Fort Bragg paratrooper from NY dies during training jump accident

U.S. Army Specialist Abigail Jenks. (US Army)

An 82nd Airborne paratrooper was killed during a training jump, officials at Fort Bragg said.

The North Carolina Army post said Spc. Abigail Jenks, 21, of Gansevoort, New York, was part of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

According to a news release from the division, Jenks was performing a static-line jump from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter on Monday when the accident occurred. Officials released her identity on Wednesday.

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"New York is devastated by the loss of Spc. Abigail Jenks and joins her fellow soldiers, her family and her friends in honoring her service to our country," said NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Jenks was a fire support specialist serving as a forward observer with the brigade’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment. Jenks’ death is under investigation.

Fort Bragg Paratrooper

The news release said Jenks was a three-time volunteer who enlisted in the Army in October 2018 and became a paratrooper at Fort Bragg in June 2019. She completed advanced individual training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the Basic Airborne Course at Fort Benning, Georgia.

"Spc. Abigail Jenks was a creative, hardworking, and confident Paratrooper. Her love for art, animals, and her friends reverberated wherever she worked," said Capt. Brian Norman, Jenks’ battery commander. "Her compassion for fellow Paratroopers will be truly missed."

Jenks will be posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, according to the news release.

With the Associated Press