US. midshipman falls to his death over waterfall in Chile. This was announced by the U.S. Naval Academy announced Monday.
He is Midshipman 2nd Class Luke Gabriel Bird of New Braunfels, Texas and he was participating in a semester abroad program at Chile’s Arturo Prat Naval Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy said in a news release.
The 21-year-old U.S. Midshipman junior was hiking with a student from the school on Saturday near the Salto El Agua waterfall in Placilla, in the Valparaíso region. The Officer is said to have reportedly lost his footing and fell over the waterfall, the academy said.
The Chilean authorities found Bird’s body in the waterfall’s lagoon on Sunday. The release said
“We are incredibly saddened by the tragic loss of Midshipman Luke Bird this weekend,” Vice Adm. Sean Buck, the U.S. Naval Academy’s superintendent, said in a statement. “I encourage all of our Naval Academy family to offer support to one another as we navigate the grieving process.”
The fallen officer:Bird attended New Braunfels High School and he was a captain of the wrestling team in his junior and senior years and was active in student government, the academy said.
At the Naval Academy, Bird was upstanding and was a member of the 20th and 2nd Companies and an ocean engineering major. He was also a member of the Semper Fi Society and competed with companymates as an intramural sports athlete.
He was authorized to wear the National Defense Service Medal and Bird earned the Marksman Rifle Qualification Badge and Sharpshooter Pistol Qualification Badge, the academy statement added.
UK heatwave expected to get worse with hottest day reaching 42C
His friend and fellow Texan, called him “unfathomably smart” saying Bird mentored and tutored him in their shared courses.
“He greatly exemplified the hard working midshipman who helps anyone at the drop of a hat,” Delgado, a senior, said in a statement. “He was a great man and will be dearly missed by all those in 20th Company and throughout the brigade.”
