Army identifies 2 soldiers killed by falling tree in Georgia

FORT BENNING, Ga. (AP) — The Army has identified two soldiers who were killed during training in the mountains of north Georgia. A statement from Fort Benning said 2nd Lt. Evan Fitzgibbon and Staff Sgt. George Taber died Tuesday after a tree fell on them during inclement weather. Three other soldiers were taken to a hospital with injuries. The fatal incident occurred at Yonah Mountain, where the soldiers were taking part in the Army’s grueling Ranger School. The two-month course tests soldiers’ abilities to overcome fatigue, hunger and stress in rugged environments. Army officials said Fitzgibbon was a West Point graduate commissioned in 2021. He was assigned to a training unit at Fort Benning. Taber was a special forces medical sergeant assigned to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.