22 paratroopers injured when wind blows them into trees at Camp Shelby; others 'ready to rock and roll'
HATTIESBURG, Miss. A massive, monthlong parachuting exercise was continuingat Camp Shelby on Thursday despite anaccident that injured at least 22 soldiers late Wednesday.
Lt. Col. Deidre Smith ofthe Mississippi National Guardsaid the troops had jumped from a C-130 in high winds andwere blownfrom their intended drop zone into a group of pine trees.
Seven soldiers were hospitalized, and the rest were treated at the scene,she said. None of the injuries were life-threatening, Smith said. She added that first responders and a local hospital had been notified of the training in advance.
About 650 soldierswith the 4th Brigade Combat Team 25th Infantry Division out of Anchorage, Alaska, were participating in the 10-day training program. Smith said the exercises were continuing Thursday.
"We have a lot of extremely professional soldiers who are ready to rock and roll," Smith told USA TODAY.
About 180 were in the zone at the time of the incident, and 89 paratroopers made it out of the planes, said Sgt. Alex Skripnichuk of the 4th Brigadespublic affairs office.
Each plane carries up to60 people.Emergency responders took some of the injured to local hospitals, where teams of doctors and nurses could be seen walking quickly toward the emergency room.
"Airborne Operations all bear an inherent risk. We strive to mitigate this risk as much as possible," the combat team said in a Facebook post. "Our goal is ultimately to continue training. Despite the challenges that we currently face, soldiers always place the mission first."
The jumps took place on the first day of Exercise Arctic Anvil. Plans called for heavy equipment drops and jumps by more than900 paratroopers. To make the training more realistic, local soldiers areplaying the role of the opposing force.
This is the largest exercise that Camp Shelby has hosted in conjunction with an active duty brigade combat team, Ginn said before the accident. He said the training would enhance the brigade's "lethality."
In June 2016, two soldiers were injured when their Humvee hit a median on U.S. 98 just west of the camp's East Gate and overturned. The driver and passenger were taken to Forrest General Hospital with moderate injuries.
Camp Shelby, in operation for more than 100 years,is atraining site for Army reserve soldiers as well as active duty members of all the armed forces.It's the biggest reserve training facility in the USA, hosting 100,000 personnel a year, according toMilitaryBases.US.
The site consists of a more than 130,000 acresof state, Department of Defense and U.S. Forest Service lands in the DeSoto National Forest.
Bacon reported from McLean, Va. Contributing: Ellen Ciurczak, Hattiesburg American
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Camp Shelby accident: 22 paratroopers hurt after missing drop zone
