Army identifies soldier found dead on post after returning home from Iraq and Syria

The Army has identified the soldier who was found dead at Fort Drum on Monday as a 21-year-old Specialist from Ohio.

Jacob Allen Ashton’s death is currently under investigation by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, which declined to offer any other information.

Army officials say Specialist Ashton was from the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

He enlisted in 2021 after graduating high shcool and attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Moore, Georgia.

He deployed with his brigade to Iraq and Syria in 2023 and returned home in May of this year.

Col. Scott Wence, 2nd BCT commander said the brigade spent nine months across eight bases in Syria and Iraq.

“We focused on tactical targeting, counter-unmanned aerial systems, drone mitigation, defensive systems hardening, and medical readiness,” he said in May. “We never wavered in our commitment to these areas.”

“There’s no group of Soldiers and leaders who could have done it better,” he added. “We accomplished the mission and brought everyone home safely. It’s a tremendous feeling.”

While speaking to the local news, Wence said they were attacked with over 160 rockets and 120 explosive Unmanned Aerial Systems during their deployment.

A little over a month later, on June 13, Col. Scott Wence handed over command of the brigade to Col. Anthony Gore.

“Our entire Commando family feels profound sorrow for the loss of Jacob. While words do little to ease the pain of Jacob’s passing, we are a family, and we will wrap our arms around his family as well as support each other. Let us live in a manner worthy of honoring Jacob’s life and service. As we mourn, I ask each of us to keep his family in our thoughts and prayers,” said Col. Anthony Gore, in a prepared statement.

Before joining the Army, Specialist Ashton played football for his hometown high school in Perry, Ohio.

According to his college recruiting profile, he played cornerback and safety at Perry High School.

In 2023, the school won its first OHSAA state football championship.

During his graduation, the school stated he planned on “joining the military.”

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