Army IDs 2 soldiers killed in military transport vehicle crash near Fairbanks

The two soldiers killed earlier this week when a military transport vehicle crashed in Interior Alaska were young men in their 20s who had arrived in Alaska two years ago, the Army said Wednesday.

The 11th Airborne Division identified the soldiers two days after the tactical vehicle they were riding in flipped on a dirt road leading to the Yukon Training Area near Salcha. Spc. Jeremy Daniel Evans, 23, and Spc. Brian Joshua Snowden, 22, both died in the crash on Monday, the Army said in a statement.

Army spokesperson John Pennell told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the driver had lost control of the transport vehicle. Evans and Snowden — both of the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division — were among 17 soldiers who were riding in the vehicle. Pennell has said the soldiers were based at Fort Wainwright in the Fairbanks area.

Evans, of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Snowden, of Lonedell, Missouri, both joined the Army in July 2020. They both trained at Fort Moore, Georgia, and arrived in Alaska in January and March of 2021, respectively, the Army said.

“This is an incredible loss for all of us across the division,” said Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families, friends, and fellow soldiers of Spc. Evans and Spc. Snowden.”

Twelve other soldiers were injured in the crash Monday. Of those, eight soldiers were treated and released the same day, the Army said. Two are in stable condition at a Fairbanks hospital, the Army said, while another two are in stable condition at an Anchorage hospital.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, the Army said in its statement.