A lieutenant colonel serving in the 101st Airborne Division’s intelligence directorate during its current deployment to Eastern Europe died Sept. 6 of “natural causes,” according to a division press release.
Lt. Col. Nicholas D. Goshen had recently completed a tour with the Joint Staff at the Pentagon and returned to the Fort Campbell, Kentucky-based division where he began his career as an infantry officer in 2004, according to the release. He deployed to Iraq once with the 101st and deployed to Afghanistan six times during his tours with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, 75th Ranger Regiment and 10th Mountain Division.
More than 4,000 troops from the 101st Airborne are currently deployed to Europe as part of the U.S. military’s increased commitments in the region after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February. The division’s headquarters replaced that of the 82nd Airborne Division in recent months.
Goshen was serving in the division’s intelligence directorate at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, during the deployment. Division officials did not provide additional details on the circumstances of his death.
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The lieutenant colonel’s division commander, Maj. Gen. JP McGee, remembered him. as “a valued member of the team whose passion and commitment to the division and our Soldiers was extraordinary.” McGee added that he “can personally attest to [Goshen’s] exceptional talent. He will be missed.”
Goshen’s individual awards include a Bronze Star for valor, the Purple Heart, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal, among other individual and service awards. He also earned several badges and tabs, including the Joint Staff identification badge, Combat Infantryman Badge, Combat Action Badge, Ranger tab, Parachutist Badge and Air Assault Badge.
Davis Winkie covers the Army for Military Times. He studied history at Vanderbilt and UNC-Chapel Hill, and served five years in the Army Guard. His investigations earned the Society of Professional Journalists' 2023 Sunshine Award and consecutive Military Reporters and Editors honors, among others. Davis was also a 2022 Livingston Awards finalist.
