by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News September 11, 2024
U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet 4th Class Avery Koonce was found unconscious in her Colorado Springs dormitory on Sept. 4 and did not respond to medics’ attempts at resuscitation, the academy said. She was 19.
No cause of death has been reported.
Koonce was a star athlete at Thrall High School in Texas and was on the Air Force Academy’s women’s track and field team.
“While only with us for a short time, Avery positively impacted her unit, her intercollegiate team, and her class,” Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind said in the academy’s statement. “Her loss will be felt across USAFA. Our team is focused on providing support to Avery’s family, Cadet Squadron 38, the track and field team, and the entire academy family.”
Koonce graduated from high school earlier this year and joined the academy’s Class of 2028. She planned to major in biology and become a physical therapist for pilots, Texas Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, who submitted Koonce’s nomination to attend the academy, said on Facebook.
In a statement the academy provided to press on Sept. 7, Koonce’s parents remembered her as a “perfect daughter” who is now “in the arms of her Heavenly Father.”
“Avery is truly loved by so many,” Eric and Kelly Koonce said. “Loving on her brothers and learning how to live with Avery’s loss is our only focus right now. We are beyond blessed for the 19 amazing years we got to call Avery ours. We are praying for all of those that are bearing the incredible darkness of her loss.”
The Air Force Academy, which has 4,000 cadets, has reported cadet deaths in each of the last three years. The academy announced one off-campus cadet death for the 2023-24 academic year, and three deaths, two on campus and one off, in 2022-23.
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