USS Nimitz Deployment Sees Marine Death Before Leaving South Korea


The USS Nimitz deployment schedule has the Everett-based aircraft carrier heading to the North Arabian sea next.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the USS Nimitz was recently in South Korea where tensions are still high because North Korea is planning new nuclear weapons tests.

To give you an idea how big the USS Nimitz is we can make a comparison. A soccer field is about 1.98 acres, but the flight deck of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier is 4.5 acres.

Carrying 5,000 sailors, the USS Nimitz left its home port back in March. The USS Nimitz deployment schedule includes visits to the “Red and Arabian seas, the Arabian Gulf, the gulfs of Aden and Oman and part of the Indian Ocean.”

Death On The USS Nimitz

Unfortunately, the USS Nimitz deployment has not been trouble free. Tragedy struck when 19-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Benjamin W. Tuttle was injured and then medevaced from the USS Nimitz during a scheduled port visit in the Middle East. Tuttle was hurt while supporting operations in Afghanistan.

Tuttle died at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, but fortunately his parents were able to come before he passed away. Military officials say the death is being investigated and they have not released the cause of death.

This is the message the marine wrote on his Facebook page from the USS Nimitz:

“Lots of love goes back home to my family. I miss all of you. I should be home in October. I cant wait to see all of you. Uncle mike, we will have to go fishing. Little brother, we will have to hang out. And, granny, we will have to go out to dinner together. And as for the rest of the family, I can’t wait to see all of you, too.

[USS Nimitz Photo From Twitter]

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