Army IDs 2nd soldier on border deployment found dead in Arizona

Updated Jun 25, 2019, 10:41 am ◇Originally posted Jun 23, 2019, 7:09 pm

Dylan Smith
TucsonSentinel.com

U.S. ArmyA mobile surveillance camera system manned by soldiers monitors a sector near the Presidio Border Patrol Station, April 4, at Presidio, Texas.

Another military service member deployed to assist with border enforcement has been found dead in Southern Arizona. Pfc. Kevin J. Christian, 21, was found Sunday near Ajo, about 110 miles west of Tucson.

The death of the deployed service member was confirmed by officials at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, the home of U.S. Northern Command on Sunday. The individual's name and unit were not immediately released; officials publicly identified Christian later.

The private, from Haslet, Texas, was deployed with the Southwest Border Support Mission, and served with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division assigned to Fort Polk, La.

The incident is being investigated, but no foul play is suspected, officials said.

Christian "was a constant positive force on our team, always ready and willing to shoulder more than his share of the load," said Col. Dallas Cheatham in a news release. "He will be sorely missed by the Warriors, but his contribution to our mission and the sacrifices he has made to our country will never be forgotten."

The weather has been hot and dry: temperatures in Arizona's west deserts peaked at about 98 degrees on Sunday, with humidity below 10 percent.

On June 1, U.S. Army PFC Steven Hodges was found dead near Nogales.

Hodges' unit, part of the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., is at the border as part of "Task Force Red Lion," undertaking mobile surveillance as part of the Trump administration's deployment of more than 2,000 active-duty troops along the U.S.-Mexico border.