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by Lindsey Collom - Feb. 16, 2012 10:28 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com
A Queen Creek sailor was killed during a training exercise this week in Africa, according to a Department of Defense statement issued Thursday.
Naval Petty Officer 3rd Class Kyler Estrada, 21, died Tuesday during a "non-combat related training incident" in Dijibouti, the statement said.
Details provided to the Navy Times indicated Estrada was fatally shot during a night training exercise with Marines. His death is under investigation.
Estrada, a Navy hospital corpsman, was assigned to the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit based at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
He grew up in Queen Creek and graduated from the local high school in 2008. Personnel records obtained by the Navy Times showed he enlisted a year later.
"We are so proud of him," his mother, Clarin Saline Estrada, wrote Thursday on Facebook. "He has alway(s) been dedicated to service for his country and his God."
In an earlier post, she described the agony of losing her son.
"No one can ever know the sadness a mother feels when a child is lost," she wrote. "(T)oday i join all those mothers. how will i ever smile again? kyler I love you forever." (sic)
Kyler Estrada was part of Operation Enduring Freedom in Dijibouti, a country located in what is known as the Horn of Africa
The United States military established a base there following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington DC to target Islamic extremists that had been known to operate in the region. Camp Lemonnier is home to the Combine Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, its mission to promote regional security and stability.
