WASHINGTON, USA — A Virginian Green Beret died during a parachute training exercise Wednesday, according to Stars and Stripes.
Sgt. First Class Nicholas Sheperty, 36, of the West Virginia National Guard was pronounced dead by emergency services after suffering injuries following a training exercise at the Suffolk Executive Airport in southeast Virginia.
Sheperty had previously done tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, and lived in Baltimore, Md.
According to Stars and Stripes, before joining the West Virginia Army National Guard in 2010, he served in the Marine Corps for eight years as a member of the elite Marine Special Operations Command.
Sheperty was a recipient of the Purple Heart after being injured in combat. He held numerous other awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal with “V” for valor, the Navy/Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon and the Special Forces Tab, according to Stars and Stripes.