Taylor Force, a 29-year-old US Army veteran touring Israel in the framework of his graduate work at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management, was killed in a knifing attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
The attack, that left 14 others wounded, occurred hours after Vice President Joe Biden [1] landed in Israel for a long-awaited visit.
All other Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff on the trip were safe, according to a university statement.
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“Taylor embarked on this trip to expand his understanding of global entrepreneurship and also to share his insights and knowledge with start-ups in Israel,” the university said.
“He exemplified the spirit of discovery, learning and service that is the hallmark of our wonderful Owen community,” the university said, adding that “this horrific act of violence has robbed our Vanderbilt family of a young hopeful life and all of the bright promise that he held for bettering our greater world.”
His father, Stuart Force told The Associated Press “he was a great kid.”
Force graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in the Army from 2009 to 2014, with tours in Iraq and in Afghanistan. A native Texan, he was based at Fort Hood, Texas, as a platoon leader and fire support officer.