Preliminary Loss Reports (PLRs)

A Staff Sergeant assigned to Fort Liberty, North Carolina, on temporary duty assignment attending the United States Army Drill Sergeant Academy, died in a combat skills/military unique mishap 12 June 2023 in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, at 2320 local. The Soldier was conducting a land navigation course when he did not report back to the starting point within the three-hour time limit. The chief instructor contacted the Fort Jackson Directorate of Emergency Services (DES), which informed cadre to wait an hour before officially considering the Soldier’s duty status as unknown. DES arrived and began its search for the Soldier. He was later found dead in the training area.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of four Soldiers a year to combat skills/military unique mishaps. This tragedy was the second combat skills/military unique fatality of FY23.

Safety tip
Land navigation course safety tips:

• Use a Soldier Monitoring system or a persistent Soldier monitoring device [e.g., Home Station Instrumentation Training System (HITS) or Deployable System for Training and Readiness (DSTAR)].


• Consider allowing Soldiers to carry their personal cellphone for emergencies.


• Consider allowing Soldiers to navigate the course in buddy teams.


• Ensure Soldiers are trained in the use of a panic azimuth and easily recognized boundary points.


• Use roving guides to conduct perimeter checks and observe and monitor Soldiers movements on course.


• Monitor wet bulb globe temperature and adjust activity levels and uniform as appropriate.


• Ensure Soldiers are trained on hot weather injury/heat illness symptoms and treatment.


• Establish multiple water points distributed throughout the course.


• If all Soldiers have not returned by the established end time, execute search-and-rescue procedures immediately in accordance with local standard operating procedures.

The Joint Risk Assessment Tool (JRAT) is an interactive, easy-to-use, automated system designed to assist users with the application of risk management and the production of an automated risk assessment worksheet. For more information, visit https://jrat.safety.army.mil.
 

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A 28-year-old Staff Sergeant assigned to Camp Carroll, Korea, died in an other ground mishap 18 January 2023 in Waegwan, Korea, at 0300 local. The Soldier reportedly fell off the roof of her apartment building. A Non-Commissioned Officer from the unit notified first responders and the chain of command. Local first responders arrived on the scene, found the Soldier nonresponsive and immediately began lifesaving measures. Upon arrival to the local medical center, the Soldier was pronounced dead by the attending physician. No further details are currently available. The unit/safety points of contact are waiting for local authorities to release their final report.

Since 2018, the Army has lost an average of three Soldiers a year to off-duty other ground mishaps. This mishap was the first off-duty other ground fatality of FY23.
 

 

A 20-year-old Specialist assigned to Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, died in a GMV mishap 22 October 2022 in Fort Indiantown Gap (FTIG), Pennsylvania, at 1315 local. Four Soldiers in two M1120 Load Handling System (LHS) vehicles were traveling on the tank trail to pick up ammunition dunnage at a range. During the movement, the trailing LHS vehicle rear-ended the first vehicle. The first vehicle's flat rack entered and crushed the driver’s side of the second LHS vehicle’s cab. The driver of the second LHS was unresponsive and did not have a pulse when the other Soldiers in the convoy extracted her from the vehicle and performed immediate CPR. FTIG emergency services were notified of the accident and responded to the scene, where they pronounced the Soldier dead. The other three Soldiers were evacuated to Hershey Medical Center for precautionary reasons and evaluation.

Since FY18, the Army has lost an average of nine Soldiers a year to GMV mishaps. This mishap was the first GMV fatality of FY23 and the same number of fatalities for the same time period last year.

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A Staff Sergeant and Second Lieutenant assigned as students at Fort Benning, Georgia, died in a combat skills/military unique mishap 9 August 2022 in Cleveland, Georgia, at 1515 local. While conducting mountaineering training, the unit went into its lightning-lockdown procedures as strikes occurred within 10 miles of the area. While the students spread out, the wind blew a large portion of a tree onto five students. Unit medics transported the two fatally injured Soldiers off the mountainside and transferred the Soldiers onto local ambulances with the unit physician’s assistant assisting along the way. The remaining three Soldiers sustained non-fatal injuries and were transported to Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville, Georgia. Two of the Soldiers who suffered non-fatal injuries were discharged. The third injured Soldier was hospitalized for two days and discharged for outpatient care. The USACRC is leading a safety investigation into the mishap.

Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of three Soldiers a year to combat skills/military unique mishaps. This tragedy was the third and fourth combat skills/military unique fatalities of FY22.

 

A 41-year-old Sergeant assigned to the United States Army Reserve, Birmingham, Alabama, died in a combat skills/military unique mishap 20 July 2022 on Fort Gordon, Georgia, at approximately 1130 local. The Soldier was participating in annual training when a tree inside the unit's bivouac area was struck by lightning. The tree disintegrated into multiple pieces that landed on three of the unit’s tents. The resulting impacts caused fatal injuries to the Soldier and various non-fatal injuries to eight additional Soldiers. The Soldier died in transit to the hospital. This mishap is still under investigation.

Since 2017, the Army has lost an average of three Soldiers a year to combat skills/military unique mishaps. This tragedy was the third combat skills/military unique fatality of FY22.


AVOID THE LIGHTNING THREAT – When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

Each year in the United States, there are about 25 million cloud-to-ground lightning flashes and about 300 people struck by lightning. Of those struck, about 30 people are killed and others suffer lifelong disabilities. Even though we boast, “it’s not training unless it’s raining,” most of these tragedies can be prevented though a deliberate risk assessment of the weather and a known plan to mitigate the hazards of lightning.

Tips:

· Know the local area weather forecast.
· Have a lightning safety plan. Know where you’ll go for safety and ensure you’ll have enough time to get there.
· Monitor the weather. Once outside, look for signs of a developing or approaching thunderstorm such as towering clouds, darkening skies, or flashes of lightning.
· Get to a safe place. If you hear thunder, even a distant rumble, seek safety immediately.
-Fully enclosed buildings with wiring and plumbing are best.
-A hard-topped metal vehicle with the windows closed is also safe.
-Stay inside until 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.
-Tents, sheds, picnic shelters, or covered porches do NOT protect you from lightning.

· Consider postponing activities if thunderstorms are forecast.

If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby, the following actions may reduce your risk:

• Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks.
• Never lie flat on the ground.
• Never shelter under an isolated tree.
• Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
• Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water.
• Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines, trees, etc.).
• If you’re swimming or boating get to dry land and find a shelter fast.