The US Army soldier who was injured while working on the American-built pier to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza has died.
Motor transport operator Sgt. Quandarius Stanley, 23, was critically injured in May when high winds and heavy seas damaged the pier while beaching four Army vessels.
US military officials have not provided details on how exactly Stanley was injured but have noted it was not in combat.
He had been assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia.
Two other service members also were injured but later returned to duty.
Motor transport operator Sgt. Quandarius Stanley, 23, was critically injured when high winds and heavy seas damaged the pier while beaching four Army vessels and he died on Thursday
The pier, costing some $320million, was operational for just 20 days since May
A U.S. Army soldier gestures as trucks loaded with humanitarian aid arrive at the pier, June 25
‘Sgt. Quandarius Stanley was an instrumental and well respected first-line leader in the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary (TBX), especially during the mission to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,’ said Col. John ‘Eddie’ Gray, brigade commander.
‘We will continue to provide support to his family during this difficult time. Our entire unit mourns alongside his family.’
Capt. Shkeila Milford-Glover, spokesperson for the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said Stanley had recently retired and was receiving treatment in a long-term care medical center.
The massive pier project was hampered by unexpected bad weather and security issues, as well as persistent safety issues involving Israeli forces that prompted aid agencies to halt distribution of the supplies out of fear of being injured and killed.
The Defense Department formally pulled the pier from the Gaza shore on June 28 and declared an end in mid-July to the mission to bring aid into the territory besieged by the war between Israel and Hamas.
1 million pounds of aid is estimated to have passed through the pier through its brief lifespan
An American soldier stands guard with a dog at Trident Pier on June 25
An American boat carrying US soldiers and journalists sails near the Trident Pier, June 25
All together, the military moved nearly 20 million pounds of aid onto the Gaza shore in what officials said was the ‘largest volume of humanitarian assistance’ ever delivered into the Middle East.
But aid agencies had difficulty moving the food brought ashore to areas further into Gaza where it was needed.
