PRESS RELEASE PROVIDED BY SC NATIONAL GUARD

COLUMBIA, S.C. – A U.S. South Carolina National Guard Soldier died as the result of a non-combat vehicle rollover accident on Udairi Range, Kuwait, May 25, 2023.

SPC Jayson R. Haven, 20, was a machine gunner assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 118th Infantry Regiment, 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, South Carolina Army National Guard.

Haven, from Aiken, South Carolina, joined the Army in January 2020. He attended one station unit training at Fort Benning, Georgia, before his unit deployed in 2022 to the U.S. Central Command area of operations in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

“There are no words that can adequately express how deeply saddened I am at the loss of one of our own. SPC Jayson R. Haven was more than just a member of the South Carolina National Guard, he was family.” said Maj. Gen. Van McCarty, Adjutant General, South Carolina. “As the Adjutant General, it is impossible for me not to feel this loss on a personal level. Soldiers and their families are the fabric that holds our South Carolina Military Department together. There is nothing that I can say or offer to the family of SPC Haven but know my thoughts and prayers and that of a great many South Carolinians are with you. You are not alone in grieving; we are with you.”

SPC Haven's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” Device, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.

The incident is still under investigation. Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.