A 36-year-old Active Guard and Reserve Sergeant assigned to the Texas Army National Guard, died during a training event conducted on 13 August 2020 at Fort Hood, Texas, at 1645 local. The Soldier was attending the 136th Regional Training Institute 11B Advanced Leader Course and participating in a Land Navigation Course Evaluation. The course began at 0530 and scheduled to end at 1030. The Soldier failed to return to the start point and a search was initiated. The search began with cadre, then with range control. At 1300, local law enforcement was notified and the Soldier was found approximately four hours later. The Soldier was transported to the nearest medical facility and pronounced dead. The cause of the Soldier’s death is unknown at this time. Weather conditions at Fort Hood at the time of the mishap were extremely hot with a high of 100 degrees and 33% humidity. This mishap is under investigation.
This is the first fatality that has occurred on a land navigation course since FY18. Ensure your risk assessment for a Land Navigation Course Evaluation addresses the hazards of exposure to hot weather and Soldiers getting lost on the course. The Joint Risk Assessment Tool (JRAT) provides potential control measures to address these hazards along with many others. This can be found at
https://jrat.safety.army.mil