US Marine Corps Pfc. Dylan B. Covington died in Alta Vista, Virginia, on Sept. 30, 2022, while driving through a storm sparked by the remnants of Hurricane Ian. He was 19 and a motor vehicle operator assigned to the School of Infantry East. Coffee or Die Magazine composite.
On the 247th birthday of the Corps, troops at Camp Geiger continue to mourn the loss of one of their newest Marines, killed when a tree fell on his automobile.
Pfc. Dylan B. Covington died in Alta Vista, Virginia, on Sept. 30 while driving through a storm sparked by the remnants of Hurricane Ian. He was 19 and a motor vehicle operator assigned to the School of Infantry-East.
"Dylan was a valued member of our permanent personnel here at School of Infantry-East and we will all miss him dearly," said Lt. Col. Christie Everett, the commanding officer of the school’s Headquarters and Support Battalion, in a prepared statement emailed to Coffee or Die Magazine. "Any death within the command is always difficult. We will continue to honor his memory and provide support to those close to him."
Covington enlisted in the Corps on Sept. 7, 2021, shortly after graduating from Virginia’s Rockbridge County High School. Following Marine Combat Training and Motor T Operator School at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, he was assigned to the infantry school’s Headquarters and Support Battalion in June.
US Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jacob Gingham, a combat instructor with School of Infantry-East, shouts commands during a live-fire exercise at range SR-7, on Camp Geiger, in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Dec. 8, 2021. US Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Antonino Mazzamuto.
Covington was born Aug. 22, 2003, in Horry County, South Carolina, but was raised in Lexington, Virginia.
“Dylan had a big heart and loved every member of his large and extended family,” read his obituary. “He loved freely, without judgment, and was fiercely loyal, to his family, friends, and his country. Dylan’s greatest pride was in being a Marine.”
Covington’s funeral was held Oct. 8 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Lexington, with Bishop James Lambert officiating. Burial with full Marine Corps honors followed at Oak Grove Cemetery.
Covington was preceded in death by his parents, Allen “Bo” and Darlyl Covington; and his brother, Bobby Parker, according to his obituary.
He’s survived by his parents, Jared and Michele Huntsman; his siblings, Alyssa, Belle, and Zac Huntsman; his mother, Stacey Stull; and his siblings Skyla, Alora, Gabriel, and Gavin.
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Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
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