Army ROTC cadet from NJ dies during land navigation training at Fort Knox

An Army ROTC cadet from New Jersey died during a land navigation training at Fort Knox last Thursday, officials said.

Neil Edara, a 22-year-old Ridgewood native who joined Rutgers University’s ROTC in 2021, was in the middle of the training exercise at the Kentucky base when he became unresponsive, according to the US Army Cadet Command.

Edara received immediate medical attention and was airlifted to the University of Louisville’s medical center, where he was pronounced dead, according to the US Army Cadet Command.

“Cadet Edara was one of the most dedicated and promising young leaders I’ve had the privilege to know,” Lt. Col. Timothy Sorensen, professor of military science at Rutgers University, said in a statement.

“His calm collected demeanor and unwavering commitment to excellence left a lasting impact on everyone around him. His loss is deeply felt across the entire ROTC and Rutgers community. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” said Sorensen.

The land navigation training drops the cadets in an unfamiliar terrain at the military base with nothing but a map, compass, protractor and pencil that they must use to find set points, according to the Army ROTC website.

The land navigation test is one of the few where cadets are not permitted to work together, according to the website. It’s unclear if the restrictions are looser during the training.

Edara was set to graduate from Rutgers University in 2026 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, according to his LinkedIn. He also worked at the school as an emergency medical technician and had previously completed flight and scuba training.

His cause of death is under investigation.

Last Thursday, the heat at the Kentucky military base peaked at 93 degrees by 4 p.m. with about 54% humidity, according to Weather Underground.

The Army Cadet Command assured that the safety of its cadets would remain a top priority as the summer training continues.

During the land navigation training, the ROTC’s Cadre, the group of Army professionals that lead and oversee the cadets, monitor the young trainees’ voices and locations through a tracking system while driving through the course to ensure that they are safe, according to the ROTC website.

Part of that supervision includes making sure the cadets are hydrated in the extreme heat, according to the website.