Army Pfc. Kaleb H. Franklin, 26, who was stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., died Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, after experiencing a medical emergency during a flight to California for an upcoming combat training exercise, according to service officials. (U.S. Army)

A Fort Stewart soldier died Tuesday after experiencing a medical emergency during a flight to California for an upcoming combat training exercise, officials at the Georgia Army post said.

Pfc. Kaleb H. Franklin died at a hospital in Amarillo, Texas, where the California-bound plane made an emergency landing, Fort Stewart spokesman Kevin Larson said Thursday. Franklin was 26.

It was not immediately clear Thursday what caused Franklin’s medical emergency, and Larson said a cause of death had yet to be determined.

Army medics on the flight with Franklin’s unit responded after his emergency began, Larson said. The soldier was transferred to the hospital by first responders after the plane landed in Amarillo.

Franklin was flying to the Army’s National Training Center at Fort Irwin, where the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team is set to begin a major training exercise later this month. Franklin was an information technology specialist with the brigade’s 9th Brigade Engineer Battalion, Larson said. He had served nearly three years on active duty.

The 2nd Brigade — nicknamed the Spartan Brigade — was working to support Franklin’s family, Col. Ethan Diven, the brigade’s commander, said in a statement.

"Our hearts mourn his unexpected passing, a fellow Spartan with so much potential,” Diven said. “We offer our deepest condolences to the family. Our first priority is supporting them as well as the soldiers in his unit and honoring his legacy in our brigade.”