US Soldier Dies in Poland, Army and Local Authorities Investigating

U.S. soldiers attend an inauguration ceremony by transforming the Area Support Group Poland into the permanent U.S. Army Garrison Poland, at Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, Poland, on March 21, 2023. Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

A U.S. Army Soldier stationed at Camp Kościuszko in the city of Poznan in Poland died on Sept. 3, the Army confirmed to The Epoch Times on Friday, Sept. 6.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Army V Corps told The Epoch Times in an email that Lt. Col. Joshua Camara, 45, was assigned to the V Corps forward headquarters in Poznan when he passed away.

Camara was a public affairs officer for the V Corps, a role he served in since June of this year. He had been awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, and Meritorious Service Medal, among other awards, V Corps director of public affairs Col. Ellis Gales Jr. said in the email.

“Our thoughts and sympathies are with Lt. Col. Josh Camara’s family, friends, and teammates during this difficult time,” said Col. Kevin Jackson, V Corps chief of staff, in a statement. “He was an outstanding leader and mentor, and we will remember his legacy and impact.”

Camara’s LinkedIn profile shows he held various roles in the U.S. Army over the past two decades beginning in 2002, many related to public affairs.

Local news outlets in Poland reported that the death was being investigated as “unintentional manslaughter,” but those reports could not be independently verified by The Epoch Times.

An English-language news network in Poland reported on Sept. 4 that Camara was found dead inside an apartment after military police stormed an apartment block near the V Corps Camp Kościuszko in Poznan.

The outlet, TVP World, cited the local Deputy District Prosecutor for Military Affairs in Poznań, Colonel Bartosz Okoniewski, reporting that he said initial findings had ruled out murder and that an autopsy would be performed with results expected next week. Attempts to reach Mr. Okeniewski’s office were unsuccessful.

The V Corps spokesman confirmed to The Epoch Times that the incident is being investigated by local host nation law enforcement and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division in Poland.

The European Union Ministry of Justice directed The Epoch Times to local authorities. Multiple requests from The Epoch Times to the Polish Ministry of Justice in Poznan for information regarding the death of the American soldier were unanswered.

The U.S. Army Public Affairs office at the Pentagon also did not respond to a request for more information prior to publication.

The V Corps is America’s forward deployed corps in Europe, according to its website. It supports exercises and training with local allies and “reassures our NATO allies and partners of the U.S. commitment to NATO and its partners in Europe.” The V Corps is also referred to as the “Victory” Corps for its role in World War I in France.