CNN) — The first US service member has died from the novel coronavirus, the US military announced on Monday.
An Army National Guardsman from New Jersey passed away on Saturday, according to a statement from the Department of Defense. Gen. Joseph Lengyel, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, identified the service member as Army Capt. Douglas Linn Hickok.
“Our thoughts are with his family & friends. All of us are likely to know people directly affected by this virus in the coming weeks,” Lengyel said on Twitter. “As our nation fights its greatest challenge in recent memory, we’re all going to need to draw on our inner strength & resilience to win this war & comfort those in pain. We must bring our best selves every day to overcome this as fast as possible for our great country.”
Hickok had been hospitalized since March 21.
“Today is a sad day for the Department of Defense as we have lost our first American service member — active, reserve or Guard — to Coronavirus,” Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said in the statement, which was released before Lengyel identified Hickok.
