Fort Jackson drill sergeant found dead in car, second in eight days: Report

A second drill sergeant at Fort Jackson in South Carolina was reportedly found dead. The two drill sergeants were found deceased just eight days apart from each other.

Military officials announced the discovery via Facebook on Monday, writing: "Staff Sgt. Zachary L. Melton, 30, a drill sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 34th Infantry Regiment, was found deceased in his car on Saturday Dec. 16."

"Melton spent more than 10 years in the Army with the last three years as a drill sergeant on Fort Jackson. He had the Parachutist Badge, was an Equal Opportunity representative and completed the Marksmanship Master Trainer Course."

The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Brig. Gen. Jason E. Kelly, the Fort Jackson commanding general, said, "We are extremely saddened by the loss of Staff Sgt. Melton," adding that "our thoughts are with his family and the soldiers of the Always Forward battalion during this very emotional time."

Melton had apparently served in the Army for more than a decade. The last three years of his tenure in the military were served as a drill sergeant, according to the New York Post.

One strange element in Melton's death is that he is the second drill sergeant to be found dead at Fort Jackson in just eight days. Staff Sgt. Allen M. Bertram, 34, was found dead on December 8 after he did not report for work.

The Army told Military.com that there is currently no evidence of foul play in either drill sergeant's death. The Post reported that this is the third death at the Army installation in 2023.

Over the summer, Sgt. Jaime Contreras was found dead after completing a training exercise. Contreras was apparently a drill sergeant candidate and had been part of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Liberty, North Carolina.

No cause of death has been provided for Contreras.

The Walter Reed Institute of Research conducted a study in 2021, surveying 856 drill sergeants to determine how their workload affected their mental health.

The study found that "percentages of drill sergeants meeting behavioral health screening criteria were 19% for depression, 27% for moderate-to-severe insomnia, 14% for generalized anxiety disorder, 48% for high burnout, 32% for functional impairment, 35% for moderate alcohol misuse, 32% for off-duty aggression, and 25% for low morale."

The authorities are still investigating the causes of death.

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