Michigan Paratrooper Found Dead Near NC Base
BYRON CENTER, Mich. (AP) - Military authorities say a paratrooper from western Michigan has been found dead at a home near his base in North Carolina, and the circumstances are under investigation.
Officials at Fort Bragg say 37-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Griffey of Byron Center was found unresponsive Friday at an apartment in Fayetteville, N.C.
Griffey was part of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. His assignment was with the Headquarters Company, 782nd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team.
Lt. Col. Geoffrey Kent says Griffey was "a dedicated leader" who "touched the lives of countless paratroopers and their families."
Griffey joined the Army in 1993 and served on two combat deployments, first in Iraq in 2003-2004 and then in Afghanistan in 2007.
(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
