Photo: Facebook / 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment
A military training exercise went incredibly awry because of strong winds. More than 80 troopers who jumped out of an airplane were blown away and became entangled in trees, missing their landing zones.
Of those 80+ troopers, about half a dozen received injuries, WDAM7 reports. The good news is that no one was killed or injured too badly: officials say the injuries are not life threatening.
Hundreds of troopers took part in the training exercise at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. The exercise itself lasts 10 days and is part of a month-long program called Operation Arctic Anvil, listing about 3,000 participants. On this day in question, 650 troopers from the 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, were present for the training exercise.
They jumped out of C-130 planes but some of them got caught in strong winds. They were blown off course and into some nearby pine trees, where they became entangled. It took officials hours to account for all the troopers and inform the families of their condition.
Of the 87 troopers that went missing, 22 were injured, the Mississippi National Guard says in a post on the official Facebook page. Some were treated at the scene and released, but a few of them received more significant injuries ranging from back injuries to broken bones. They were hospitalized but are expected to make a full recovery.
Officials ask family members that they keep calm and not believe anything they read online about the accident, unless it comes from them. They also say the training exercise will continue as planned once every injured soldier is taken care of.
“Once all Soldiers have been accounted for, our goal is ultimately to continue training,” they say. “Despite the challenges that we currently face, Soldiers always place the mission first.”
Hundreds of troopers took part in the training exercise at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. The exercise itself lasts 10 days and is part of a month-long program called Operation Arctic Anvil, listing about 3,000 participants. On this day in question, 650 troopers from the 4th Brigade of the 25th Infantry Division stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, were present for the training exercise.
They jumped out of C-130 planes but some of them got caught in strong winds. They were blown off course and into some nearby pine trees, where they became entangled. It took officials hours to account for all the troopers and inform the families of their condition.
Of the 87 troopers that went missing, 22 were injured, the Mississippi National Guard says in a post on the official Facebook page. Some were treated at the scene and released, but a few of them received more significant injuries ranging from back injuries to broken bones. They were hospitalized but are expected to make a full recovery.
Officials ask family members that they keep calm and not believe anything they read online about the accident, unless it comes from them. They also say the training exercise will continue as planned once every injured soldier is taken care of.
“Once all Soldiers have been accounted for, our goal is ultimately to continue training,” they say. “Despite the challenges that we currently face, Soldiers always place the mission first.”
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