An Army soldier has died after sustaining severe injuries earlier this year while working aboard the temporary pier U.S. forces built in the Mediterranean Sea to provide aid to Gaza.
Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley was injured in May. He had recently retired from the service and was receiving treatment in a long-term medical care facility before he died.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, a recently retired motor transport operator previously assigned to the 7th Transportation Brigade Expeditionary, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia. Stanley was injured while supporting the mission that delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza in May 2024 and was receiving treatment in [a] long-term care medical center,” 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command spokeswoman Cpt. Shkeila Milford-Glover said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
An obituary for him said he was 23 years old when he died last Thursday, Oct. 31. He was medically retired from the Army less than a week earlier, on Oct. 25, according to a spokeswoman with the XVIII Airborne Corps.
“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. We will continue to provide support to his family during this difficult time,” said Col. John “Eddie” Gray, commander of the 7th TBX. “Our entire unit mourns alongside his family.”
Three U.S. service members were injured while working on the temporary pier that was operational for a couple of weeks earlier this year. Stanley was the most severely injured — the other two were not seriously hurt — and was initially treated at an Israeli hospital before being brought stateside, where he continued to receive medical care. None of their injuries were sustained in combat.
Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said on June 7 that one “critically injured” service member was evacuated to Brooke Army Medical Center, “where he remains there in critical conditions.” He then told reporters on July 17, “Two of them had really minor, minor injuries that were fundamentally nonissues. The third individual, a soldier, is in San Antonio, and he remains in San Antonio in the hospital. He is no longer in critical condition, but any more details, I think talking about that would be inappropriate.”
President Joe Biden announced his decision to have the U.S. military build a temporary pier to help Gaza’s humanitarian situation due to the Israel-Hamas war during his last State of the Union address. While the United States moved aid from Cyprus to Gaza through the maritime route, the effort was marred by several instances of it becoming inoperable due to poor weather.
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The pier was only operational for about three weeks, even though it was operational from mid-May through mid-July. It was damaged during inclement weather as it got underway, requiring it to go offline for multiple days of repair, and after that, the military decided it would be better off deconstructing it and bringing it ashore to avoid damage during bad weather.
The mission required about 1,000 U.S. service members.