A Fly Away Security Team member guards a C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron while cargo is downloaded and uploaded at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan August 3, 2019. FAST team members fly with aircrews to the most austere areas, providing security to the aircrew and aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Keifer Bowes)
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
On May 19, 2020, 1st Lieutenant Trevarius Ravon Bowman died from a non-combat related incident, the Department of Defense said in a statement. He was 25 years old, and his death is still under investigation.
“It is with heavy hearts and deepest condolences that we announce the passing of 1LT Trevarius Bowman,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, the adjutant general for South Carolina, via an email from Captain Jessica C. Donnelly, the South Carolina National Guard Public Affairs Officer. “This is never an outcome we as Soldiers, leaders, and Family members wish to experience. Please keep the service members in his unit in your thoughts and prayers, as well as his Family as they work through this difficult time.”
Bowman was deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel (OFS). He was assigned to Company B, 198th Signal Battalion, 261st Signal Brigade, Newberry, South Carolina, and was deployed to Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. His unit is attached to the 228th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade with the South Carolina National Guard.
His awards include: National Defense Service Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Army Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
As of Monday, the Department of Defense (DOD) has recorded 90 total U.S. military deaths since OFS replaced Operation Enduring Freedom on January 1, 2015; Bowman’s death brings the total to 91. Of those, 64 were killed in action (KIA) and 27 were non-combat related. There have also been 570 wounded in action.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct Bowman’s assignment. He was attached to the 261st Signal Brigade.
Joshua Skovlund is a former staff writer for Coffee or Die. He covered the 75th anniversary of D-Day in France, multinational military exercises in Germany, and civil unrest during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis. Born and raised in small-town South Dakota, he grew up playing football and soccer before serving as a forward observer in the US Army. After leaving the service, he worked as a personal trainer while earning his paramedic license. After five years as in paramedicine, he transitioned to a career in multimedia journalism. Joshua is married with two children.
