Authorities at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington State closed recreational access to its beaches this week, following the death of an Army soldier who drowned on Monday, July 15.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord, jointly operated by the Army and the Air Force, announced the closures on Thursday, July 18. The closure specifically affects the beaches at American Lake, most of which fall within the installation’s borders, and bar recreational swimming at the lake. The decision came three days after the death of one soldier. In a statement posted to the base’s website and social media pages, base leadership said that the beaches are indefinitely closed, and that a safety investigation is currently underway.
“The safety of our service members and their families is our first and foremost concern,” the statement on the base’s website said. “We will reassess the closure at the end of July and follow-up accordingly.”
As of press time, the military has not released the identity of the service member who died in the lake. Joint Base Lewis-McChord leadership has also not specified what circumstances led to the death of the soldier.
The base, located only a few miles from Tacoma, Washington, has been hit by a heatwave this month, as has much of the Pacific Northwest. Temperatures have stretched into the 90s in recent weeks. The military installation has multiple pools — which do have lifeguards on duty — but American Lake is a popular summer destination.
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The 1.7 square-mile lake is also used as a training site by Army units at the base, but was open to service members and their families.
This week’s death was not the only time soldiers assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord have died in American Lake. In 2018, privates Jamanni Gibson, 21, Jacques Means, 22, died in a boating accident on the water. The two were kayaking and eventually reported missing. After a search, their bodies were recovered in the lake.