Army ordnance officer dies in training accident at Fort Johnson

Soldiers break through a barbed wire barrier during an exercise at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, March 20, 2024. (Luciano Alcala/US Army)

A 23-year-old first lieutenant from Virginia died Saturday during training at the Army’s Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Johnson, Louisiana, military service officials said.

Zachary Galli was an explosive ordnance disposal officer from Williamsburg, Virginia, assigned to Fort Carson, Colorado, base officials said Monday. He was part of the 749th Ordnance Company, 242nd Explosive Ordnance Battalion, 71st EOD Group.

According to the officer’s LinkedIn account, he participated in ROTC at the University of Virginia and graduated with a degree in kinesiology in May 2022.

“It is with an extremely heavy heart that I inform you of the passing of First Lieutenant Zachary Galli,” said Col. Brennan Fitzgerald, 71st EOD Group commander. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of the Galli family, the 749th EOD Co. and the greater EOD community.”

Army 1st Lt. Zachary Galli died May 11, 2024, while training at Fort Johnson, La., military service officials said. (United States Army)

Little information about the incident was available Monday and an investigation into the soldier’s death was ongoing, Fort Johnson officials said. The facility’s statement described the death as occurring “as a result of a training accident.”

According to the service, the 71st EOD Group is one of two active explosive ordnance disposal units in the Army. Its soldiers are responsible for countering chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive threats.

The soldier was killed while training at JRTC, where the Army sends tens of thousands of soldiers each year on high-level training missions before they are deployed overseas.

Galli’s awards include the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal and Basic EOD Badge.