Asia-Pacific
US airman dead, sailor critically wounded in separate incidents at Japan bases
Stars and Stripes December 28, 2023
A service member died at a U.S. military base in Japan, and another was seriously injured over the Christmas holiday, according to military spokespeople.
Airman 1st Class Isabella M. Garcia, 20, stationed at Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, died Monday, 1st Lt. Alvin Nelson told Stars and Stripes by email Thursday. He provided no further information.
“Details surrounding the incident are under investigation,” Nelson said.
“We are deeply saddened at the loss of Airman First Class Garcia,” 18th Wing Commander Col. Nicholas Evans said by email Thursday.
“We are focused on supporting her family, coworkers and other individuals impacted by this tragedy,” Evans said. “We encourage all members of Team Kadena to continue to look after one another over this holiday season and to reach out to our team of professional helping agencies if you are in need.”
At Yokosuka Naval Base, south of Tokyo, an unidentified sailor aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson was wounded Sunday in what a 7th Fleet spokeswoman said was a shooting incident.
The sailor was in critical condition Thursday at a local Japanese hospital, spokeswoman Lt. Kristina Wiedemann told Stars and Stripes that day.
No additional information was available, Wiedemann said.