Third death in a week shakes Sigonella

Third death in a week shakes Sigonella
By Sandra Jontz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Friday, February 2, 2008

A third death stunned an already shaken and grieving Navy community in Sigonella this week. The Navy on Friday identified a sailor found dead late Wednesday in a small town about an hour’s drive from Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily.

Lt. j.g. Terry Dugas, 37, who hanged himself in a semi-populated area in the small town of Sant’Alfio, was found by base security personnel who had been searching for him, said Lt. Jon Groveman, a base spokesman.

Dugas, who was married, was part of the base security’s force protection team, and the third highest-ranking officer in the department, Groveman said.

Three memorial services in one week will take its toll on any community — especially one as close-knit as Sigonella, said Marlene Casel, director of the Fleet and Family Support Center at Naval Air Station Sigonella.

A young sailor and high school student were killed Jan. 26 in a car crash.


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