Diver dies in American Lake, Washington
- Thread starter Shasta_man
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Shasta_man
Contributor
RIP. My neck of the woods. There is an active dive community of those serving in JBLM
Veteran means retired...but Hey, it's a newspaper, accuracy is uncertain.
Boarderguy
Chief Narctopus Wrangler
Veteran means they served. Whether that is one tour or 20+ years and retired they are a veteran. My wife did 5 years and I was in for 13, both veterans. Newspapers as you accurately stated like to use broad terms to report things quickly while making the least amount of errors.
Edit** The fact that CID is investigating makes me think this guy was still active though.
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Correct, except the CID may be involved because "The incident occurred on JBLM’s portion of the lake." The article doesn't say if it was an OW class or something more advanced. Losing a student in a class is a horrible outcome and you have to wonder whose class this was.
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I read several articles at various sites, but mostly they echoed the one linked above. Most refer to the deceased as a Veteran without giving any specifics as to why they used that term, nor why CID is involved. One said he was found at 77 feet. None named the instructor or dive op.
More importantly to me....... I would like to know if this was an OW class or an advanced or tech class. I don't see any clarification on that from the info provided.
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One site has some more information, but it's behind a paywall that I cannot get over. This is all that I can see...
Man who died during scuba diving class at American Lake identified by medical examiner
Tacoma News Tribune
George Howard III, 42, was part of a civilian class scuba diving from Russell Landing on the west shore of the lake. He never resurfaced, and his body ...
Man who died during scuba diving class at American Lake identified by medical examiner
Tacoma News Tribune
George Howard III, 42, was part of a civilian class scuba diving from Russell Landing on the west shore of the lake. He never resurfaced, and his body ...
LOG INSUBSCRIBE
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Today's eEdition
LOCAL
Man who died during scuba diving class at American Lake identified by medical examiner
BY PETER TALBOTUPDATED MAY 19, 2022 11:28 AM
A Tacoma man and military veteran who died Saturday during a dive class at American Lake on Joint Base Lewis-McChord was identified Wednesday by the Pierce County medical examiner.
George Howard III, 42, was part of a civilian class scuba diving from Russell Landing on the west shore of the lake. He never resurfaced, and his body was recovered that afternoon by divers with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. The medical examiner has not yet determined Howard’s cause of death.
The Sheriff’s Department’s Metro Dive Team was called to the lake about 12:18 p.m. by dispatchers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said Saturday. By that time, Howard had been missing for more than an hour. Using sonar, divers located and recovered the man’s body about 4:30 p.m.
The Army’s Criminal Investigation Division will investigate the incident with assistance from the Metro Dive Team, according to the Sheriff’s Department. The agency did not immediately respond to a phone call Thursday.
In a GoFundMe set up by a friend of the deceased to raise money for funeral costs, Howard was described as someone with a “serving heart” who had a big smile and lived larger than life. He worked for 14 years at Vermeer Northwest, a commercial and industrial equipment supplier southeast of Tacoma.
George Howard III, 42, died Saturday during a civilian dive class at American Lake on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was a military veteran and worked for 14 years at Vermeer Northwest, a commercial and industrial equipment supplier located southeast of Tacoma. GoFundMe
The man’s employer said in a Facebook post that Howard was a friend to many who walked through the dealership’s doors over the past 14 years.
“George brought so much good into the lives of all who knew him,” the post reads. “He is and will be greatly missed.”
It’s unclear who was operating the dive class Howard was participating in. According to the Associated Press, the JBLM-run Northwest Adventure Center conducted an open water scuba diver certification on Saturday, but it appeared to have taken place in a different location.
JBLM Scuba, a shop at the Northwest Adventure Center, is a “5-Star Dive Center” certified by PADI, an industry association, according to the scuba shop’s website. A person who answered the phone there Thursday said a manager was not available to speak with The News Tribune.
A 42-year-old military veteran died Saturday, May 14 during a civilian scuba diving class at American Lake on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Pierce County Sheriff's Department
This story was originally published May 19, 2022 11:07 AM.
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