The Edmonton Journal reported that the 25-year-old soldier was killed Monday morning at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, about 120 miles east of Edmonton.

He was taking part in an exercise called Maple Guardian, the Canadian military training program to prepare troops for duty in Afghanistan, the Canadian Press Service reported.

The Journal said the death was being investigated by U.S. and Canadian authorities.

The soldier’s name and additional details were withheld and won’t be released until today, after his family had been notified, said Pam Garrison, a spokeswoman at the 70th Regional Readiness Command at Fort Lawton.

The soldier was assigned to A Company of the 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, a 200-soldier helicopter unit based at Gray Army Airfield at Fort Lewis. He was with a unit that’s been training since last month with Canadian forces.

The company, which flies CH-47D helicopters, was deployed for the first year of the Iraq war. It was called to active duty in January 2003 and sent to Kuwait for the pre-invasion buildup, later moved up to Iraq and returned home to Fort Lewis in May 2004.

Some members of the unit also deployed to Pakistan in 2005 to take part in an earthquake relief mission, and later that year flew more than 100 missions in the Gulf Coast area in support of Hurricane Katrina victims.

The unit also flies high-altitude rescue missions in Mount Rainier National Park.

Michael Gilbert: 253-597-8921

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