Public Affairs Office

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Dec. 11, 2020) — A Fort Leonard Wood Soldier assigned to the 14th Military Police Brigade was pronounced deceased this week at the Lake Regional Medical Center in Osage Beach, Missouri.

The cause of death has yet to be finalized but it does not appear to be directly related to COVID-19. However, the Soldier was tested for COVID-19 as part of standard operating procedures prior to the medical transfer to Lake Regional Medical Center and tested positive. At this time, no definitive association between the cause of death and COVID-19 can be made until the cause of death is determined.

To respect the family’s privacy, the name of the Soldier will not be released at this time.

Out of an abundance of caution, Fort Leonard Wood’s Public Health team conducted COVID-19 testing within the Soldier’s unit that resulted in a large number of individuals testing positive for the virus.

All personnel who tested positive are being cared for and have been isolated for monitoring according to CDC guidelines to prevent the potential spread to others. Most of the personnel who tested positive are asymptomatic and none have required hospitalization. In addition, unit personnel who had negative test results have been quarantined for monitoring.

All facilities within the unit have been sanitized in accordance with CDC guidelines. Aggressive measures are continuing to be used to help mitigate the spread of the virus. Those measures include restriction of movement, social distancing and the wearing of cloth face coverings. Additional information can be found on the installation website: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/coronavirus.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the Soldier’s family, friends and unit. Our main concern is caring for the family and those impacted, and ensuring they have all the resources and support they need during this time.

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About Fort Leonard Wood

Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.

Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.

Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.

More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission