Three airmen have died at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea in a span of five weeks, but Air Force officials are providing few details on the causes of death and how they’re specifically addressing the string of incidents.
Last week, on Aug. 28, Tech. Sgt. Jacob Venegas was found deceased in an on-base dormitory. Earlier that month, on Aug. 5, Senior Airman Saniyya Jones-Smalls was found dead on base. Prior to her death, on July 26, Airman Basic Kye Vang passed away on base, according to three separate press releases from Kunsan.
Capt. Alvin Nelson, a spokesperson for the base, told Military.com in an emailed statement that “summer has been difficult for the Wolf Pack due to the multiple losses of airmen in a short amount of time.”
But Nelson, as well as Department of the Air Force spokespeople, declined to comment on the specific causes of the deaths — such as whether they were attributable to accidents, homicides, training or illness.
The Air Force has previously told Military.com that internal and Pentagon suicide prevention policies limit the information it can share with the public about deaths at the service’s various bases across the globe.
“As the deaths are under investigation, it would be inappropriate to speculate on any causes or similarities between the cases,” Nelson said.
In the deaths of Jones-Smalls and Vang, Kunsan Air Base said “foul play is not suspected.” The news release regarding Venegas’ death states only that “details surrounding the death are under investigation.”
Jonathan Jones, Jones-Smalls’ father, told Military.com in a phone interview Friday that officials informed the family it is initially being investigated as a death by suicide, but the probe into the incident is still ongoing.
“What’s going on over there?” Jones told Military.com, reacting to the string of deaths. He explained his daughter had dealt with a personal loss prior to her passing. “I question if everything was OK, and she was good enough to go to such an isolated place like Korea.”
Kunsan Air Base experienced another on-base death in March: That of Staff Sgt. Jacob Kruse, whose “death is under investigation, however, foul play is not suspected,” according to the base.
When asked by Military.com what Kunsan is doing to support the base community in the wake of the deaths, Nelson said the “8th Fighter Wing leadership is engaging to reinforce support entities and increase the number of daily opportunities for connection between airmen at all levels to strengthen our community.”
No other specifics were provided.
According to the latest information available from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office, there were 22 reported deaths from suicide in the Air Force between Jan. 1 and March 31 — 17 from the active-duty ranks, 3 from the reserve component, and 2 from the Air National Guard.
In 2023, there were 91 airmen deaths among the active duty, reserve and Air National Guard, according to data from the Defense Suicide Prevention Office.
In late November, the community around Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota raised alarm over the deaths of three airmen in a single month, Military.com previously reported. Similarly, that base declined to say what the cause of the deaths were, but officials said they were “actively working to provide extensive mental health and resilience resources to struggling individuals.”
Related: 3 Airman Deaths at Minot Air Force Base in October Have Left the Community Reeling
