for access to military bases. Advertisement 'We're not out to stop Americans from recreating in America. That's not what this is about,' he said. Military-grade equipment At daybreak Wednesday, Border Patrol vehicles climbed the largely unfenced slopes of Mt. Cristo Rey, an iconic peak topped by a crucifix that juts into the sky above the urban outskirts of El Paso and Mexico's Ciudad Juárez — without another soul in sight. The peak is at the conflux of two new militarized zones designated as extensions of Army stations at Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Huachuca in Arizona. The Defense Department has added an additional 250-mile (400-kilometer) zone in Texas' Rio Grande Valley linked to an Air Force base. The Navy will oversee the border near Yuma, Arizona, where the Department of Interior on Wednesday ceded a 32-mile (50-kilometer) portion of the border to the military. At Mt. Cristo Rey, the Homeland Security Department has issued plans to close a 1.3-mile (2-kilometer) gap in the border wall over the objections of a Roman Catholic diocese that owns much of the land and says a wall would obstruct a sacred refuge for religious pilgrimages. From a nearby mesa top, Army Spc. Luisangel Nito scanned the valley below Mt. Cristo Rey with an infrared scope that highlights body heat, spotting three people as they crossed illegally into the U.S. for the Border Patrol to apprehend. Nito's unit also has equipment that can ground small drones used by smugglers to plot entry routes. Soldiers assigned to the Joint Task Force/Southern Border survey the US-Mexico border wall in Douglas, Ariz., on April 22 with the help of armored vehicles. ADRIANA ZEHBRAUSKAS/NYT Nito is the U.S.-born son of Mexican immigrants who entered the country in the 1990s through the same valleys he now patrols. Advertisement 'They crossed right here,' he said. 'They told me to just be careful because back when they crossed they said it was dangerous.' Nito's parents returned to Mexico in 2008 amid the financial crisis, but the soldier saw brighter opportunities in the U.S., returned and enlisted. He expressed no reservations about his role in detaining illegal immigrants. 'Obviously it's a job, right, and then I signed up for it and I'm going to do it,' he said. At Mt. Cristo Rey and elsewhere, troops utilize marked Border Patrol vehicles as Naumann champions the 'integration' of civilian law enforcement and military forces. 'If there's a kind of a secret sauce, if you will, it's integrating at every echelon,' Neumann said.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Hungary bans Irish rap group Kneecap from entering country over 'antisemitic hate speech'
Hungarian authorities have banned the Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country, accusing them of engaging in "antisemitic hate speech" and "supporting terrorism". Kneecap were set to perform at the Sziget Festival, taking place from 6 to 11 August in Budapest. The Belfast-based band, which often shares pro-Palestinian messages during its shows, has attracted controversy in recent months after accusing the Israeli government of committing "genocide" in Gaza. Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said on Thursday that the band's members "repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups". "Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form," Kovacs said in a post on X, adding that the band's planned performance "posed a national security threat," and the band has therefore been formally banned from entering Hungary for three years. "If they enter, expulsion will follow under international norms," Kovacs added. Responding to the spokesman's comments, Kneecap said "there is no legal basis" for Hungary's decision and that "no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country". "It is clear that this is a political distraction and a further attempt to silence those who call out genocide against the Palestinian people," the band said in a statement on X. During Kneecap's gig at Britain's Glastonbury Festival in June, frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, performing under the stage name Mo Chara, accused Israel of war crimes in Gaza. Ahead of the gig, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he doesn't think Kneecap's planned performance was "appropriate". Following Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury, a criminal investigation was launched into comments made on stage by the trio. However, police ultimately decided not to pursue further action, citing "insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence". Kneecap called the investigation "political policing intimidation". Mo Chara has been formally charged with a terrorism offence after allegedly displaying a flag in support of the militant group Hezbollah during a gig in November. He denies the offence. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organisation by the UK and the US.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Kneecap banned from entering Hungary ahead of music festival
Irish rap group Kneecap have been banned from entering Hungary ahead of their scheduled appearance at a music festival. The group, who are outspoken supporters of Palestine, were due to perform at Sziget Festival on August 11 and remain on the line-up on its website. Government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs wrote on social media platform X that the decision to ban Kneecap was due to its 'members repeatedly engage in antisemitic hate speech supporting terrorism and terrorist groups'. 'Hungary has zero tolerance for antisemitism in any form. 'Their planned performance posed a national security threat, and for this reason, the group has been formally banned from Hungary for three years. 'If they enter, expulsion will follow under international norms.' Kneecap have had several shows cancelled in recent months, including TRNSMT festival in Glasgow and at the Eden Project in Cornwall. They claim this is part of a smear campaign against them because of their vocal support for Palestine and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza, which they say is a genocide. The trio – comprised of Liam Og O hAnnaidh, Naoise O Caireallain, and JJ O Dochartaigh – were formed in Belfast and released their first single in 2017. They hit the headlines recently after O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence relating to allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah. In May, the Metropolitan Police said the group were being investigated by counter-terrorism police after videos emerged allegedly showing them shouting 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah' and 'Kill your local MP'. The group apologised to the families of murdered MPs and said they have 'never supported' Hamas or Hezbollah, which are banned in the UK. They were also investigated over their set at Glastonbury Festival in June, but last week Avon and Somerset Police confirmed they would be taking no further action.
